Greg Hunt (Flinders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to set out an agenda for roads within the electorate of Flinders. Over the last few years we have had many successes in acquiring Commonwealth funding for roads, and we have worked assiduously with local members Martin Dixon, Robin Cooper and Ken Smith and the various councils to achieve certain outcomes at the state level. It is now time to set out a five-year agenda for the key local and arterial projects within the electorate of Flinders.

Although there are many projects of importance, there are six priorities at the local level. Firstly, there is the intersection of Truemans Road and Point Nepean Road in Tootgarook. For some time the state government has promised to provide lights at this corner, and it is time that it delivered on that promise. This year is an election year, and I would imagine that there will be some pressure on the Victorian government to make good on its promise, which is now three years overdue. Secondly, one of the worst intersections in Victoria is the intersection of Queens Road and Western Port Highway, between Pearcedale and Somerville. Recently a decision was made to remove the right-hand turn. It was a quick fix and a cheap approach to avoid having to create a traffic island. It is a priority for local residents that they do not lose access into Queens Road. The way forward is a combination of traffic-calming measures and the installation of a traffic island.

Thirdly, for many years the Fultons Road and Baxter-Tooradin Road intersection, in Baxter, has been a major congestion point. Very simply, a major traffic island is needed. Off his own bat, local businessman Stuart Wilson has paid for a traffic plan but the state has not acted on it. It needs to be done rapidly. The intersection of Bentons Road and the Moorooduc Highway in Mount Martha is another major problem, which was created by closing off the intersection rather than redesigning it. It is a major inconvenience to traffic users. A traffic island is needed urgently.

The Gurdies-St Hellier’s Road, which is in Bass Coast area, is in need of an upgrade and we are pushing for that. Robinsons Road in Pearcedale is desperately in need of sealing—at least at the edges, if not the entire road. All of these local projects are priorities. They fit with the two major arterial projects which I have previously spoken about: a Koo Wee Rup bypass to bring the major traffic out of the heart of Koo Wee Rup and a Frankston bypass, particularly now that the Scoresby Freeway-cum-tollway is to be developed. That is our agenda, and I commend it to the House.