Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to raise concerns on behalf of the community of East Gippsland and the public, particularly those in the tourism industry, travelling through the region of East Gippsland about the status of the Princes Highway east of Sale. There is a need for the federal government to urgently consider the current arrangements whereby the highway east of Sale is not recognised under the national road network and therefore is not eligible for federal funding in the same way as the highway further to the west. I do note for the record, despite the continued protestations by the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government about the issue, that the broader community, including me, have been very supportive of the work that has been done in terms of duplication upgrades of the highway between Traralgon and Sale.

Under the federal government program $140 million has been allocated, along with $35 million from the state government. This matter has received bipartisan support over many years. But the highway east of Sale is one of great concern to me and to the people of East Gippsland. It is one of the most dangerous sections of road in Victoria. In fact, there have been 24 fatalities in the past six years on this section of road, stretching from Sale to the New South Wales border. A petition has been started, the principal petitioner being a Bairnsdale man, Tim Bull, under the auspice of ‘Fix our Highway.’ As we all know, if you fix country roads you will save lives in country areas. The Fix our Highway campaign is well under way with, I understand, 1,000 people having already signed the petition, calling on the federal government to recognise the highway as a road under the national road network.

Funding for more overtaking lanes to improve the safety of motorists is required for the highway east of Sale. The section, particularly east of Orbost, is in very poor condition. There is a complete lack of shoulders on many sections of the road, leading to large drop-offs on the seal on the side of the road and the likelihood and the all-too-frequent occurrence of major accidents, particularly with heavy vehicles using the road on a daily basis, not only the heavy transporters associated with the timber industry but also the larger recreational vehicles which are now in common use on our highways. One small mistake by a motorist should not end up as a fatality, but on too many sections of the Princes Highway east of Sale we are faced with that situation. We must spend more money in improving the safety of the road environment.

One other key area is the provision of rest areas on the highway east of Sale not only for the heavy transport industry, using the route from Melbourne to Sydney via Canberra, but also for the recreational vehicles which, increasingly, use the highway. They do not require full camping sites but require somewhere they can stop for the night in their self-contained vehicles. In terms of the safety of the highway another key aspect is the complete lack of funding for improving the road surface.