Barry Haase (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to bring the attention of this place to the situation with the Great Northern Highway that links Perth in Western Australia to Wyndham. It is the longest intrastate highway in Australia. A section referred to as the Bindi Bindi bends is in a deplorable condition. Numerous accidents each day are waiting to happen. The situation continues simply because the government in this place cannot find money to carry out repairs on the shoulders of that road. Of course, it is under the auspices of Main Roads Western Australia, which is funded by the Commonwealth government. This road is screaming out for funds. About 800 vehicles a day, the majority of them road trains and many of them triples, pass side by side. Drivers tell me that with the number of side mirrors that have been destroyed because of the closeness of trucks passing it is remarkable that something fatal has not happened thus far.

There is an urgent need for funds to be spent. It is time the minister responsible found some funds and stopped fobbing off the public by suggesting that by 2014 there may be further opportunity for funds to go to this vital project.