Michael Keenan (Stirling, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Justice, Customs and Border Protection) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure today to inform the House about a major win for my electorate of Stirling. On 12 November, the Liberal state Minister for Transport, the Hon. Troy Buswell, officially opened the Reid Highway-Mirrabooka Avenue overpass. I have been campaigning for the construction of this overpass since my election in 2004, and indeed beforehand, and it is a pleasure finally to see it completed. Hundreds of local families had expressed to me their concerns about this notorious black spot and that is why I continuously fought for it to be fixed. Before the construction of the overpass, the intersection was rated as one of Western Australia's worst crash zones, and that is why it has been a project worth fighting for. The notorious black spot hosted 400 crashes, with four fatalities, over the previous decade. The intersection carries approximately 60,000 vehicles a day, and the overpass will now improve both time efficiency and safety for those who use it.

I commend the work of the state Liberal government which fully financed this $30 million project. It is of deep concern to me that there was no federal government contribution to it. My constituents have been promised in every state and federal election since 2004 by both the state and the federal Labor Party that they would make a contribution to this overpass. Sadly, nothing has been forthcoming. The previous state Liberal opposition recognised this problem area and they addressed the issue within two years of their election. By contrast, the previous state Labor government promised the people in Stirling in 2004 and again in 2005 that they would fix the problem, but they never delivered on this promise.

The opening of the long-awaited and long-overdue overpass will greatly enhance the safety of all users of the Reid Highway, and I will continue to fight for improved infrastructure on Stirling roads and ensure the safety of all of my constituents in Stirling. That overpass comes on the back of the opening of the Reid Highway-Alexander Drive overpass, which was completed through contributions from both the state and the federal governments. That overpass was opened some eight months ago, and I congratulate the Minister for Transport, Troy Buswell, on seamlessly moving workers in the construction crew onto the overpass at Mirrabooka Avenue and on the subsequent cost savings associated with completing those two very important projects.

Road infrastructure is vitally important for improving efficiency, for allowing people in Stirling to get about the electorate and to get in and out of town as quickly and as seamlessly as possible. The completion of this much needed overpass and the earlier much needed overpass at Alexander Drive is of great importance to the people of Stirling. I commend the state government for completing them. (Time expired)