Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on a matter of great concern in my electorate—the Pacific Highway between Warrell Creek and Urunga. In my view, this section of road must be the funding priority in any future negotiations between the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments. A survey by the NRMA last year identified the highway between Warrell Creek and Urunga as the worst in the state. Members will no doubt recall the horrific accident on 8 January, when two people died after a head-on accident at Urunga. One of those killed was an 11-year-old boy. He died when a semitrailer ploughed into the house where he was sleeping. Whilst it has been revealed that human error and alcohol consumption proved a large part of the tragedy, the reality is that if the highway did not go through Urunga the accident would never have occurred.

Last year I welcomed the announcement to fast-track the Frederickton to Eungai section of the highway. However, I was astounded to read media reports that the Australian and New South Wales governments were commencing negotiations for the South Kempsey to Port Macquarie upgrade. In my view, road safety must be the most important consideration when prioritising which projects receive funding, and there is no doubt that Warrell Creek to Urunga is the biggest black spot on the Pacific Highway. There are three key reasons for this. Firstly, 27 people have now lost their lives on this section of road over the past five years. Secondly, the Macksville Bridge is too narrow and trucks pass only centimetres apart. Its current condition prevents large loads from being transported on the most direct route up and down the coast. When this bridge is closed due to an accident or maintenance, traffic has to be diverted causing lengthy delays. It is also a bottleneck for traffic, particularly during the busy tourism season. Thirdly, bus loads of school children travel to school on this section of road regularly. I understand that many parents are concerned about the condition of the road.

While all sections of the highway are important, the experience with the Bonville deviation shows us that, when a black spot is eliminated, the accidents stop. I said publicly on Christmas Eve that this stretch of road was a disaster waiting to happen. Tragically, that is exactly what occurred. Since the accident, expressions of interest have been called for the Nambucca to Urunga section, but that overlooks the black spots further south at Macksville and Warrell Creek. This government is now spending $50 billion on an NBN project that people do not want or need. Those funds would be better spent on upgrading the Pacific Highway to dual carriageway standard.