Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to commend the Black Spots program—genuine, economic infrastructure on the ground; child of the Howard government; and a big change from a Labor government that spent most of the surplus we left them on non-economic infrastructure. In my electorate, Bailey Road and Old Cleveland Road East got $1.25 million to improve lines, signals, lighting and extended turn lanes. People in my electorate have comments on this: 'Troy Helter Skelter Porter—I tell my friends to stay away from the intersection. I had a subbie who drove in to do contractor work only to have an accident as they drove away.' Mr Schofield, from Downing Street, talked about all of the traffic coming back from the school and said that he has to take the back routes to avoid this intersection. This is one that should have been fixed long ago.

I am not sure about the federalist model here, where we have the federal government picking up black spots. But at least this is a proven, non-wasteful program—unlike those with the word 'Labor' in front of it, which were by and large either wasteful or ended up in front of a royal commission. It was one or the other. But it is not that case with the Black Spots program, which is strongly supported by my local community—fixing up Old Cleveland Road East, fixing up Wellington Street in Cleveland. It is a program that I hope will continue in the future.