Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to update the chamber on the progress of the great work being done by the Outback Highway Development Council, who are literally paving the way to create a new east-west connect road linking Laverton in the north-eastern goldfields of O'Connor to Winton in north-western Queensland. I particularly want to recognise a constituent of mine, the redoubtable Pat Hill, who was here in Parliament House yesterday at the invitation of Minister Frydenberg. Pat Hill was briefing Minister Frydenberg, who is the minister for northern Australia, on the Outback Way project, as was Helen Lewis, the CEO of the organisation. We had a wonderful meeting, and I sincerely thank Minister Frydenberg for being so generous with his time.

The Outback Way is Australia's longest shortcut of 2,800 kilometres. It will almost halve the journey taken by tourists travelling from the beaches of the golden west in WA to the reef in northern Queensland. No other drive passes through as many climates, landscapes and Australian attractions as the Outback Way. From the Mediterranean climates of Perth, it travels through the wheat belt and mining towns of the northern goldfields, traversing culturally rich Indigenous lands, to the harsh desert through Central Australia. It traverses Ayres Rock and the Olgas and then heads into the vast cattle country of the Northern Territory and western Queensland before reaching the balmy tropics of Cairns. The Outback Way, as I said, is 2,800 kilometres in length. Currently only 1,200 kilometres of this is sealed, with another 1,600 kilometres of gravel, which has been upgraded thanks to the work of the outback development council.

I particularly want to thank Pat Hill and the Shire of Laverton for the work they have done, and also the Shire of Ngaanyatjarraku—they are the two shires in my electorate that are involved. There has been some funding made available. The federal government made $75 million over three years available, which has been matched by the states, and that is being rolled out at a fantastic rate at $200,000 a kilometre of bitumen sealed—and I have to congratulate the shires of Laverton and Ngaanyatjarraku for this. There is some more money available through the northern Australia policy, and that is why the Outback Way council are here today, to brief Minister Frydenberg, and I am hoping we can access some of that money.

Honourable Member:

An honourable member interjecting—

Rick Wilson (O'Connor, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is anyone travelling from Perth to Alice Springs. For transporters, the shortcut for livestock and heavy haulage can certainly save huge amounts of money. For example, there will be a 12-hour time saving travelling from the southern Pilbara to Central Australia, and that can be a cost saving of up to 50 per cent on current routes.

I have run out of time, but once again I would like to endorse the Outback Way to the House and certainly the work that the Outback Way committee are doing. I thank Patrick Hill and Helen Lewis and their committee on the work that they have achieved so far.