Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the federal government's announcement to bring back local road funding for South Australian councils. This is a huge win for road safety in Mayo. This announcement will mean more than $40 million over two years will be poured back into council managed roads in South Australia. This includes more than $4.6 million in my electorate of Mayo for the Adelaide Hills, Mount Barker, Victor Harbor, Yankalilla, Kangaroo Island, Barossa and Onkaparinga councils.

This money was originally cut from the budget in 2014 by the Abbott government. It created a huge gap in funding for South Australia. It was completely unfair that we lost so much money, to the point that, when that funding was cut, New South Wales received more than $1,400 per kilometre and South Australia received just $500 per kilometre from the federal government. So I am pleased that, with our negotiations and advocacy, the Nick Xenophon team has produced this result. This is a win for road safety not only in my regional electorate—which has a disproportionate number of casualties, fatalities and serious injuries—but for all South Australians. I am so pleased that the council has listened to NXT and made sure our supplementary road funding was reinstated.