Justine Keay (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on a crucial infrastructure issue for my electorate: the condition of the Bass Highway west of Burnie—in particular, the section between Marrawah and Wynyard and between Cowrie Point and Detention. At the conclusion of my contribution I will seek leave to table a petition signed by 654 members from the local community on this issue. This petition has been approved by the Petitions Committee.

The Bass Highway runs from Launceston to northern Tasmania, to Marrawah on the far north-west coast. Between Burnie and Devonport it carries the highest volumes of freight of any road in Tasmania. The highway is also the entry point to Tasmania for visitors travelling on the Spirit of Tasmania. Between Launceston and Burnie the highway is classified as part of the National Highway. West of Burnie to Smithton the highway is classified as a regional freight road. From Smithton to Marrawah the highway has the lowest classification of any road in Tasmania and is simply classified as 'other roads', but from Marrawah to Burnie the road carries fuel tankers, milk tankers, log trucks, container trucks, cattle and sheep trucks, heavy transport and low loaders, school buses, public buses, tourist buses, campervans and motorhomes, public and private plated vehicles, motorcycles and cyclists.

A report prepared by the Circular Head Council has been presented to the Tasmanian government and states that the highway carries more than one million tonnes of freight annually, worth over $1 billion per annum. Circular Head is Tasmania's largest dairy and prime beef production area, and is home to the world-famous Cape Grim Beef, and the freight task is in addition to the growing number of tourist vehicles. West of Wynyard there are currently two pressing issues in terms of the highway's construction and safety: from Smithton to Marrawah the road is largely constructed over a timber base. It is narrow, crumbling, corrugated and uneven. A trip from Smithton to Marrawah will soon tell you if you suffer from motion sickness or if your feelings are intact. Local school buses travel from Marrawah to Smithton on a daily basis, and the experience of local children is a case of holding on tight so they can remain in their seats.

Elsewhere on the highway, between Cowrie Point and Detention, there are numerous access points in and out of small coastal villages. While some small improvements have been made, the Circular Head Council's report identified nine black spot areas in this 18-kilometre stretch of highway—that is one black spot every two kilometres. Compounding road safety issues are the limited overtaking opportunities, which frustrate motorists who are stuck behind heavy vehicles. Travelling behind a heavy vehicle loaded with livestock is not the most pleasant experience, and most motorists want to get past these trucks sooner rather than later. What is really needed between Smithton and Marrawah is for the structural integrity of the road to be re-engineered to deal with the long-term needs of the community and to address safety as a No. 1 priority. Planning and design work is needed to identify the priority areas for work from Cowrie Point to Detention.

The community, through Circular Head Council, has campaigned for several years to have the highway upgraded from Marrawah to Burnie. The council has engaged its own consultants to prepare the case for why the road needs upgrading. Local school bus operator Kimbra Wells, from Wells Wagons, has led the community campaign. In October last year Kimbra invited local MPs to join her for a ride on the school bus from Smithton to Marrawah, and the MPs discovered the joy of holding on and keeping their lunch down on a 92-kilometre round trip.

To be fair to the coalition, they have funded black spot and road safety improvements at dangerous intersections at Wynyard, which is just west of Burnie. But it is worth noting that this funding was not forthcoming until after a grassroots community campaign and a commitment from the shadow minister for infrastructure. At Wynyard, it was a case of Labor leads and Liberals follow.

But, west of Wynyard, not one cent of Commonwealth funding has been allocated to the Bass Highway. The state Liberals have taken Circular Head for granted. The community are rightly stunned and disappointed that the recent state Liberal budget had nothing for the highway. From Marrawah to Smithton, all that has been offered is filling some potholes and pavement resealing from the state-wide maintenance budget. This is a bandaid solution, when major surgery is needed. It will be only a matter of time before the surface deteriorates over the winter months. Elsewhere on the highway, only routine maintenance is being carried out.

The Bass Highway is the Circular Head community's social and economic lifeline. It is the only major access road in and out of the district. I trust I have presented the case that the Bass Highway west of Burnie should be a priority for the state and federal governments. On this side, we know and understand the importance of this road. I call upon those opposite to join with Labor, take notice of this petition, and allocate the funding so that planning works can start to address road safety and transport issues ASAP.

I now present the petition.

The petition read as follows—

TO THE HONOURABLE THE SPEAKER AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

This petition of the undersigned residents of North West Tasmania draws to the attention of the House of road safety and transport issues associated with the Bass Highway from Marrawah to Burnie, Tasmania.

We therefore ask the House to call on the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport to provide the funding necessary to allow the planning works to commence so road safety and transport issues can be addressed. Improvements to the Bass Highway from Marrawah to Burnie will also support long term economic growth and development in Circular Head.

from 654 citizens.