Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Roads to Recovery Program is a bipartisan program. It is something that Labor had when we were in government and it is something that we are pleased to see this government continue. But what is missing from this motion by the government minister is the recognition that it was Labor's idea to increase the fund. That is because, when this government got elected, they ordered an increase in the fuel excise. They ordered it. They asked that the tax office, the Australian government, start collecting this increased tax, without the tax ever having passed the parliament.

So money was being gathered, but what to do with it? It was Labor's idea—in fact it was the idea of the current Leader of the Opposition, who was then the shadow transport minister, who suggested that this money should go into the Roads to Recovery Program. There's no recognition of that in this motion. It must have just been a simple oversight by those opposite that they didn't acknowledge that it was actually Labor's idea to increase the funding, because we know how critical this program is, particularly to regional electorates. In my electorate of Bendigo, our councils rave about this program and how it almost doubles and quadruples what they're able to do for their roads. Equally important is the 'Bridges to Recovery' program. One of my council areas, the Mount Alexander shire, has the most bridges per population than any other shire in the state of Victoria. That's a lot of bridges to maintain and a lot of bridges to fix. Quite frankly, you wouldn't drive on some of them because they are that unsafe. So, these programs are critical.

I suggest that the government also work with local governments to think about a 'Paths to Recovery' program. It's not just our roads and our bridges that need work; it's also our footpaths and our bike paths. Far too many gaps exist, particularly in the regions, between new estates and old estates, between connecting our communities. If we want kids to be able to ride to school safely, they need a decent path to do so. It's an opportunity for the government to further partner with local government in achieving this. This is an area where local government is not able to keep up with community expectations. I've met with the Deputy Prime Minister about this issue and also with the local government minister. Both of them gave me a hearing but buck-passed and said that it is the role of local government. Well, so are local roads and local bridges, yet we've seen, with the success of this program, that, when federal government partners with local government, more can be achieved. Greater Bendigo, the largest council area in my electorate, have about $600,000 to spend on footpaths. If we partnered with them at a federal level, even doubled what they can spend, that would be $1.2 million towards local footpaths. That would bridge the gaps. It could be a 'Paths to Recovery' program. It would help older people on scooters, mums and dads with prams and kids ride their bikes safely to school. Footpaths are raised at all levels of government, and they are something that this government should take on board.

I also call upon the government to consider increasing all these programs. We are now going through the recovery stage and, sadly, in Victoria, we are still in the midst of the pandemic. This is funding that these council areas would already have got. They already would have got this money, pandemic or not. I call upon the government to increase funding for these programs, because these programs are truly a local economic stimulus. They are great for local tradies. They are great for small business. They are great for keeping councils, which have also been hit hard by the pandemic, employed. This is an opportunity for the government, not to create a new grants scheme, not to create more paperwork for local government, but to increase the funding in this area.

Don't just do what you've always done. It is not business as usual, particularly in my home state of Victoria. These programs will really help our communities survive the economic crisis that they're currently going through and help local businesses to thrive. Now is the time that the government should be looking at increasing the Roads to Recovery Program. Yes, it's bipartisan. Yes, we welcome the funding. But it's not enough. Now is a great chance for the government to increase the funding to the Roads to Recovery Program and to consider a new program of 'Paths to Recovery', because this is good for our communities.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in full support of the motion on Roads to Recovery Program moved by the member for O'Connor, because on this side of the House we recognise the importance of delivering infrastructure projects across the nation. I recognise the comments made by the member for Bendigo as well.

The Roads to Recovery Program has been a vital part of our infrastructure investment, and over the time that we're in government it will deliver some $2.64 billion in funding to local governments from 2019-20 to 2023-24, for a total investment of some $6.2 billion for the period from 2013 to 2024. The program has been integral in supporting the maintenance of the nation's local road infrastructure assets and provides councils with maximum flexibility to manage local road projects within their shire council areas.

Importantly, the coalition government has delivered more than $78 million in local funding to both the City of Gold Coast council and the Logan City Council in my electorate of Forde since coming to government in 2013. This funding has been critical in supporting local road upgrades across both city councils, projects such as the $785,000 upgrade for the section of Wuraga Road, between Dairy Creek Road and Prangley Road, completed in 2014. This involved the reconstruction of the existing road to upgrade it to a two-lane urban arterial road standard. This important road safety upgrade has been crucial to catering for the growth and development in the areas of Bahrs Scrub, Holmview and Waterford over the past 10 years. Another $750,000 was allocated to construct and install signals on Peachy Road at Ormeau to access the Ormeau Marketplace shopping centre, a project completed in 2017 that delivered significant safety improvements for the residents of Ormeau in the northern part of the Gold Coast, one of the fastest-growing areas in my electorate.

The Roads to Recovery Program fully funded the $280,000 project for pavement rehabilitation for the entire length of Anzac Avenue from Waterford Tamborine Road to Kirk Road. Other important upgrades include the $750,000 upgrade on Loganlea Road, from Armstrong Road to the Logan Motorway; $200,000 in works on the Kingston Road service road, delivered in 2016; and some $3.4 million for a major project on Stanmore Road at Yatala. The importance of this project can't be underestimated given the ongoing significant growth in the Yatala Enterprise Area, which is now one of the major commercial, industrial and manufacturing hubs on the northern Gold Coast and a huge source of employment and economic opportunity. This area continues to grow. Every time you go down there you see new buildings being built, new industrial sheds, increased distribution services. This project is happening in conjunction with an upgrade we are funding to the tune of $50 million to exit 41, and also the recently opened Darlington intersection upgrade that I announced last week with the Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport, Scott Buchholz. This nearly $6 million investment, in conjunction with Gold Coast city council from a different funding bucket, is equally important for that local business community and for the work that they're doing.

A $1.1 million investment in the upgrade of the intersection of Station Road and Jellicoe Street at Loganlea has completely transformed that intersection. It was one where there were frequent accidents and near misses as a result of it being an off-ramp from the Logan Motorway. The work has substantially improved the safety of that intersection. And finally there is $6.9 million for the Chambers Flat Road upgrade between Mount Lindesay Highway and Kings Road at Chambers Flat. This is a significant contribution to the $38 million project that will be carried out by Logan City Council. The Roads to Recovery Program continues to benefit communities right across my electorate of Forde, and I'm very thankful that the government continues to invest and grow these projects to strengthen our economy.

Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Local roads are the arteries and veins of our local townships. We rely on them for safe passage in, out and around our communities. While local government is much more than rates, roads and rubbish, they do administer nearly 80 per cent of all road networks across our country. It's a big job for councils, and they need support. Local government has a vital role to play when it comes to building and, importantly, maintaining our road network. The Roads to Recovery program has been providing extensive funding support to councils since 2001, providing assistance with maintenance for these vast networks. My electorate of Paterson is arguably one of the most picturesque in New South Wales, but still, sadly, the Hunter region, where my constituency belongs, has one of the most significant infrastructure backlogs in the country, amounting to $207 million. My question is, how does the government dare pat itself on the back about how it's been going recently, when we know that more funding is needed despite this pandemic? In the four local government areas across my electorate we have a $136 million backlog. I ask the government, 'Will you take real action to fix this problem and also stimulate our local economies at a time when we have never needed it more?'

While I welcome the additional funding the government is injecting into the program, the question must be asked 'Is it enough?' The NRMA have come out and said 'No'. They released their funding local roads report showing just how dire the infrastructure backlog is in New South Wales and particularly regional New South Wales. The report shows us that the regional council maintenance shortfall rose from $11.2 million in the 2015-16 financial year to almost $29 million under the current government. The roads infrastructure backlog across New South Wales has risen by 14.5 per cent from $1.96 billion to $2.23 billion. It would seem that roads aren't getting the love they deserve under the state and federal coalition. Even the Deputy Prime Minister can't get enough money for roads in the Riverina. If he can't get the money, I ask who can?

As I said, regional roads are the arteries and veins that keep the blood pumping to our regional centres. For instance, many businesses rely on the freight and logistics sector to continue economic activity. This is a sector that really is critical to our country's economy, more so than ever, and it's highly reliant on investment in road infrastructure. The economic viability of our towns is dependent on freight getting in and out safely, and whilst we all want to be able to go to the supermarket and get the toilet paper and goods that we need at this time, if it weren't for those trucks freighting them in and out those supermarket shelves would not remain stocked. The township of Nelson Bay in my electorate has seen a situation of one road in, one road out for years. The state Liberals have been promising for three elections that they're going to duplicate it. It still hasn't happened.

Labor understands the value of regional roads. We know cash-strapped councils are absolutely desperate for support from the federal government if they have got any hope of catching up on years of backlog. The NRMA has also been calling on the government to take action on road funding for a long time. We can't leave it to the states and local councils to play catch-up.

The township of Cessnock is famous as the entry point to the vineyards, but I can tell you that the roads in Cessnock have been very rough for a long time. Many people in my constituency talk about that. Many people who drive through my electorate to get to the vineyards say, 'The roads are still pretty rough,' Maitland has been renowned for years for droughts and terrible flash floods. The roads there also need some help. A simple drive through the Maitland LGA after heavy rain shows you that the best part of council resources goes to patching potholes. That's a consequence of sustained periods of drought and then floods and roads under too much pressure. We have got a growing population. Patching potholes is just not good enough anymore. My community wants the government to front up with a real solution, not sprinkle some spare change for a few pothole fills and sprinkling a bit of asphalt around off the back of the truck. The M1 is in my electorate and it still needs to be extended. There are so many vital roads in Paterson. I implore the government put more money in.

Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very proud to speak on this motion today in support of the Morrison government's commitment of $6.2 billion to the Roads to Recovery Program. This program is one that allows us to work by supporting local governments to build better infrastructure and to create local jobs, which are so desperately needed right now. Since the program was rolled out in 2013, 26,000 projects across the country have been funded. That is a testament to the coalition's commitment to better infrastructure for all Australians.

I am particularly passionate about this project. As a former Brisbane City councillor, I know intently the ins and outs of how a council needs to fund the vital road infrastructure for its growing population. This program supported by the Morrison government is a significant contributor to those efforts. I will continue to work hard with Brisbane City Council, particularly with Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner and his hardworking LNP councillors to make sure that we improve our local roads. I was delighted that as part of the recent additional funding provided by the Roads to Recovery Program Brisbane City Council received $11.7 million in additional funding for a total allocation of $58.5 million. This is vital funding that will go towards upgrading local roads to get residents home sooner and safely in the Brisbane City Council area. Programs like these are building road projects and providing jobs at a time when that is so important for our local community.

Of course it should be noted that this program is funding on top of other funding that the federal government provides to assist with reducing congestion in local areas and on local roads. Listening to the previous Labor speakers, we might think that this was the one and only contribution that the Morrison government makes towards solving traffic congestion. It isn't; it's a very large allocation on top of what is already a very significant commitment by the Morrison government to assist with reducing traffic congestion. For example, I was very pleased to announce, with the Deputy Prime Minister, $1.4 million in Black Spot Program funding in Queensland for a project on Sir Fred Schonell Drive and Coldridge Street in St Lucia. This is an important local project that is going to make the intersection safer for local residents and help to reduce congestion at this particular bottleneck.

And there's a significant difference between how the Morrison government approaches reducing traffic congestion by working with local councils as opposed to how the Labor Party and Labor state governments approach working together with other levels of government to reduce congestion. There are two projects in my local area, my electorate of Ryan, which provide this very stark contrast. The first is the $25 million that the Morrison government is putting into the Indooroopilly roundabout congestion reduction project. That will see the roundabout replaced with a set of traffic lights, an overpass and a flyover which are required to get residents through this black spot and particularly in more safety; it is an accident black spot in our local area. The Morrison government is contributing significant funding to this and they're working closely with the Brisbane City Council. In the year and a bit since the last federal election, the Brisbane City Council has come to the party to match the funding provided by the federal government. We have worked together to do public consultation. The detailed design process is now well underway following that consultation, which decided the best option for the community.

In contrast, $12.5 million was provided by the Morrison government to upgrade the Kenmore roundabout. This is a project that needed to be done in conjunction with the Queensland state Labor government. As opposed to the significant steps that the Brisbane City Council has managed to make in the last year, I'm afraid the same cannot be said for the Queensland state Labor government. They have managed to simply sit on their hands and, despite this funding being on the table, they seem to have failed to progress the Kenmore roundabout upgrade project to any significant extent. I know that the local state LNP sitting member there, Christian Rowan, is working very, very hard to get the Labor government moving on this. Because we're working together, we're able to provide the matching funding that will get this project done. I'm certain that the local residents will remember this when it comes to their vote in October.

The Morrison government's 10-year economic plan is a $100 billion investment in busting congestion to boost the economy and create local jobs. It's vitally important that the Morrison government can get on with its work to help reduce congestion and to get people home to their families sooner and safely.

Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I resume the speech I started in the last sitting. To continue where I left off, the Black Spot Program is an important sister program of the Roads to Recovery Program. I was disappointed, however, to learn that an application from Murrindindi Shire to fix the horrendous blackspot on the Black Spur Road was rejected in the most recent 2020-21 round of applications announced on 7 August.

That treacherous blackspot is still there, and it's a disaster waiting to happen on a road that's a feeder pathway to the magnificent regional tourism zone so close to Melbourne—a zone that Melburnians will be champing at the bit to drive the moment they're released from the tough COVID conditions. While the Roads to Recovery and Black Spot programs may have been fit for purpose before the pandemic, I think it's now high time that we did a lot more to get our local roads and infrastructure up to scratch, and to get our economy back on track, through smart stimulus that not only creates jobs but saves lives.

Last week I published a budget submission that I drafted with the nine local government areas in Indi, from Alpine to Wodonga, from Kinglake to Benalla and everywhere in between. That submission lists over $400 million in shovel-ready local road and infrastructure projects, projects that have been locked out of the Roads to Recovery Program since its inception and projects that may not always fit into the Black Spot Program but, nevertheless, are programs that we could fund. I'll present that list to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasurer next week.

These projects would put hardworking Australian back in jobs almost overnight and build stronger, better local communities for us all to enjoy when we're back open again, projects like the $7 million needed for the Benalla-Whitfield Road, which will see six kilometres of gravel upgraded and sealed. Not only would this project put local people straight back into local jobs but also it would support the growing tourism sector within the pristine King Valley region—a region that's located in the foothills of the Alpine National Park, surrounded by mountains, stunning hiking trails and rolling vineyards with cellar doors aplenty. Cellar doors, vineyards, hiking paths—all waiting for people to flock back to them. Funding projects like this will not only protect our economy but also our livelihoods and safety. The King Valley is a very vulnerable area to bushfire, which sharpens the need to complete the sealing of that road. A project like this would secure local communities better accessibility within the valley, which is crucial during an emergency, especially with the next fire season right upon us.

Another outstanding opportunity is the $20 million required to enhance the road infrastructure at the Logic industrial estate outside of Wodonga. This estate was established 14 years ago and has ushered in more than $25 million in land sales, more than $900,000 per year in annual rates for the local council and over 615 jobs for local people. It was full of potential before and it's full of potential again. The local council would be ready to proceed to construction within weeks of financial backing from the government, and the new vision would be a reality within just 12 months.

It's time this government upped the ante and took a good look at the stimulus opportunities right under its nose. I will hand these and many other projects over to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasurer next week, and I implore them to take a really good look. These projects should not be destined to the wastepaper basket but should be front and centre as we look forward to building communities post the COVID restrictions.

Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to rise to speak about the bipartisan Roads to Recovery Program. It works on three levels: economic, social and safety. The economic benefits—as we know, it's administered by local government. It provides employment opportunities through local government. For example, in one small town in my electorate, Kempsey, the program—and I congratulate the mayor, Liz Campbell—has provided employment opportunities not only through council but also through local contractors to carry out those works. It therefore produces local results with employment opportunities for local tradies, and creates more opportunities for them throughout Cowper.

In Cowper alone, through the Roads to Recovery, over five years, Bellingen will see almost $3 million; Coffs Harbour will see almost $7 million; Kempsey, almost $6 million; Nambucca Valley Council, $4 million; and Port Macquarie-Hastings Council, just over $9 million. Add that to the half-a-billion-dollar infrastructure bring forward recently announced by the coalition—$191 million for New South Wales alone and $23 million going towards roads and infrastructure in Cowper. From employment opportunities with the infrastructure build come the social outcomes. You have people in work, people with money being able to go out for dinner at night time, the tradies supporting the local hotel like the Settler's Inn in Port Macquarie. The Settler's Inn in turn sponsors almost half of the footy teams and netball teams throughout the community in Port Macquarie. The social outcomes are visible for everyone to see, and it's this bipartisan investment by government that assists our smaller communities.

The most important outcome, and something that is very close to me, is the safety outcome. Last year, 1,188 people died on our nation's roads, over two-thirds in rural and regional Australia. The star rating for some of those roads is one or two stars, so this investment by the government towards the Roads to Recovery can increase the star rating and, accordingly, increase safety, because we have our vulnerable road users—the kids in the car, the cyclists, the pedestrians—and they all need protecting. By increasing the safety of the roadways, we can work towards achieving Vision Zero.

An example of one very successful company in Port Macquarie is Stabilcorp, which has developed the ShoulderMaster, which adds 1.5 metres to the side of a rural roadway or a regional road that allows better access for road users and reduces the potential for head-on accidents or sideway run-offs. This recently made machine in this family-owned company can seal three kilometres of roadway in 60 per cent less time, with 40 per cent lower costs, which, in turn, means less of an environmental impact. They are now exporting to America and to the United Kingdom. Inventions and innovations such as these in concert with the Roads to Recovery Program and funding will not only increase the amount of work that can be done and increase safety, but will look after all our road users across the nation.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.