Tony Pasin (Barker, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that 1,300 lives were lost on Australian roads in 2024;

(2) recognises that:

(a) this is the highest road toll since 2012; and

(b) the national road toll has risen each of the past four years, a situation not seen since 1966, or before the introduction of compulsory seat belts;

(3) acknowledges that the annual fatality rate per 100,000 head of population is now 4.8, well over double the National Road Safety target of 2.0; and

(4) calls on the Government to take action on the road safety crisis that is now killing more than 100 Australians every month and hospitalising 100 Australians every day.

This is now a full-blown crisis. To have the most dangerous roads and commensurate statistics since 1966 tells you that last year was the most deadly year on our roads since 1966. The Australian road toll continues to track in the wrong direction. As you've just heard, the annual fatality rate per 100,000 head of population is 4.8. Our national bipartisan target—a national target we've all subscribed to—is 2.0. At the end of 2024, Australia's 12-month road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than when the strategy began in 2021. That's higher than when we as a nation committed to putting this statistic on a downward trajectory, close to 20 per cent higher.

The continual rise in road fatalities reiterates the need for national leadership on road safety and the crisis facing the nation. But, sadly, Labor is failing Australians on efficiency, on productivity and, most tragically, on the safety of our roads. We need better insight into the safety issues on our roads to ensure that road safety initiatives and infrastructure funding are being directed where needed and to address the road safety crisis, not the political crisis unfolding with those opposite. The Albanese government cut, cancelled or delayed more than $27.9 billion—it bears repeating: $27.9 billion—in infrastructure funding in its first 2½ years of government. Of course, we don't need to go over the 90-day review process, which felt like 90 months, but, in any event, it caused significant delays and resulted in lifesaving projects being cut, cancelled or delayed. The result of the review cancelled important infrastructure projects and diverted funding from those projects to Labor's pet projects in marginal seats.

I'll leave others in this chamber to talk about their experience in their jurisdictions but let me take you to South Australia. South Australia has a road network of 23,000 kilometres, but Labor only seems concerned about those roads that fall within the very tight boundary of the electorate of Boothby, which is 115 square kilometres. The federal and state Labor governments recently announced a $30 million infrastructure investment in Brighton Road. The investment follows $200 million to remove the tram level crossing at Morphett Road. Unfortunately for South Australian road users, federal and state Labor government infrastructure investment decisions don't seem to be based on the science or the data around road safety but rather on the political needs of Louise Miller-Frost. When there exists a $3 billion road maintenance backlog in South Australia—not to mention the funding needed for pivotal future-proofing infrastructure projects, such as the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass and the duplication of major freight routes, such as the Augusta, Sturt and Dukes Highways—we need leadership that thinks beyond saving the political skin of the current member for Boothby.

The South Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport refuses to release the outcomes of the Australian road safety program, AusRAP, the five-star rating system, through the FOI process, despite state and territory governments agreeing in 2024 to end years of secrecy by publishing a range of data, including AusRAP data, on the federal government's National Road Safety Data Hub. The program uses assessment tools used in around 130 countries to target investment and reduce death and injury.

It beggars belief that, at a time when this country is experiencing the worst road safety statistics since 1966, we've got an Albanese-led Labor government more focused on holding onto key seats—and indeed his keys to the Lodge—than investing in infrastructure projects that will save lives. The government infrastructure investment decision is short sighted and based on politics rather than evidence; Australia's productivity has been put on hold and community safety compromised as a result. In contrast, the former coalition government set us on the trajectory of increased investment in road infrastructure. We were building what was needed for the safe and productive movement of goods and to ensure people got home to their loved ones safely. We need to take the politics out of road investment decisions and focus instead on evidence and transparency. It's time to get Australia's roads back on track.

Marion Scrymgour (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is there a seconder for the motion?

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Barker for raising this motion on the very important subject of road safety and the horrendous road toll we have currently. Every year, hundreds of Australians lose their lives or are seriously injured in road crashes, and the devastating road toll calls for action on both sides of this place. It is something that we must all do together, across jurisdictions and across levels of government. Surely that's something we all can agree on—that we must lower our road toll. We must aim for zero deaths on our roads.

I don't need to tell you, Madam Deputy Speaker Scrymgour, given you're from the Territory as well, where we had a really bad year on our roads last year, that it's devastating to see the mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and children and grandchildren that have been killed on our roads or have otherwise been left with a big gaping hole in their families through road trauma and road deaths—those who leave home with no expectation that they won't make it to their destination.

It truly is not just in the Territory; it is a national tragedy. As the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and Northern Australia, our roads in the north are a key focus of mine. They provide the vital links across the north but also between the north and our southern hubs, providing a key supply chain for economic prosperity and for the defence of our nation. But, in all of this—the importance of our industry and the importance of our Defence—we must do everything we can to make sure that all road users are safe. I know it's something the ADF takes seriously and that industry continues to look at. We implore visitors, when they're touring to the north, to slow down and not be in a rush. Don't think that you've got to overtake on every overtaking lane, because we see that impatience on our roads causes crashes, injury and death.

Last year, 60 Territorians lost their lives on Territory roads. That is nearly double the 31 lives lost the year prior, 2023. As the AANT or the Australian Automobile Association reported, this 87.1 per cent increase in only one year made 2024 the deadliest calendar year on Territory roads since 2008. Already, four Territorians have lost their lives in 2025, and we're only in early February.

These lives are not just a statistic, of course. As I said, Deputy Speaker, and as you know well, they're someone's loved ones. Just this year, there are four loved ones who won't come home, which is why it is absolutely essential that the Australian government does its utmost to reduce the road toll. We are implementing the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. This is underpinned by the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025, in collaboration with all states and territories and all local governments, because road safety is a shared responsibility across all levels of government. We are doubling the Roads to Recovery funding from $500 million to $1 billion a year. We're on that path. I know, because I'm the chair of the black-spots NT committee, that we've substantially increased funding for the Black Spot Program, which is rising from $110 million to $150 million per year, and I think we can do more. As a government we know there is more to be done, and that's why our Labor government is continuing to work with the states to get the road toll to zero. We understand the importance of investing in our infrastructure and for making our roads safer.

I want to end with a message to all road users. Please think about how your actions today are impacting tomorrow's drivers. Your behaviour behind the wheel and on our roads is influencing that next generation of drivers every day. It's up to all of us to teach our kids how to be safe on the roads.

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me a great honour to be able to second this motion by the member for Barker. I thank him for the cooperation in working to put this motion to this place, because he knows and understands, as a neighbour of mine, how important road funding is to regional and rural Australia—in particular, to his electorate, the electorate of Barker, and to my electorate, the electorate of Wannon. This data sadly speaks for itself, with 1,300 lives lost on Australian roads in 2024. Think of the impact that that has had on those families, the friends of those people and local communities right across Australia. This is something that we have to address. The last four years have seen the road toll go up each and every year. We haven't seen that since before the introduction of seat belts. We really need to see action from the government now. We need to see it from the Victorian state Labor government as well. We cannot see more lives continue to be lost on our roads, rather than less.

What do we need to do to make sure that we turn this around? To start with, we need state governments—and we need the Victorian state government—to release the Australian Road Assessment Program data, which sets out what the rating is, from one to five, for every road across every state and territory. I was able to get this information, dating back to 2014, through a freedom of information request. That's what it took to get this information for Victorian roads. Why won't the state Labor government just release that data? If it did, we would know where we need to immediately fund our regional and rural roads in particular. If we know what the star rating is, we know where we need to put the funds towards. I call on the Victorian state government and the Albanese Labor government to require that that information be released every year so we know what is occurring with our road infrastructure and where we need to put urgent effort in to make sure that our roads are safe for people to travel on.

We also need the Albanese Labor government to immediately reverse its cuts to our roads—over $80 million worth of cuts to roads in Wannon. It's unconscionable. We need more funding, not less. And we also need the Victorian state Labor government to put maintenance funding back into our roads. Don't cut road maintenance funding at this time. Put more maintenance funding back into our roads. How could they do it? They could act immediately if they wanted to. They've got their priorities wrong. We've seen all of this money go into the Suburban Rail Loop. The Albanese Labor government has set aside $2.2 billion to go into theSuburban Rail Loop.

I saw, on the front page of the Herald Sun today, that the Victorian state Labor government, due to the walloping they've had in the polls, are thinking about changing their priorities. Well, stop thinking about it and just do it. Look at fixing your existing infrastructure—in particular, your existing road infrastructure, which is declining day by day because you're not putting the investment into it that is needed.

You only have to drive our roads to see the urgent attention that is needed. I say this to Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister, and I say this to the Premier of Victoria: just hop in your car and do what I do on a daily basis and drive around my electorate. You'd see straightaway that there is a need for more investment, not for cutting investment. Not only that; you need to ensure your maintenance program holds up. In Victoria, we used to maintain our roads by repairing and resurfacing them every 13 years. Under this Victorian state Labor government and the cuts to funding by the federal Labor government, we'll be lucky to do that over the next 60 years. Let's get attention to our road network now. That's why I'm proud to second this motion.

Jodie Belyea (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to join my colleagues the member for Solomon and the member for Macarthur in speaking on this motion moved by the member for Barker. Every day, Australians set out on their daily commutes to work, on school runs and on long-haul drives, trusting that they will reach their destination safely, while many people set off on holidays across the country, travelling in caravans and motorhomes. This past 12 months, we have lost 1,300 lives. This is the highest road toll since 2012. The road toll has risen each year for the past four years. This increase has not been seen since 1966 or before the introduction of compulsory seatbelts. The road safety crisis is now killing more than a hundred Australians every month and hospitalising a hundred Australians every day.

As the mother of an 18-year-old young man who just got his licence, along with many of his friends, this is of deep concern. We know young men, in particular, take risks when driving. Ensuring they keep their speed down is critical. You will often hear me say, when I'm Flynn's passenger in the car, 'Slow down.'

The other issue that impacts the road toll, which I hear about in my electorate of Dunkley when I'm out and about on the doors, is the state of the roads—the potholes that create damage to cars and tires and that have people veering off in the wrong direction when they hit the holes or try to dodge them. Potholes make driving dangerous, particularly when excessive speed is involved at night and in the rain.

Behind these numbers we hear about are devastated families, communities grieving and an economic toll that stretches into the billions. Every one of us has a role to play in reducing crashes, injuries and fatalities on our roads. The safety of drivers on our roads is a priority for the Albanese government, and this government has done an immense amount of work to address this issue, more so than the opposition. On a very practical level, we have more than doubled the Roads to Recovery Program funding, from $500 million to $1 billion per year. This is funding that will go to local councils, like Frankston City Council, to deliver road safety projects across the country. In Dunkley alone, the federal government will spend more than $6.5 million to fix roads in the next five years. The $6.5 million given to Frankston City Council by the federal government includes a $2.8 million increase from the prior five years. On a national level, we have also increased funding under the Black Spot Program from $110 million to $150 million per year and created the new Safer Local Roads and Infrastructure Program. That will increase over time to $200 million per year.

The government is also committed to improving data collection and using it to increase road safety, including ensuring there are improved data-sharing requirements for state and territories. This was something the Liberals and Nationals refused to do when they were in government. For the first time, it creates a requirement for the provision of a nationally consistent dataset on roads to help address the issue.

The road toll is an issue, particularly in big cities like Melbourne and in communities like Dunkley, with people driving far too fast on local roads. Lowering speed limits in high-risk areas, building more speed humps—a recommendation from Dunkley locals when I'm on the doors—and enforcing stricter penalties for speeding offenders will significantly reduce fatalities, because excessive speed is a major factor in fatal crashes and the road toll. Road crashes remain one of the leading causes of death and serious injury in our country, and my family knows that far too well. I urge everyone to watch their speed, particularly our newest P-platers on the road. The road toll is just far too high. Any death on Australian roads is one death too many.

Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to thank the member for Barker and the member for Wannon. We represent different parts of Australia. The members for Barker and Wannon represent rural and regional Australia for the most part, and I represent metropolitan Australia. I just want to acknowledge that this is an issue that covers every electorate, but it disproportionately affects rural and regional Australia because of the obvious fact that you have more trees on the side of the roads, cars going at speed directly opposite each other, and greater fatigue. That is why the road toll is, to our national shame, higher in rural and regional Australia. So I thank those members for their advocacy.

We're not just talking about numbers on a page. The member for Barker noted that the road toll per 100,000 is at 4.8. Every September, the MCG is full for the grand final, and at capacity it holds about 100,000 people. Imagine your one game of the year is that grand final, and the price you pay for that is that about five people in that stadium that day will not survive. That's the price you pay for attending that one game a year. All we are asking, and all both sides of politics have committed to, is to reduce that to two. We would move heaven and earth if five people died attending the grand final every year, but that sense of urgency isn't here.

The criminal law is a blunt instrument, and very few road accidents are about deliberate, intentional criminal activity. They're mostly in the field of negligence or recklessness, mostly by young men. There are three tools at our disposal to reduce the road toll: technology, training and infrastructure. As to technology, I myself survived a car accident because of technology. When I was a baby, our car was hit head-on by a truck, and, but for advances in seatbelt technology, I wouldn't be here. In terms of training, we know that young men are more prone to taking risks. You see it on the road. When a car shoots past you, zooms into a lane or cuts off another car, more often than not it is a young man who thinks that he will live forever. I saw that in a yearlong trial that I conducted for road fatalities. We heard from world-leading experts that the only antidote to that is supervised experience with someone showing you the way.

But the third part, infrastructure, is where the government can do the most work. We heard the fine speeches from those opposite about how every life matters and this issue is just a serious for them as it is for us, but let's judge them on their actions. In my seat of Menzies, there is a notorious intersection called Five Ways. It's called Five Ways because five roads intersect. The council have told us that, as a state road, all it needs is a roundabout, at the cost of $10 million. That's it—$10 million. Two years ago, just before I got elected, a young woman died at that intersection, and many others in the area know that they take their lives into their hands when they move through that notorious part of Melbourne.

Leading up to the election, the coalition had a commitment of $10 million. My Labor opponent said, in the local newspaper, they would match it. I thought, 'Great. Here is an example of bipartisanship, where we're agreeing that a problem is there, it can be solved and there's a plan.' But what happened? I went to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, in her ministerial suite, and when I sat down, surrounded by all the department officials, they shuffled some papers and said, 'We're really sorry, but our candidate didn't fill in the form. You can do with that what you want.' So the first reaction was a process one. Whatever paperwork was supposed to be filled in by the Labor Party wasn't filled in, so I was told, and instead of the minister saying, 'But I will do it anyway; I will honour that commitment,' it was 'You can use it for political purposes.' Well, the minister can shove the political purposes, with respect. The correct response was to say, 'I will fix that road anyway because it is about lives. It is not about politics.' That is the problem with this government. It's always about the politics. It's not about lives. It's about the politics. I don't care about the politics.

We'll be making that commitment again, and I won't just call on my opponent to match it. I will say, 'Show me the paperwork because we don't trust you, we don't trust this government's commitments, because you are putting Australians' lives at risk.'

Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a young neurosurgical resident in the late 1970s, I went to Royal Ryde Rehabilitation Hospital on many occasions to visit patients who were in long-term rehabilitation for severe neurological injury following motor vehicle accidents and other accidents. It was terrible. I'd like to acknowledge that, whilst every day in Australia three people die on our roads, over a hundred are severely injured, many of them left with severe neurological problems. I'd like to pay my respects to Royal Rehab Private Ryde, which is still doing amazing work in the rehabilitation of people following major motor vehicle injuries and also other injuries, and I acknowledge the work they do.

I'd also like to acknowledge our first responders. I know the member for Barker, as a police officer, probably did see severe trauma on our roads and had to deal with that, as do our ambulance officers, police officers and, of course, our emergency doctors and nurses—seeing people brought in after severe motor vehicle accidents. What is a tragedy is that every one of those people killed affects their larger family, and those that are severely injured often have lifelong complications that affect not just them but their whole families. It is not only an enormous cost in terms of money but also an enormous emotional cost for all of those people that are injured on our roads, and their families. I'd like to acknowledge those families as well.

Unfortunately, what is happening is that our road toll, both in terms of deaths and the severely injured, is increasing. This is in these days of improved technology, improved medical care, improved rapid responses, improved neurosurgery, improved orthopaedic surgery and quicker access to acute management. Yet our road toll is increasing.

One thing that we really don't know is why. I don't want to politicise this argument in any way. None of us in this place—none of us—want to see our road toll increasing. We want to bring it down, we want lives saved and we want to see fewer people with the severe consequences of motor vehicle accidents. It's not something that I want to politicise. But we do need better data. I'd like to acknowledge the work that Michael Bradley and the Australian Automobile Association are doing in trying to improve data collection in this space.

We don't really know why our road toll is increasing. Our cars are better, our technology's better and our health care is better, yet the toll is increasing. And that's creating a huge burden on our health services, on the NDIS and on the families involved with this. We have, of course, better access to better roads through our Roads to Recovery Program. The federal government has doubled the spending on the Roads to Recovery Program to a bit over a billion dollars per year. We've increased funding for the Black Spot Program. We've created safer local roads and community infrastructure. We're making our infrastructure better, yet our road toll is increasing.

We need better data collection. We need much better access to the technology involved in road safety. With the support of the Transport Workers Union, we've been able to get better, new technology for recognition of bike roads et cetera for our large vehicles by using the technology that's available. We need to get that in all our vehicles on the roads, and that will make a difference. But, above all, we need all our states and territories to get together to put together a much better data collection system so that we know what is causing our road toll and what is causing the deaths and the severe injuries. We need to make sure that lives are saved. This is not a political issue.

Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

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