Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Regional Services) Share this | Hansard source

There are a hundred billion reasons why regional Australia should be excited about our investment in key infrastructure. There's the additional $1 billion we're adding to the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative, to take our total investment to over $4.5 billion, to provide long-lasting benefits long after the construction finishes. Through this initiative we're investing in over 25 key freight corridors, including feeder roads, to more efficiently connect agriculture and mining regions to our ports, airports and other transport hubs. There's more than $2 billion to improve road safety and there are dedicated programs to improve roads right across rural and regional Australia. As local government minister, I know the vital role that local councils play in identifying and improving local roads, and, because of this sound fiscal management, we're able to provide $1.1 billion to local councils right across Australia to improve their local roads through our iconic Roads to Recovery Program.