Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Hansard source

You can't get very far in Western Australia unless you travel on a road. So, why is it that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers, supported by WA Labor members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, are cutting or delaying road projects in Western Australia? The Broome to Cape Leveque road and the community access roads: delayed. The Goldfields Highway works between Wiluna and Meekatharra: delayed. Works at Forrest Highway and the intersection of Victoria Avenue: delayed. And work at the Albany ringroad will now be delayed. This is outrageous from a government that won the election on the back of Western Australian voters. Why does WA Labor keep insisting on turning its back on WA voters?

The Karratha to Tom Price Corridor upgrade: cut. The Great Eastern Highway upgrades: cut. The Great Northern Highway roadworks between Nellie Springs and Arthur Creek: cut. When you think about that, how outrageous that on the one road that connects Broome to Kununurra in the far north of Western Australia roadworks are being cut. It's outrageous.

It gets worse. The Tanami Road, which supports regional and remote Indigenous communities and supports mining research projects, is an important access road when there are floods and natural disasters across our Far North. Its upgrade of $8 million: cut. It's outrageous. I'm one of the few people in this national parliament that has driven down the Tanami Road to the border of Northern Territory and back—that's why it's better described as a track and not a road—and $8 million would make the track a road and better support Indigenous communities. This is an outrage. WA voters deserve better.