September 25, 2023
Opposition MP – and Shadow Minister for Regional Development – Darren Chester has blamed the Federal Government for the state of many rural and regional roads.
He said the government was “putting lives at risk” because of stalled safety projects.
“Halfway through the Albanese Government’s term, local council and community groups have no idea if vital road safety and infrastructure projects will ever proceed, thanks to an incompetent Minister,” Mr Chester said.
“The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Catherine King has been a huge disappointment for local councils which rely heavily on Federal Government grants to help fund major projects.
“If you see a grader, a bulldozer, or a crane at work on a major public project anywhere in Australia today, you can be sure of one thing, the current Federal Minister had absolutely nothing to do with providing the funding.”
Mr Chester said that instead of guaranteeing funding for projects, Minister King had announced a 90-day review of the Infrastructure Investment Program.
“More than 150 days later, we still haven’t heard the outcomes of the review and communities are waiting to find out whether the funding which was promised, and included in the previous government’s budgets, will ever be delivered,” he said.
“Nothing is getting cheaper by waiting, and when the Minister finally makes some decisions, there’s no doubt that local council community projects will need to be re-scoped, and less road safety initiatives will be undertaken.
“So we are in limbo as Australia experiences a spike in road trauma, and motorists endure potholed roads, while the responsible Federal Minister ponders her review.”
