Thank you for the invitation to be here at the National Local Roads, Transport and Infrastructure Congress. My colleague, the Hon Senator Bridget McKenzie, was not able to attend and has asked me to be here on her behalf to represent the Coalition. It is great that this annual event is hosted each year around the country, last year in Margaret River in my home state of Western Australia.
As the Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure with specific responsibility for Road Safety, it is my honour to speak at this important conference this morning.
Coming from a vast state like Western Australia, a state of seemingly infinite roads, I have a strong appreciation of the challenges that local governments confront in the ongoing responsibility of their local roads.
This subject has become especially personal to me, as my two children, 19 and 17 years old, are new drivers on the road – and you will all know how anxious parents get when seeing their own young, relatively inexperienced drivers take the wheel on their own, or worse still, with their friends for the first time.
Many of you will know the Albanese Government ended the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program, with the final funding round in July 2023.
LRCI was widely supported by local governments, it assisted regional councils to build and maintain local roads. But it was not just about roads, it went to the heart of regional communities by delivering tangible benefits like libraries, playgrounds and bike paths.
With national productivity declining over the past three years, it’s disappointing that investment in local infrastructure has not been a priority.
Though LRCI began as a Morrison Government pandemic response in 2020, its success quickly showed the ongoing need it addressed. It provided vital support to regional Australia.
We look forward to working with ALGA and the local government sector to continue the essential task of maintaining and upgrading local infrastructure.
Across regional Australia, we’re seeing the consequences of long-term underinvestment in our road network. Many local roads are reaching the end of their design life, yet councils are being asked to do more with less.
In recent years, funding changes have shifted more of the cost burden onto local governments. Where the Commonwealth once covered around 80% of many priority regional road projects, its contribution has now dropped to about 50%. For small shires with limited rate bases, that difference can mean the difference between a project proceeding or being shelved.
At the same time, key programs that supported regional maintenance and upgrades, such as the Roads of Strategic Importance initiativeand the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, have been scrapped.
Many councils relied on these programs to address urgent safety issues, repair flood damage, and keep freight routes open. Without funding certainty, long-term planning becomes impossible. Reactive maintenance takes over, and the cost of catching up grows year after year.
If we’re serious about road safety, productivity, and the sustainability of our local economies, then we need a renewed focus on investment, one that gives local governments the stability and support they need to maintain safe, reliable roads for the communities they serve.
That’s why I was really impressed by the pre-election proposal from RAC and WALGA. They presented a clear, practical plan that focuses on fixing the problem at its source, improving the safety of our regional and local roads through smart, evidence-based investment.
Rather than relying on short-term fixes like lowering speed limits, the WALGA and RAC proposal focuses on proven, lower-cost safety measures such as shoulder widening, audible edge and centre lines, and safety barriers that save lives and prevent serious injuries. It builds on the success of the Regional Road Safety Program, which has already reduced fatalities by 50 percent and serious injuries by 35 percent across key routes.
What stood out to me is that the WALGA and RAC plan isn’t just about building or upgrading roads. It’s about fairness and long-term sustainability. It recognises that local governments manage most of Western Australia’s road network but often don’t have the funding certainty they need to plan ahead.
The proposal calls for all levels of government to work together and co-fund upgrades on more than 8,000 kilometres of high-speed local roads. These upgrades have the potential to prevent over 130 deaths and nearly 500 serious injuries in the years ahead.
Importantly, the proposal was backed up by data and research provided by C-MARC, a joint initiative between Curtin University and Monash University, and established to advance road safety research in Western Australia. C-MARC conducted comprehensive safety modelling of WA’s high-speed local roads.
This is the kind of forward-thinking, collaborative approach we need. It’s practical investment that delivers real results, supports regional productivity, and, most importantly, keeps people safe on our roads.
I realise my parochial tendencies are coming through in highlighting a Western Australian approach, but if you can filter out my natural bias, I genuinely commend this proposal to the conference. The Coalition would be pleased to work with you on a national model.
Road building and maintenance don’t often get the recognition they deserve. It’s not glamorous work, and it rarely makes headlines. But the truth is, we’ll never really know how many lives are saved through every investment in safer roads. What we do know are the numbers of lives lost when upgrades are delayed, when maintenance is put off, and when decisions are left for another year.
That is why the work being led by WALGA and the RAC matters. It is about building safer roads and investing in upgrades that prevent crashes, save lives, and support the communities and industries that keep regional Australia moving.
Because when governments focus on long-term investment instead of short-term fixes, everyone benefits.
Across Australia, the reality is that our roads are crumbling. Locals know it. Truck drivers know it. Every small business that relies on freight knows it. And I know many of you in this room know it, too. Yet, unfortunately, we have seen the current government’s response to dangerous and deteriorating roads isn’t to fix them, it is to simply slow people down.
Through their Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) the government is currently considering cutting default speed limits on regional roads from 100 down to as low as 70 kilometres per hour. The idea behind this proposal is that slower speeds reduce the likelihood and severity of crashes, particularly on roads that are in poor condition or not built to modern safety standards.
The issue is being framed as a safety measure focused on reducing fatal and serious injuries (FSI), but in reality, it reflects underinvestment and a lack of long-term planning.
Because the RIA is focusing on options within the remit of the Australian government, only speed limit reductions are being considered. It doesn’t take into consideration road conditions, driver skills, fatigue and “under stress” or other factors involved in accidents.
Remarkably, in the conclusion of the RIA, it admits:
“The impacts of reducing default speed limits on default roads outside of built-up areas are complex to assess due to limitations in existing road safety datasets. In particular, there is no comprehensive data on vehicle-kilometres travelled or the proportion of fatal and serious injury crashes that occur on roads outside of built-up areas with default speed limits.”
The government’s approach is just one piece of the puzzle. Lowering speed limits alone is not a silver bullet, nor should it replace proper investment. Local governments need support to make meaningful upgrades, yet the issue is being examined in isolation. A broader strategy is needed, one that considers road conditions, driver behaviour, fatigue, and other key factors contributing to accidents.
With limited data and only one tool being considered, reducing speed limits, it’s hard to see how the government can justify pressing ahead with changes under such constraints.
Let be me clear, I acknowledge speed does contribute to road accidents. But it is one factor. Slowing people down doesn’t fully address the root cause, and in many cases it creates new challenges.
Every freight route slowed by 30 kilometres an hour means higher costs, longer delays, and fewer opportunities for regional Australia. It adds pressure to industries already dealing with supply chain challenges, and it sends the wrong message to regional communities that deserve the same infrastructure standards as urban areas.
The Coalition secured an extension to the public consultation period on the proposed regulatory changes, giving communities more time to have their say beyond the original 28-day window. That consultation closed yesterday.
Lowering speed limits won’t fill potholes. It won’t rebuild washed-out roads. And it won’t make travel any safer for families, farmers, or freight operators on deteriorated roads. What we need is investment and action, sensible policy formulation, not shortcuts that slow regional Australia down.
In closing, the Coalition remains committed to ensuring that local governments are heard. Senator McKenzie, Dr Anne Webster and I are working together to advocate for the road safety and infrastructure funding that our local councils and shires urgently need. Real support that lifts communities by boosting productivity, improving the accessibility of essential services and strengthening connectivity between communities.
We will keep pushing this Government to deliver genuine roads and safety upgrades, not just the promise of them. We look forward to deepening our engagement with local government nationwide and championing their needs every step of the way.
Thank you.