Dan Tehan, Member for Wannon, said the Albanese Government should immediately abandon its plan to lower regional speed limits down to 70 kilometres per hour on both sealed and unsealed roads.
“Wannon communities are completely opposed to the Labor Government in Canberra telling them speed limits must be slashed to as low as 70 kilometres on regional roads,” Mr Tehan said.
“Labor’s consultation on lowering regional road speed limits closed this week and the Government must listen to the feedback from people in the regions by immediately scrapping the plan. Country people want the Government to invest in fixing our roads, not letting them deteriorate and then forcing councils and state governments to slash the speed limits.”
Mr Tehan said the Albanese Government has cancelled, cut and delayed more than $30 billion worth of infrastructure projects since they were elected three years ago.
“The Prime Minister has targeted regional roads for spending cuts, reducing funding from 80 per cent under the Coalition down to 50 per cent for road upgrade projects in the regions.
“Coalition programs designed to return a fair share of the Federal budget to the regions and make roads safer and more productive have been abolished by Labor, including the Roads of National Significance and Bridges Renewal programs,” Mr Tehan said.
Labor members and senators are buckling under the pressure from regional Nationals and Liberal MPs who have been campaigning against Labor’s lower speed limits plan.
One Labor senator told ABC radio last Friday, “Absolutely no way do I support this. It is a nonsense. It is just a nonsense that we would even entertain or put up something like this.”
“If the Government doesn’t want to listen to regional communities, they should take the advice of this senator by walking away from the plan and make a clear statement the Government will not be forcing cuts to speed limits on communities,” Mr Tehan said.
ENDS
Sandie Gustus M | 0408 564 232 E | sandie.gustus@aph.gov.au
