The Albanese Labor Government has been forced into an embarrassing backflip on its ill-conceived plan to slash speed limits on regional roads to 70 km/h, a proposal that never should have seen the light of day.
Wannon MP Dan Tehan said the decision to quietly drop the policy is an admission that Labor has failed to address the real issue: fixing dangerous, crumbling regional roads.
“Regional communities, local councils, and Liberal and National MPs mounted a powerful grassroots campaign against Labor’s reckless plan and common sense has finally prevailed,” Mr Tehan said.
“It should never have taken this long. The Government wasted months pushing a policy that punished regional motorists instead of repairing the roads that endanger them.”
Mr Tehan said the Government’s backdown follows overwhelming public opposition, including more than 11,000 submissions rejecting Labor’s proposal.
“Labor ignored the calls from communities in Wannon to not slower speed limits. Cutting speed limits was to be a lazy substitute for real road investment,” Mr Tehan said.
The backdown comes as Australia faces a worsening road-safety crisis:
“Axing the speed-limit plan is a victory for regional Australia, but road safety won’t improve until the Albanese Government invests in the roads themselves. It’s time they got on with the task of making roads safer by fixing them and filling the potholes,” Mr Tehan said.
ENDS
Sandie Gustus M | 0408 564 232 E | sandie.gustus@aph.gov.au
