LABOR CUTS ALLOCATION OF ROAD SAFETY FUNDING
Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development
Tony Pasin MP
Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
MEDIA RELEASE
LABOR CUTS ALLOCATION OF ROAD SAFETY FUNDING
Labor continues to fail on key road safety improvements as almost $80 million is cut from the Bridges Renewal and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity programs this year.
The Government announced the second tranche of funding for the 2023/24 financial year yesterday, with just 19 new projects across the two programs bringing the total for the year to $105 million despite a budget allocation of $185 million.
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Bridget McKenzie said both were highly successful programs designed to improve road safety and assist productivity and efficiency of agricultural freight from farm to market.
“The former Coalition Government invested $772 million into these important road safety programs in our last budget because we understand keeping freight running efficiently and safely is vital to keeping our economy strong and supporting jobs,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Not only has the Labor Government decided to abolish both programs but they’re failing to release all the money, leaving sections of our freight network without the funding desperately needed to improve safety for all road users and boost the productivity for heavy vehicles.”
Shadow Assistant Minister Tony Pasin MP said Government was failing on road safety and now was not the time to be cutting investment in roads.
“The startling increase in road trauma over the last couple of years should be cause for increased investment in our road network, not less. The fact that the Labor Government see road safety and efficiency programs as an opportunity to skim funding is disgraceful,” Mr Pasin said.
“The second half of 2023 was the deadliest six months on Australian roads in over a decade. Labor’s failure to take action on the national reporting of road safety data is bad enough but to cut funding and allow the freight network to fall into further disrepair is simply astounding,” Mr Pasin said.
In November 2023 the Government announced it would be abolishing the Bridges Renewal and Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity programs (as of 30 June 2024) and replacing them with a new program that does not have the same specific commitment to fixing local bridges and heavy vehicle routes.
| Program | Tranche 1* | Tranche 2* | Total 2023-24 | Budget Allocation | Underspend |
| BRP | 41,027,366 | $25,599,178 | 66,626,544 | 95,000,000 | 28,373,456 |
| HVSPP | 18,244,439 | $20,664,000 | 38,908,439 | 90,000,000 | 51,091,561 |
Source: Tranche 1 BRP announced 2 November 2023 and HVSPP announced 7 November 2023; Tranche 2 announced 4 April 2024
Contact:
McKenzie office: Olympia Cover | 0407 876 497
Media Contact: Charlotte Edmunds | Ph: 8724 7730
