LABOR FAILS ON ROAD SAFETY

Recently released figures from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics show that for the 12 months to the end of August 2024 1,322 people on died Australian roads, representing a 9.2 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period.

Monthly figures continue to tell us that an increasing number of people are dying on our roads and Australia is well off track to achieving National Road Safety Strategy targets.

Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Tony Pasin MP said the Albanese Labor Government was failing the community on road safety.

“Following a decade of declining road toll, deaths on our roads have been steadily increasing over the past two years and Australia finds itself edging further and further away from the goal of halving road deaths by 2030,” said Mr Pasin.

“Labor’s failure to facilitate the timely, consistent, and open reporting of national road safety data after almost two years in government is preventing Australia from quantifying its road safety problem, developing evidence-based responses, or evaluating their effectiveness.”

Mr Pasin, who represents the large regional electorate of Barker in South Australia’s South East said it was particularly concerning for rural and regional communities.

“We know that two thirds of road fatalities occur on rural and regional roads despite less than a third of Australia’s population residing in the regions,” Mr Pasin said.

“We need to better understand what is causing this disparity, but without strong National leadership to collect and analyse the necessary data it’s almost impossible to understand why current road safety initiatives are failing to drive down these alarming statistics,” Mr Pasin said.

“At the same time, the road safety task is being made more difficult by the Albanese Government’s decision to cancel, cut, and delay more than $27.9 billion in infrastructure funding over its first two years in government.

“Roads throughout the country aren’t receiving the maintenance and upgrades they need, and the impacts of Federal Government funding cuts are being felt by road users firsthand.

Mr Pasin said road users can help shine a light on the appalling condition of local roads by taking part in a national road survey.

Road users can send the Albanese Labor Government a message to fix our roads by nominating a road, intersection or bridge in need of investment through the survey available at https://www.research.net/r/2HRHBV9

With the survey will close for submissions 30 September 2024, road users have a week to get nominations in.