Ms BURNET (Clark) – Deputy Speaker, I thank Mr Ferguson for the motion. The amendment is sensible. To look at increasing that funding contribution to rail and ultimately get more freight and so forth off the roads would be the best alternative.
This is a really timely debate, partly because some of the crossbench attended a briefing from the Road Safety Advisory Council today. There was discussion around various upgrades and safety as the key component in looking at those upgrades and so forth, for roads and for the safety of all road users. That is one of the key issues for the Greens.
Having funding to contribute and asking for that re‑establishment of the 80:20 split is a good thing for Tasmania. While the topic of this debate is about the Bass Highway, it is nice to figuratively travel up to the north west and consider the Bass Highway as one of the key roads in Tasmania. I did travel at the same time as minister Abetz for that trip to Leith –
Mr Abetz – Leith Tasmania, not Scotland.
Ms BURNET – Not Scotland – the Leith turnoff. Out of that I would hope to think that some of the concerns about road safety were addressed by a simple change, not an expensive infrastructure change. It is an inexpensive way of looking at some of those issues such as concerns about road safety at a turnoff such as Leith. This road safety mechanism was to reduce the speed limit along that highway so that people turning right and heading east would be less likely to be travelling at a 100 kilometre per hour speed to merge with other traffic travelling in the same direction.
I also value the chance to look at various pieces of road infrastructure as part of the Public Works Committee – together with Ms Butler and Mr Wood, who are both on that committee. You can see why there are concerns and why these upgrades are seen as a priority for road safety. One of the most recent trips was to have a look at the Bridport Road and to consider the upgrades which the department was looking at. On the Tasman Highway, the duplication of the Midway Point Causeway, including McGee’s Bridge, will be something that will soon be open for public submissions, and I urge people to have their say in relation to this as it will be before the committee soon.
We are reminded that road upgrades are very important. I might read the concerns about that Leith turnoff on the Bass Highway. Sometimes getting a response can be difficult because of fatalities or serious incidents. That is again what the Road Safety Advisory Council was informing of us today. The elevated crash history is the reason why sometimes these improvements are considered.
The number of crashes reduced by 46 per cent on a 1.2 kilometre section near Don after the speed limit was cut from 110 kilometres per hour to 90 kilometres per hour in 2006. The crash rate has almost halved since the limit was cut from 110 to 90 kilometres along a 2.3 kilometre stretch west of the Heybridge roundabout in 2021. These are all important things to consider. It is not necessarily about spending the big bucks. It is looking at those other solutions as well.
To the amendment, the Greens support the amendment. We have also had similar conversations amongst ourselves about trying to improve the rail network and getting that funding into a small budget, small GDP state such as Tasmania. It is important that we get that value for money which makes those investments and the upgrades that are required much more possible. We have the Tasman Bridge, for which I believe it might have been a 20:80 split –
Mr Ferguson – It was 50:50.
Ms BURNET – Those things are still not altered. They still have not been delivered by the government, and it is a really important and critical piece of infrastructure that needs that upgrade for the safety of all road users.
I will finish on that point, but the Greens will support this.
