WA is set to receive $1.6 billion toward transport projects as part of the Federal Government’s 2019/20 Budget, however funding for a new and long-term strategy to address regional road trauma has not been included.
RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs, Will Golsby, said the $1.6 billion will deliver a number of key projects and is another step in the right direction.
"Investment in key roads and bypasses — including the Albany Ring Road, which RAC has consistently advocated for — will provide much needed safety and congestion improvements for our members and the WA community,” Mr Golsby said.
"We will now work through the detail and engage with the State and Federal Governments to confirm timing of these commitments, to ensure there is certainty in relation to the delivery of each project, including when they will commence and their timeline for completion.”
The Federal Budget will also establish an Office of Road Safety which will be required to play a key role in delivering a national and co-ordinated plan to save lives and stop serious injuries on our roads.
“While the Federal Budget also continues to provide much needed funding through the Roads to Recovery and Blackspot programs it missed the opportunity to establish a long-term funding program targeting local roads across regional WA, which could be delivered in partnership with the WA State Government," Mr Golsby said.
Over the next four years, the Budget also confirms the Federal Government will collect $59.6 billion nationally in taxes from motorists.
A key priority for RAC will be to ensure WA receives its fair share of transport funding, with a recent report revealing that over the past 12 years successive federal governments had returned an average of just 34c for every dollar of motoring taxation collected from WA drivers.
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Media contact: Steph Gavlak 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
