Opposition promises major road safety funding

Ahead of the upcoming federal election on May 3, the Coalition has outlined its road safety map to combat the ‘significantly rising’ road toll.

This will be done through a six-step plan laid out by the Liberal Party, focusing on increasing funding and new programs targeting driver safety.

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“The Coalition believes Australia’s roads should be safe and productive for all users – regardless of whether you live in Dubbo or Darwin, Melbourne or Mount Gambier, Busselton or Brisbane,” they say.

The Opposition says it will invest an extra $250 in the Roads to Recovery program for a total of $1 billion per year from 2025-26 to help local government maintain and upgrade local roads.

“The Coalition is committed to taking decisive action to increase Roads to Recovery funding to $1 billion immediately, commencing 2025-26, a full two years ahead of schedule,” they say.

“The Roads to Recovery Program supports local governments to construct and maintain the nation’s local road infrastructure assets, which facilitates greater accessibility and improves safety and economic and social outcomes for Australians.

“A strength of the Roads to Recovery program is the flexibility it provides to local governments, with councils responsible for choosing road projects on which to spend their Roads to Recovery funding, based on their local priorities.”

They have also promised $10 million over three years to establish a new Driver Reviver Site Upgrades program. This would aim to improve driver reviver amenities and signage, install new equipment and support the establishment of new sites.

“There are more than 180 driver reviver sites across Australia which encourage drivers to take a break and provide free tea, coffee and snacks. An estimated 23 million cups of tea and coffee have been provided by driver reviver volunteers,” the Opposition says.

“These sites provide important safety and fatigue breaks for drivers and passengers on long trips. Fatigue is one of the leading causes of fatalities on Australian roads, responsible for 20-30 per cent of fatal accidents, particularly in rural areas where two thirds of all fatalities occur.”

It has also promised to provide $6 million over three years to expand the scope of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) to oversee a national pilot to investigate road crashes. The Australian Trucking Association called for this in a recent election release.

Furthermore, the Coalition has promised to:

Commit $1 billion to reinvigorate the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure (LRCI) program, through two streams that will each receive $500 million
Reinstate the 80:20 federal funding model for nationally significant road projects in regional and remote areas ensuring more regional roads and highways are upgraded
And establish a $600 million Ag & Mining Roads program to support mining, resources and farming sectors by investing in infrastructure to upgrade agricultural and mining roads critical to getting product to domestic and export markets.

You can read the full suite of road safety election promises here.