MEDIA STATEMENT
TAC Propping up Fake Surplus at the Expense of Road Safety
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Member for Western Victoria Region, Bev McArthur used an adjournment debate in parliament this week to raise concerns over the substantial reduction in funding for the Transport Accident Commission coinciding with the worst road toll results in 14 years.
The regional road toll for the past year is 85, which is a 55% increase from the previous year. In the 2019/2020 State Budget, Labor announced a reduction of $2.87 billion in dividends over the next four years.
Bev McArthur said “The money taken by this government could have been used to match the federal government’s pledge of $140 million to fix regional roads in south-west Victoria.”
Bev McArthur said “[the State Government] could have committed $318.3 million to the much-needed Barwon Heads Road duplication, as promised at the last state election; funded the testing of the driving ability of tourists who hire cars and endanger local drivers along the Great Ocean Road; remove the out-of-control roadside vegetation, which obstructs drivers’ vision and causes significant native animal roadkill; or even removed the wire rope barriers, which endanger motorcyclists and wildlife and clearly have not saved lives.”
Bev McArthur said “instead, this government has chosen to prop up its budget and fake a surplus, masquerading its poor economic management at the expense of the taxpayer and their safety.”
The action sought by Mrs McArthur was to have the Minister clarify precisely where this TAC funding was previously being used and outline how the government plans to reduce the rising toll on regional roads, apart from providing slow-down signs and speed restrictions on their totally unsafe roads.
5 June 2019