LABOR HACKS REGIONAL ROAD FUNDING
After 200 days of uncertainty and chaos on the future of the infrastructure investment pipeline the Albanese Government has swung an axe on road funding and abandoned local government.
Federal Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton slammed Labor’s decision after 200 days of indecision to cut important safety upgrades on regional roads, delivering devastating effects on communities, contractors, and local councils.
“The reality is this Labor government cannot find its way out of the city, and this cut to important projects is delivering one message to regional and rural Australians; you don’t matter to Labor.
“It is appalling that the review stated projects, such as the important safety upgrade on the New England Highway at Cabarlah does not ‘demonstrate merit’ and ‘lack(s) any national strategic rationale’, I utterly reject this. Saving lives on rural roads is more than significant and this government should be ashamed of itself,”
“This is merely the Labor government abandoning people in regional and rural Australia to fund their inner city vanity projects,” Mr Hamilton said.
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie said the Government has refused to release the list of projects that will be delayed in order to smooth out the infrastructure pipeline, failing to recognise that every year of delay increases the cost and the demand for these projects also grows with increased population pressures.
“Labor have been dragged kicking and screaming to reveal the full list of projects to be cancelled but they are still being tricky by failing to hand over the list of delayed projects, which will not be made available until December through MYEFO.
“This means further cuts and delays are yet to be revealed, leaving local councils, communities, contractors and construction workers in the dark on whether their projects will go ahead any time soon.”
Ends.
