The Coalition has pledged to take “decisive action” on Australian road safety if it’s elected this weekend.
Peter Dutton and the Coalition say it will introduce a comprehensive package of measures to make Australia’s road network safer and more productive if elected.
This involves a $250 million increase to the Roads to Recovery program, immediately lifting funding to $1 billion per year from 2025-26.
This funding is set to help local governments maintain and upgrade safer local roads.
The Coalition will also establish a new Driver Reviver Site Upgrades program, with $10 million going into supporting volunteer and community organisations that improve existing driver reviver rest stops and establish new ones.
The Coalition is also intending to provide $6 million over three years to expand the scope of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, allowing it to oversee a national no-fault crash investigation pilot that better understands the root causes of crashes while identifying mitigation strategies.
With recent Australian Automobile Association data showing that 2024 was the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012, the objective of the Opposition is to halve road deaths.
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“In 2021, the Coalition government led the development of a National Road Safety Strategy in partnership with all states and territories, to reduce road trauma and save lives. Yet, in recent years, road fatalities have steadily increased,” Dutton says.
“Australia is now further from achieving the strategy’s goals than ever before. Our roads are deteriorating, and the consequences are devastating.
“Last year alone, 1,300 Australians lost their lives on the road. Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy, and behind every statistic is a grieving family and a devastated community.”
Shadow minister for roads and road safety Tony Pasin says Australia’s road safety crisis requires national leadership.
“Under our plan, we will make road safety a priority and gain a better understanding of the causes behind the alarming trend towards year on year increases in road deaths,” Pasin says.
“We have listened to the community and road safety experts, and we will set the wheels of change in motion to arrest the rising road toll and get the National Road Safety Strategy back on track.”
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