Tuesday, 3 May 2022

Adjournment

Five Ways intersection, Warrandyte

Mr R SMITH (Warrandyte) (19:00): (6336) My adjournment debate tonight is for the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and my request to him is to fund the Five Ways intersection in Warrandyte South. I have raised this issue many times in this place. It is a serious concern in my area. Many residents who use that particular intersection have raised with me their concerns about coming out onto that intersection, particularly during peak times. In fact I have presented a petition of around 1000 signatures to this place of people who want to see some work done in that area. I have presented this issue to now three successive roads ministers, all of which have said that the issue and the intersection is not a concern to them. The current minister told me from his office in Niddrie that the intersection in Warrandyte South is completely safe. He clearly thinks he knows better than the residents in Warrandyte.

This is a state road and as such it is the responsibility of the state government to do something about it. Having said that, I am very pleased to say that the federal candidate for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, has actually listened to residents, unlike the state government, and committed up to $10 million towards fixing that intersection. It is unfortunate and an indictment on this government that a state road that is a state responsibility has to have works done to make it safe for residents by the federal government should they be returned later in May. Certainly it is very good that the candidate for Menzies, Keith Wolahan, has actually been at listening posts, been talking to local residents and understands their concerns about this particular intersection, an intersection I might add that had a significant accident there last year in September or October, and while the young lady who was involved in that accident left the scene alive, I am led to understand that she later passed away from her injuries. It is appalling that given that circumstance and the concerns of so many residents—as I said about 1000 people have sent me to this place with a petition asking for changes—this government has ignored those concerns, ignored the ramifications of that accident and left it to the federal candidate to make the funding commitment that is desperately needed in this area.

Once again, I ask the minister for roads to reassess this particular intersection, to acknowledge the safety concerns that residents have and to commit the extra funding—the top-up funding—in addition to the money committed by the federal government. Thank you to Keith Wolahan as the federal candidate for Menzies for making that commitment. Thank you to the Morrison government for making that commitment. It is a shame they have to step in where the state government will not.