Thursday, 24 March 2022

Members statements

Road safety

Mr ONDARCHIE (Northern Metropolitan) (10:30): Do you remember when you were younger and you used to go for a drive on holidays perhaps into New South Wales, and then when you were transported back into Victoria you would notice the roads were so much better and New South Wales roads were not that good? Well, it has clearly flipped, because the roads of Victoria are atrocious, and the best way the government has been able to deal with our country roads being in such a state of disrepair is not to fix them, it is to lower the speed limit to 80 kilometres an hour. What a ridiculous proposition.

We have already lost 62 lives on our roads this year, up 17 per cent. Road trauma and injuries are beyond what they should be in this state because our roads are in such a state of disrepair. We need to keep safe on our roads, and last week I was pleased to join Victoria Police and the road safety council of Melbourne’s north-eastern community—for Banyule, Nillumbik and Whittlesea—and their fantastic coordinators, Sue, Chantel and Sandy, who did a good job at the local shopping centre talking to people about road safety, about motorcycle safety and about generally being better on our roads. With the autumnal rains now upon us and then winter, it is an important message to all Victorians to please, please, please be safe on our roads.