The Opposition has condemned the Cook Labor Government for failing to address WA’s tragic road toll following another devastating week on WA roads that saw a 17-year-old boy killed on the Tonkin Highway.
Opposition Leader Shane Love said the Government had failed to act with urgency following its Road Safety Summit in early September, and the Premier’s response in Parliament today offered little reassurance.
“More than two weeks have passed since the Road Safety Summit – an event the Opposition was deliberately excluded from – yet fatalities on WA roads continue to climb,” Mr Love said.
“And rather than outlining any substantial actions to improve road safety, the Premier is coasting on Labor’s previous commitments, which have failed to deliver any meaningful outcomes.
“With 131 lives lost this year, WA is on track for one of its worst ever years for road fatalities, and each number represents a life cut short, and a family and community in mourning.
“The Government’s response to date, a meagre $32.5 million funding boost over four years, is far too little in the face of such a devastating crisis.”
Mr Love said additional funding and driver education was needed, along with an increased police presence on regional roads.
“While increasing the visibility of police cars is helpful, without sufficient police resources on the ground, especially in regional areas, this rebranding is nothing more than window dressing,” Mr Love said.
“And the State Government has repeatedly refused to disclose the resourcing level of the WA Police Regional Enforcement Unit – despite sharing this information with the Parliament in 2018 and 2020 – claiming it is now operationally sensitive.
“The people of WA deserve to know how short-staffed our regional police are, given the WA Road Safety Strategy recognises that enforcement plays an important role in deterring high risk driver behaviour.”
Shadow Minister for Road Safety Martin Aldridge MLC said the Road Safety Summit was shaping up to just another government talkfest without decisive action.
“We had hoped the Summit would provide an opportunity for bipartisan action, but it appears the Government would rather take no action at all than work together to save lives,” Mr Aldridge said.
“It’s also frustrating that there was no discussion about expanding WA’s rescue helicopter network, which is a critical resource for saving lives in Perth and the South West.”
Mr Aldridge also criticised the Government for not inviting the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) to the Summit, despite their frontline role in responding to road trauma incidents.
“The absence of DFES at the table is a glaring oversight. Their experience and insight is vital to any conversation about road safety, and it’s shocking that the Government didn’t include them in such an important discussion,” he said.
