Nationals pledge $276 million cash splash to combat WA road toll horror

The WA Nationals have committed $276 million to upgrade dangerous regional roads in an election promise they hope will help bring down the state’s massive road toll.

In a speech at the WA Local Government Association conference on Thursday, opposition leader Shane Love said the money would form the state portion of a $556 million program which he hoped the next federal government would also join.

WA Opposition Leader Shane Love.Credit: Holly Thompson

“WA is facing a devastating crisis on its roads, with 139 lives lost this year already – each one
representing a family and community forever impacted,” he will say.

“This is why the Nationals WA will invest $276 million to establish the Safer Local Roads program, delivering targeted and effective road safety improvements to more than 8200 kilometres of high-
speed local government roads.”

The program would be partly funded from Insurance Commission of WA dividends.

Opposition road safety spokesman Martin Aldridge said ICWA would return more than $217 million to the treasury, which the Nationals would quarantine to be reinvested into road safety.

“As WA’s compulsory third-party insurer, it is in ICWA’s best interests to reduce road trauma, not just
to save lives, but also to reduce their own exposure to motor vehicle injury claims,” he said.

The announcement comes on the back of one of the worst years for road crash deaths in a decade

With two-and-a-half months still left in the year WA has so far recorded 82 regional and 57 metro road deaths. The total number of deaths is edging closer to the previous high of 145 in 2016.

It also follows a road safety summit convened in September triggered by the advocacy of Daniel Campo, whose 18-year-old son Nick died in a car crash in North Lake in July.

WALGA and the RAC will welcome the funding promise after both penned it on their election wish lists.

WALGA’s wishlist, released last month, stated that $552 million was required to fix 439 dangerous high-speed regional roads under the control of local governments.

They argued upgrades like audible line markings and wider shoulders would reduce fatalities by 138 and serious injuries by 489 over 30 years.

The Nationals will seek to make regional road safety an election issue with the funding promise, which is significantly more than the $32 million committed to by the Cook government for regional road safety following the September summit.

Love said while bipartisan support has been in place for the Regional Road Safety Program, which focuses on highways controlled by Main Roads WA, local roads had been overlooked.

“From 2017 to 2021, half of all fatal or serious injury crashes on regional roads occurred on local
government roads, amounting to 1700 serious accidents,” he said.

“Yet the Cook Labor government has only committed a mere $20 million over four years – far below
what is needed.”

Aldridge said the program would significantly reduce fatalities and serious injuries.

“This program will cover over 3300 kilometres of lane widening, 4300 kilometres of sealed shoulders, and 4100 kilometres of audio-tactile line marking on high-speed local roads,” he said.

The WA election campaign has been heating up in recent weeks, with the Labor government yesterday attacking the Liberals’ lack of policies on social housing.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.