Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (15:03): (488) My question is to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety, and the action I seek is: how is the minister going to improve road safety for Victorians in 2024? 299 lives were lost in 2023 as of 12 December. That is a 24 per cent increase on the previous year and the highest death toll in 15 years. 174 of those deaths were on regional roads. There has been $230 million cut from road safety programs in the past two years. $150 million was cut from the TAC-funded Safe System Road Infrastructure Program, and the TAC marketing and road safety budget fell short by $81 million in the past two financial years. There has been a staggering 45 per cent cut in the roads maintenance budget since 2020, including 25 per cent in this year’s budget, leading to crumbling unsafe roads, potholes and poor road repairs. Last Friday I attended a roundtable discussion with RoadSafe Goulburn Valley and my National Party colleagues the member for Gippsland South and Shadow Minister for Roads and Road Safety and the member for Euroa.
Kim O’Keeffe MP
Member for Shepparton
