Thursday, 6 March 2025

Road safety

Jeff BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (12:28): (842) My question today is for the Treasurer. As seen in the Infrastructure Victoria 30-year strategy released this week, it has been recommended to replace 50-kilometre-an-hour speed zones with 30-kilometre-an-hour speed zones across Victoria, including regional areas, which will further clog up traffic, especially during peak times, and increase occurrences of road rage and frustrations. Now, I have already reached out to the road safety minister but have been advised that this matter sits with the Treasurer, as it is to do with infrastructure, hence my question being for the Treasurer. Will the Treasurer assure Victorians that this lunacy will not be rolled out?

The PRESIDENT: That is really strange advice. I am not reflecting on you at all, Mr Bourman. I will take it that that has been the advice you have been given, and I will call the Treasurer.

Jaclyn SYMES (Northern Victoria – Treasurer, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Regional Development) (12:29): I thank Mr Bourman for his question. Infrastructure Victoria sits within the responsibility of the Treasurer. I thank Infrastructure Victoria for the work they have done in relation to the development of their 30-year strategy. It contains 43 recommendations and seven other ideas to pursue. As you have identified, one of those recommendations is in relation to speed limits being reduced from 40 k’s to 30 k’s in those high-risk areas.

I did have the opportunity of having a briefing with Infrastructure Victoria in relation to their recommendations. I picked up on similar things to what you did in relation to the fact that there will be a bit of community debate around that recommendation. That is what the purpose of the report is. This is a draft report. It is out for around eight weeks. It invites community feedback and consultation before they develop a final report firming up their recommendations in November, I think. I will get the timing for you. There will be eight weeks of consultation, then they further develop it and they will have a final report, which will be in November.

I am not the minister responsible for speed limits, but I am the minister that has responsibility for working with Infrastructure Victoria. As I said, I welcome community feedback into their recommendations. It will formulate their final report in relation to what firms up as a recommendation for government, because then we have a responsibility to respond to their final report, not their draft report.