Libs Vow to Fix Highways

• General News
• 7th February 2014

The TWU’s pressuring of the state and federal governments to fix horror sections of the Great Northern and North West Coastal highway seems to be paying off.

And work on the appalling goat track north of Minilya and the hazardous section between Wubin and Muchea can't come fast enough for linehaul drivers and motorists alike.

On November 6 Abbott Government minister Jamie Briggs gave unequivocal guarantees on Paul Murray's Radio 6PR program that his government was fully committed to funding and completing the projects as soon as possible.

These were some of his comments. "North West Coastal Higway: Now that is a very important project. It is a crucial project and when I saw the Treasurer of Western Australia a couple of weeks ago, Mr Buswell, and Mr Barnett’s Chief of Staff, they pressed upon me the importance of that project and I agreed.

"The Prime Minister agrees, the Treasurer agrees, and so does the Finance Minister, as you mentioned. We are committed and I can tell you today, I can tell your listeners today, as the Finance Minister said before the election, we are committed to those projects, the Great Northern Highway and the North West Coastal because they are extremely important projects.

"They will have a major impact on the economic performance of Western Australia, the powerhouse of the Australian economy and we'll spend significant amounts, more than the Labor Party were spending… So I can very clearly say to you and your listeners, Paul, to clear up any confusion, we will go ahead with those important projects."

When asked by Paul Murray about timetables for the road works Mr Briggs replied as follows.

"Well, we're working through with the state government on the timetables but we want to get this stuff done quicker.

"We really do want to get this stuff done quicker and I understand the North West Coastal is probably more advanced than others and we’re working with the Western Australian Government to get approvals in place and to get the projects underway as soon as we can."

Mr Briggs went on to give Paul Murray further assurances that the projects would NOT be pushed back years into the future.

So the Abbott government has made some very definite promises on fixing the North West.

However, the TWU and some of its more cynical members are asking, "What's a politician's promise worth."

Well, we are about to find out and our members who risk their lives daily on these roads will certainly keep us informed of progress – or lack of it.