23 December 2022
Labor’s outrageous 33% cut to Tasmanian road safety funding
At a time when we are asking people to be safe on our roads over Christmas, the Albanese Government has outrageously cut Tasmanian road safety funding by 33 per cent.
Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator the Hon. Bridget McKenzie said slashing road safety funding is the cruellest cut imaginable at Christmas and the start of the summer holidays.
“One wonders at Labor’s priorities when they are announcing a 33 per cent cut to the Road Black Spot program in Tasmania in response to a 60 per cent increase in road fatalities in 2021.
“Clearly the Labor Party does not know what they are doing in the infrastructure portfolio.
Senator McKenzie said due to the strong advocacy of Tasmanian Liberals including Bridget Archer in Bass and Gavin Pearce in Braddon, the former Coalition Government’s March 2022 Budget invested $3.9 million for the Tasmanian Road Black Spot program in 2022-23.
“We now learn Labor has ripped $1.3 million out of the Tasmanian Black Spot road safety budget.
“Tasmanians should be outraged at this insane funding cut and angry at the way Labor have attempted to bury this news with a press release slipped out under the cover of Christmas by junior ministers.
“Labor should apologise for this insult to the Tasmanian community and immediately restore Black Spot funding to the same level the Coalition had set back in March.
Senator McKenzie said Labor’s first budget cut $9.6 billion out of the infrastructure program nationally, including $67.9 million in cuts to Tasmanian infrastructure projects over the next four years.
2022-23 financial year Tasmanian Road Black Spot funding
| Labor Press Release 22/12/2022 | Coalition March 2022 Budget | Difference |
| $2.6 million | $3.9 million | 33.3% or
$1.3 million cut |
END.