The Tasmanian Labor Party has revealed its plans to improve roads and infrastructure in the state ahead of this weekend’s state election.
The plans start with the Bass Highway, as the Labor party says it’ll invest an additional $40 million into road maintenance to remove potholes that it says have been plaguing the Bass Highway.
Labor will also invest $50 million in the first stage of a ten-year action plan for the Bass Highway. This long-term vision will focus on increasing safety and reducing travel times by duplicating more stretches of the highway and will be funded in partnership with the Federal government. Labor says similar plans will be made for the Tasman and Huon Highways.
The Opposition says it’ll also make a “record investment” in road safety, heavy vehicle driver development and licencing, transport industry workforce development and civil construction training.
Labor will invest $5 million in heavy vehicle rest areas around the state – with the first at Epping Forest.
“We will invest $250,000 to support 300 Tasmanians to get their heavy vehicle licenses, and we’ll work with industry to embed licensing capability within the industry,” the party says.
“We’ll partner with TTA and RAW to continue the Open Road program, improving the physical and mental health of the transport workforce.
“We’ll also partner with the RACT in a Youth Driver Training program, acting to combat speeding and unsafe driving, and invest $2 million into improving rail crossing safety.”
These investments will be complemented by a $700,000 commitment to the Your Speed is Our Safety campaign.
The party says it will also fund the construction and operation of a Live Works Training Park at Quercus Park to help train the additional 667 Plant and Machinery Operators needed by 2027 to complete Tasmania’s infrastructure pipeline.
Labor, if elected, will establish a new Project Management Office, to ensure projects are properly planned, costed, sequenced and scheduled.
“This announcement is exactly what the Tasmanian transport industry needed after years of neglect,” Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) Tasmanian state secretary Mem Suleyman says.
“We’re thrilled that Tasmania Labor has listened to transport workers, and we are confident that if these historic election commitments are implemented in full under a Rebecca White government, the transport industry in Tasmania will thrive and grow stronger into the future.”