SENATOR THE HON BRIDGET MCKENZIE

SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

LEADER OF THE NATIONALS IN THE SENATE

SENATOR FOR VICTORIA

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DR ANNE WEBSTER MP

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND TERRITORIES

SHADOW MINISTER FOR REGIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

FEDERAL MEMBER FOR MALLEE

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SENATOR MATT O’ SULLIVAN

SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FISHERIES AND FORESTRY

SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE

SENATOR FOR WESTERN AUSTRALIA

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JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

30 OCTOBER 2025

LABOR’S SPEED LIMIT CUT WON’T FIX CRUMBLING ROADS

Under the Albanese Labor Government, regional roads across Australia are deteriorating at an alarming rate.

Instead of investing in proper maintenance and ensuring safer and more reliable roads, the Labor Government’s response is to simply lower the speed limits.

The Government is considering reducing default speed limits on regional roads from 100 km/h down to 70 km/h. This move will have serious consequences for productivity and freight costs across regional Australia.

Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator the Hon Bridget McKenzie, said the Government’s approach shows how out of touch it has become with regional Australia.

“Instead of backing councils and shires with the funding they need to fix deteriorating and dangerous roads, Labor is pushing a policy that punishes regional Australia.”

“Slowing people down won’t fix the problem. It’s clear this Government doesn’t understand that safe roads are productive roads. Every freight route slowed down by 30km/h means higher costs and longer delays for regional businesses.”

Shadow Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, Dr Anne Webster MP said she and regional Australians are outraged that Labor wants to slash default road limits to as low as 70 kilometres per hour so Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen can again try to desperately reach unachievable 2030 emissions targets.

"Making regional people drive slower to further fudge the climate numbers is a national disgrace. Not a day goes by when Labor are not railroading and raiding regional communities. Under this harebrained speed limit cut, mums and dads face slower daily trips to school, sporting events, work and doctor’s appointments," Dr Webster said.

"Farmers and regional businesses' productivity will plummet and tourism will suffer under this ridiculous proposal. I am calling on all Australians to have their say and pressure the Government to heed regional voices and dump this ideological nonsense.

“Lowering the speed limits on regional roads is like slapping a band aid on a gaping wound,” stated Senator Matt O’Sullivan, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure.

“Labor has all but given up on fixing regional roads. Instead of doing the hard work of investing in maintaining them and ensuring safer roads across Australia, Labor are taking the easy way out yet again.”

“This is a government who seems allergic to hard work. They would rather find a workaround than do a hard day’s work.”

Instead of ensuring road safety through investment, Labor is actively cutting funding to the very programs that support regional road maintenance and upgrades:

• Commonwealth funding for regional road projects from 80% to 50% following Labor’s 2023 review of the Infrastructure Investment Pipeline.
• The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program will end on 1 July 2026, a program councils and shires have relied on to maintain and upgrade local roads.
• Key regional road upgrade initiatives, including the Roads of Strategic Importance program, have been abolished entirely.

The Coalition successfully secured an extension to the public consultation period on Labor’s proposed regulatory changes. The consultation now closes on Monday November 10, rather than the government’s initial 28-day window, which it failed to even announce publicly via media release.

Labor needs to focus on maintenance and upgrades instead of bureaucratic rule changes.

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