The Albanese Labor Government recently had to quietly admit their harebrained pursuit of reducing default speed limits had to end, after the idea got a hostile reception at a Friday intergovernmental Transport Ministers meeting.

Minister King is so sheepish about Labor’s embarrassing about-face, a ‘government spokesperson’ has provided comment – a classic way to try to make the issue go away.  This unnamed ‘spokesperson for the minister’ also accused me of a ‘deliberate and targeted misinformation campaign’.

When governments make ‘misinformation’ accusations against sitting MPs through faceless bureaucrats, you know you are reading absolute rubbish because the Minister hasn’t got the moral fibre to put her name to the accusation.

Labor secretively took an idea to ‘public’ consultation to lower default speed limits – which would apply in regional Australia on unmarked roads – from 100 kilometres per hour to potentially 70 km/h.  I immediately raised the alarm and asked, quite bluntly, “How about they fix the damn roads?”  The Nationals ran an effective information campaign, many regional Australians then made submissions in their thousands, and emerged winners.

Federal Labor’s consultation document admitted that an objective of their speed limit reduction proposal was to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, even though some vehicles produce more emissions while travelling more slowly.

Everyone wants to save lives on Australian roads, but blunt, politically lazy bureaucratic approaches to public safety have failed before in Victoria and Australia, leaving a sour taste in people’s mouths.

Minister King and my opposite as shadow minister for regional development, local government and territories, Minister Kristy McBain, both tried to claim this idea had its origins under the former Coalition Government while at the same time claiming speed limits are exclusively States’ call. You can’t say something isn’t your responsibility while claiming your counterpart’s previous work in federal government is.

The former Coalition Government never took this harebrained speed limit reduction idea forward as policy.

This an ‘intergovernmental’ process through which Minister King has been happy to claim federal Labor leadership in similar State-implemented initiatives, for instance on automated vehicle and train control systems.  The Albanese Government’s attempt to wash their hands of this shemozzle doesn’t wash well with the public.

Rural road fatalities are a very serious matter.  As Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government I am fighting for our councils to access the funds they need to reduce fatalities by maintaining and improving local roads.  Labor has cut funding for councils, such as the Coalition-era Roads to Recovery and Local Roads & Community Infrastructure programs.

Changing national speed limits with the stroke of a pen is reckless, bringing driver fatigue and frustration into the equation.

Our roads will be safer if our councils are more financially sustainable.  That is a fact.

‍