PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Mr VENNING (Grey) (17:01): I rise to speak on the government's motion commending the Active Transport Fund—$600 million for bike paths and walking trails, to 'support the Australian government's commitment to reducing transport emissions and support active and liveable communities'. Well, that sounds amazing. I have read this motion, and I must ask the government: have they ever looked at a map of the electorate of Grey?

It covers 92 per cent of South Australia. The only way we stay connected is by phone, satphone, car, truck, chopper or aeroplane. Under this fund, I suppose the government expects pastoralists to ditch their utes, strap a haybale on the mountain bike and make their way down to feed the cattle.

I mean, our farmers are tough, but this is just ridiculous. Imagine the sheer fitness of our rural workforce if they just cycled down the Oodnadatta Track for their morning commute! I mean, 2028 Olympics here we come!

But the reality is that, for regional South Australians, road infrastructure is no laughing matter at all. While Labor throws half a billion bucks at bike lanes, our regional road network is crumbling. On mainland Australia, South Australia receives the lowest federal road funding per kilometre.

And I tell you what: it shows. My constituents are not asking for dedicated cycling infrastructure to get to work; they want roads that are actually passable. Here is what is happening in the real world.

I, myself, drive road trains, and I welcome any member of this government or any bureaucrat from the infrastructure department to come and sit in the truck with me and drive on our roads in our electorate. There are numerous unsafe roads. I want to call out a few of them: the Flinders Highway on the west coast and pretty much any road on the Lower Yorke Peninsula, or any road in the Adelaide Plains.

And it's not just me saying this. A Clare constituent recently told me that the Cattle Track Road is beyond a joke. They drive on the wrong side of the road just to avoid the dozens of deep potholes.

There's the Augusta Highway, Highway 1; Robin, a truckie from Booleroo Centre, is disgusted that an upgraded section started falling apart after just six months. And you know what? It's the same in the outback too.

At Braemar Station, Leesa Breeding tells me, they have gone without mail for extended periods because Australia Post cannot access the officially closed roads. Up in Anna Creek, Tony, a northern pastoralist, notes that 10 years ago they had five road gangs operating two graders; now it's just one service crew, which services 10,000 kilometres of outback roads.

And what was the government's solution to these fundamental failures? Drop the regional speed limit to 80 kilometres an hour! Thankfully, that nonsense came and it went.

But maybe they have a better idea now, and maybe this motion gives us some insight into what that is. Perhaps they want us all to ride bicycles! That will surely drop the road toll and make even the worst roads somewhat passable!

Instead of fixing the roads, the Albanese government has delivered cuts and confusion for our local road networks. This has been amplified by the 80-20 funding split shifting to a fifty-fifty model with the states—absolutely outrageous. South Australia's supplementary road funding has been frozen since 2017, silently cut by inflation, while councils struggle heavily under the immense weight of maintaining vital regional road network freight routes and key local roads.

We have some small victories. Following strong local advocacy, we secured disaster recovery funding for flood damaged roads across remote councils from Ceduna to Coober Pedy to Quorn. It proves we can fight for our fair share.

But should we have to fight? Emergency relief is just a temporary bandaid on a systematic failure. We desperately need performance based contracts where builders guarantee their work instead of taxpayers footing the bill when a road fails after two years.

I say to this government: keep your shiny new bike paths, keep your connected communities, keep your e-bike access, keep your emissions reduction targets, and when a boilermaker in Roxby Downs works out exactly how to secure a plasma cutter and an ARC welder to an e-bike I'll be the very first to let you know. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Aldred ): I understand the member for Pearce would like to present a copy of her speech for incorporation into Hansard, in accordance with the resolution agreed to on 6 November 2025.

I thank the member for Pearce and I acknowledge her contribution to this place.