NEW road safety upgrades and improvements will be delivered in the Hunter thanks to funding from the Australian Government.

New South Wales Nationals Senator Perin Davey said the funding will deliver crucial road safety improvements across the Hunter region whilst also supporting shovel-ready construction jobs.

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“This vital funding provides a critical boost to local jobs and the economy in an uncertain environment, but it also delivers life-saving upgrade works to keep people safe on our roads,” Senator Davey said.

“A total of over $6.1 million will be shared across the Hunter to fund new road safety upgrades and improvements to help reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries occurring on our roads.

“We must continue to invest in local projects to ensure the community gets home safely at night, as currently around 1,200 people die and 40,000 are seriously injured on our roads each year.”

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Barnaby Joyce said one life lost on Australian roads is one too many.

“That’s why the Australian Government has committed $3 billion for the nationwide Road Safety Program,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“Our Government is committed to keeping our communities safe, while securing our economic recovery.

“The funding supports the fast roll-out of life-saving safety works on rural and regional roads, and is another example of the Australian Government working to reduce the number of Australians missing around the dinner table due to tragedies on our roads.”

The Australian Government’s funding for the Road Safety Program is subject to ‘use it or lose it’ provisions and will deliver life-saving treatments on regional roads and protect vulnerable road users across New South Wales, while also supporting local jobs and providing a welcome boost to local economies.

The ‘use it or lose it’ provisions require states and territories to use their notionally allocated funds within a timeframe, or the funds can be reallocated to projects in other jurisdictions.

Assistant Minister for Road Safety and Freight Transport Scott Buchholz said road safety was a key priority for the Australian Government and this investment in road upgrades would provide a boost to the economy while ensuring Australians can get home sooner and safer.

“Making our roads safer is a critical component of our work to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads and move towards achieving vision zero—that is zero deaths or serious injuries on our roads by 2050,” Mr Buchholz said.

“We are also investing significantly in other life-saving road safety initiatives including the Black Spot Program, Targeted Road Safety Works initiative and Road Safety Innovation Fund.

“This additional funding complements that work, resulting in an even greater roll out of improved infrastructure and roads right across the nation.”

For more information on the Australian Government’s road safety initiatives, visit www.officeofroadsafety.gov.au.