Albanese Government crab walks away from ‘nonsensical’ default regional speed limit proposal

The Albanese Government has been forced to retreat on a “lazy” plan to slash the default speed limit on non-signposted regional roads to as low as 70km/h.

Under the proposal aimed at reducing the national road toll in regional and outback Australia, the Federal Government proposed speed limits on sealed and unsealed roads be limited to a range of 70km/h to 100km/hr.

The limits drew the ire of the road industry, which said road safety would be better improved through upgrades and maintenance.

The proposal was scrapped on November 21.

In a sign of the concern, more than 11,000 submissions were made to a regulatory impact analysis into the proposal. Submissions were due to close on October 27, but were given an 11th-hour reprieve when the deadline was extended to November 10.

A communique from a meeting of Infrastructure and Transport Ministers acknowledged widespread concern about the road toll and associated trauma across the country and the jurisdiction held by States and Territories in setting speed limits.

O’Connor MP Rick Wilson said the decision to scrap the “nonsensical” plan was a forced retreat by the Labor Government.

“The volume of public backlash pointed out how lazy, outrageous and economically damaging the proposal really was,” he said.

“Road conditions — not speed limits — are the true threat to safety on rural roads.

“This proposal was an effort to distract from the state of our regional road networks and avoid the costs associated with repairing them.”

The proposal would have had significant affect in WA’s O’Connor electorate, which is estimated to have a road network covering more than 20,000km.

“Our Prime Minister must restore regional road funding to keep O’Connor constituents and visitors safe as they travel the vast distances of my electorate for work, education and play.”

“That is where the Prime Minister’s focus should be — not on slowing down regional Australians to meet ideological targets.”

In 2024, 1291 road deaths were recorded across Australia — the highest annual toll in 12 years.

In October, Federal Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain said the proposal was designed to ensure safety for all road users.

“We want to make sure that every time someone uses our roads, they make it to their destination safely — whether it’s a truckie on a long-haul journey, or a parent picking up the kids from school.”

Durack MP Melissa Price said the Federal Government was “crab walking away from an idea it should never have entertained”.

Ms Price said rather than conducting analyses of increasing road safety through lower speeds, more money should be invested in the upgrade and maintenance of regional and outback roads.

“Reducing a speed limit doesn’t fill a single pothole or strengthen a single bridge,” she said.

“Shifting the burden onto road users won’t solve anything.”