Fewer road safety initiatives will be completed and fewer road accident victims will receive assistance following Daniel Andrews’ decision to gut $3 billion from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC).
Despite increasing road deaths over the past 12 months, Labor has taken an axe to road safety in 2022-23 with 47 per cent fewer road safety initiatives to be delivered in 2022-23 (34 in total – down from 73 in 2021-22).
Buried in the footnotes on Page 20 ofBudget Paper 5, is the revelation that $400 million will be taken out of the TAC in each of the 2022-23 and 2023-24 forward estimates, before $900 million is taken out in 2024-25 and an eye-watering $1.3 billion in 2025-26.
Shadow Minister for Finance, Ryan Smith, said the Andrews Labor Government is putting the financial stability of the TAC at serious risk.
“Labor has failed to manage the finances of Victoria and as always, has resorted to gutting the TAC to patch holes in its dire budget position.”
“The decision to rip vital money from the TAC as the road toll increases will have a real impact on road safety in Victoria and cost lives.”
“The Premier must come out today and explain how a $3 billion cut will save Victorian lives or immediately reverse this decision.”
