Fran LoganMember for Cockburn; Shadow Minister for Housing; Local Jobs; Training and Workforce Development

Making Cockburn Better

Roe To Nowhere

Friday 09 May 2014

On Monday of this week, Fran met with fellow State MPs Simone McGurk and Peter Tinley, and Federal MP Melissa Parke at Bibra Lake to discuss their opposition to the proposed Roe Highway extension from the Kwinana Freeway to Stock Road.

Running through Beeliar Regional Park, and particularly affecting the Bibra Lake wetlands, the Roe 8 extension will “lead to the ecological values of the area as a whole being diminished in the long-term,” according to a report by the EPA.

Despite acknowledging these problems, a more recent report by Main Roads WA recommends that construction go ahead. This report, released in 2013, also suggests that the initial extension will need to be widened from four to six lanes before 2031 in order for the road to serve its intended function. This is why Fran Logan, his colleagues, and many members of the community are so concerned: this government’s disregard for the environment in favour of short-sighted, harmful policies.

In addition to the environmental impact of the proposal, the Barnett and Abbott governments intend to pay for the $600 million extension by introducing a toll on heavy vehicles using the road. The associated cost for freighters using the road, many of which are owner-drivers, will have a negative effect on the lives of workers, rather than the corporations they claim to be targeting.

Fran and his colleagues will continue to oppose the plan, along with any plan that threatens Cockburn’s environmental wellbeing. The Beeliar Regional Park is a jewel to be protected, and it will not be given over to those who would do it harm without a fight.