I raise a matter for the attention of the Minister for Roads in relation to Pioneer Road, Waurn Ponds, near Geelong. The Liberal Party made a commitment of $13.5 million to the community of Waurn Ponds to redevelop Pioneer Road. I have raised this matter with the minister on a number of occasions, and on 16 May last year I received a reply from him stating that the government had included $5 million in the 2011-12 budget for stage 1 of the duplication of the road.
This stretch of road has approximately 20 000 vehicles on it per day, providing access to primary and secondary schools, a major shopping centre, the new Waurn Ponds aquatic centre and Waurn Ponds library, not to mention that it intersects with the major highway servicing the south-west of Victoria.
The City of Greater Geelong recently passed a motion urging the state government to come good on its promise and commit the remaining $9 million for the completion of this project. City of Greater Geelong councillors recognise that this stretch of road is inadequate and ill-equipped to deal with the massive amount of traffic it endures every day. However, the 2012-13 budget came and went, and there was no money for this very important and pressing upgrade. The minister himself said in reply to a previous adjournment matter on this issue that the upgrade will improve traffic flow, access and safety. However, after 18 months of the Baillieu government no work has been done and only a third of the promised funding has been delivered.
The Greater Geelong, Waurn Ponds and Grovedale communities are understandably annoyed at another case of Baillieu government inaction and what seems to be a lack of understanding of such an important project on the part of the minister himself and the member for South Barwon in the Assembly.
I ask that the minister give a firm commitment that every dollar of the $13.5 million promised for Pioneer Road will be allocated in this term of government and that the minister provide the communities in this area and me with a time line for these works to be concluded.