Canning residents are spending longer in their cars and less time at home with their families due to the Abbott Government’s failure to address worsening congestion and invest in public transport in Perth.

Figures from Infrastructure Australia’s updated National Infrastructure Audit, released in April 2015, show that residents in Canning will be among the worst hit by the Abbott Government’s inaction, with the Mandurah railway line set to reach “crush capacity’’ by 2031.
The report also found seven of the top 10 roads across Australia projected to have the biggest congestion cost in 2031 were in Perth.
But upon being elected, Tony Abbott cut $500 million public transport funding that was included in the 2013-14 Budget, allocated by the former Labor Government to progress the Perth Airport Link project and light rail.
Perth Airport is already the fourth busiest in the country with passenger numbers set to double from 14 million in 2013 to 28 million in 2034, meaning more time in traffic waiting to get to the airport and less time at home.
This is bad news for thousands of FIFO workers living in the electorate of Canning, who already spend hundreds of hours travelling each year and will be among the most disadvantaged by even longer commutes to work and back home.
People living in Perth’s suburbs deserve a representative who will fight for them and help to address the increasingly long hours they are spending in their cars, travelling from drive-in, drive out suburbs to their jobs and recreational activities.
With Western Australia’s population projected to reach four million people by 2031 and growing at a higher rate than any other state or territory in the next 20 years, Canning cannot afford a representative who won’t fight for their needs.
The former Labor Government almost doubled annual infrastructure spending from $154 to $261 per West Australian.
Only a Federal Labor Government will end the blame game and get on with building the public transport as well as the roads that Perth needs.
Matt Keogh will be a strong addition to the Federal Labor team.