Maybe if the roads were better, we wouldn’t need to reduce the speed limit. Photo: Javier Ballester.
Year in Review: Region is revisiting some of the best Opinion articles of 2025. Here’s what got you talking, got you angry and got you thinking. Today, Oliver Jacques argues the case for keeping our speed limits.
The federal government is considering lowering speed limits on many of our regional roads to make them safer.
If it proceeds with this proposal, it will harm businesses, negatively impact rural residents, and inconvenience those who travel long distances by car.
Moreover, the government will demonstrate the extent to which it has failed in one of its core duties, for which we pay our taxes – providing a reliable road network that allows us to get from A to B.
The Transport Department sought public feedback on its proposal to reduce the default speed limit on unsigned roads outside of built-up areas, which is currently 100 kilometres per hour. It suggested a reduction to between 70 and 90 kilometres an hour.
It aims to reduce road fatalities, which have risen by 10 per cent since 2020, with 1294 people dying in accidents in 2024. Australians in rural and regional areas are five times more likely than their city counterparts to be the victims, which is why their areas have been targeted.
“Many of Australia’s regional and remote roads are not sealed, and may be dirt or gravel tracks,” the consultation paper states.
“Other roads may have sealed surfaces, but may be in poor condition, or lacking the road features that would enable safe travel at high speeds.”
Umm, so whose fault is it that these roads are not paved or in such a terrible state? Is it our fault? Is that why you want to increase our petrol cost and travel times?
The blame, of course, lies with state and federal governments, who gleefully collect our taxes throughout the year and spend our money on big-city stadiums, light rail, and other vanity projects rather than attending to vital rural infrastructure.
Proposing speed limit reductions because you won’t do your job of maintaining roads is akin to telling us to buy better locks and security alarms because you refuse to fund the police force. It’s like telling parents to employ private tutors to overcome the nationwide schoolteacher shortage. In short, it’s shifting responsibility onto those of us who didn’t cause the problem.
Lowering speeds on regional roads won’t just lengthen the amount of time it takes people to get to their coastal holiday destinations. It will also harm farmers and businesses that need to transport their produce to ports in an efficient manner.
Because our governments have also neglected our rail network, roads play a significant role in the movement of goods in our economy, with 250 billion tonnes transported annually.
“Reductions in speed limits can significantly affect long-distance freight movements,” the federal government’s consultation paper concedes.
“Increased transit times can raise logistical costs, affect delivery schedules, and potentially reduce the efficiency of supply chains.”
Governments have also failed to properly fund rural hospitals, meaning country people need to travel six hours or more to Canberra, Sydney, and Melbourne for urgent treatment and medical appointments. Reduced speed limits will make these journeys even longer as the soaring cost of regional air travel means flying is not an option.
These are the issues governments must address before shifting the burden of a serious problem onto our shoulders. Fix the potholes, pave the unsealed roads and adequately invest in rural infrastructure. That’s why we pay our taxes. After you’ve done that, come to us with your ideas on how we can also contribute to lowering our road toll.
