The National Road Safety Annual Progress Report for 2023 has been released, providing an overview of the combined efforts by all Australian governments to reduce road trauma.
While a range of initiatives have progressed, the report highlights the significant work that still needs to be done to reach our road safety targets of reducing the number of people killed on Australian roads by 50 per cent by 2030.
The increasing number of people being killed on our roads is a devastating trend that the Australian Government is committed to addressing.
As outlined in the report, the Government will continue to support lifesaving road safety treatments, repairs and improvements for both urban and regional communities.
In December, funding increased substantially for the Roads to Recovery Program, rising from $650 million in 2024-25 to $1 billion per year from 2027‑28, with funding under the Black Spot Program to progressively increase from $110 million to $150 million per year from 1 July 2024.
The Government is also providing $10.8 million for a one-year National Road Safety Education and awareness campaign through the recent federal Budget, as well as $21.2 million to improve the reporting of national road safety data via the National Road Safety Data Hub.
This builds on work already underway, such as the Government's $43.6 million National Road Safety Action Grants Program, which was announced in the 2023-24 Budget.
The Government also organised a National Road Safety Conference last month, which brought together more than 100 road safety stakeholders to identify a range of short-term government and industry actions that can stem the rising road toll in Australia. Police and Road Safety Ministers endorsed a set of actions from the conference in a communique.
To view the 2023 National Road Safety Annual Progress Report, visit www.roadsafety.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown:
"While we are seeing progress against our road safety priorities, we know there's still a way to go.
"Any death is one too many, with a devastating impact on families, friends and communities.
"Road safety is a shared responsibility across all levels of government, and across the community.
"That is why the Australian Government is continuing to invest in critical road safety measures, including in the recent 2024-2025 federal Budget, demonstrating that we will continue to act to combat the increase in road deaths."
