Transport and Agriculture Minister Dean Nalder will face tough questioning by local MP Murray Cowper during a visit planned in May, with a heavy focus on local issues.
Mr Nalder will be asked to look at upgrading the Pinjarra/Dwellingup/Boddington road to highway status in light of increased traffic over the last few years.
Mr Cowper said there had been a serious increase in traffic counts on the road due to growth in mining, plantation forestry, agricultural freights and services, tourism and employment since 2011.
“Traffic has been increasing rapidly to the point where daily volumes in both frequency and cargo weight are at critical levels,” he said.
“Road surface damage is now a major concern and there is a need to upgrade safety and road design issues before there is a major accident.”
Mr Cowper said the road was strategically important to Dwellingup, Boddington and the rural hinterland.
Roads would not be the only issue on the agenda for Mr Nalder’s visit.
“Mr Nalder’s visit to the Murray-Wellington electorate will expose a range of strategic local issues in both his portfolios of transport and agriculture,” Mr Cowper said.
“Local farmers are optimistic that in his new role as Minister for Agriculture, he will be ready to reverse the agency’s decline in status and services, and to make it more representative of the farming industries.
“We would like to see the agriculture department redirected as an effective advocate for rural industry – rather than its apologist.”
Mr Cowper said the Perth and Peel Green Growth Plan for 3.5 million strategy is a classic example of how agriculture is being systematically ignored and downgraded as Perth expands.
The aim of the plan is to outline the future of development in Peel, with both the Perth and Peel regions expected to exceed a population of 3.5 million by 2050, an increase of almost 70 per cent of the current population.
The public submission deadline for the Green Growth Plan has been extended from April 8 to May 13, after a push from public stakeholders and local governments for more time and criticism from farmers.
