Mrs STONE —It is my sincere regret to inform the House of a shocking road accident that occurred in my electorate last night on the Goulburn Valley Highway near Shepparton. Three people, two children and an adult male, have lost their lives and six have been injured, three critically. There were three cars and two semitrailers involved. Only months ago two young men lost their lives in a collision between two semitrailers on that same highway just a few kilometres south. These deaths take the road toll in Victoria to 291. That is 17 more than in the same period last year.

The Goulburn Valley Highway is a major artery for traffic from Shepparton to Melbourne. Our Goulburn Valley is the food bowl of Australia. It produces almost 100 per cent of Australia's canned fruits and tomatoes and 70 per cent of Australia's dairy exports. All this product is trucked up and down this mostly single-lane, congested Goulburn Valley Highway. I urge the Minister for Transport and Regional Development (Mr Sharp) to make the funding for the duplication of this Goulburn Valley Highway a priority in the coming funding expenditure.

Three people died last night and two of them were children. Families in Shepparton and the Goulburn Valley wave their young sons and daughters off each week as they travel to Melbourne for employment or for university. The people of my electorate are concerned for the safety of their families as these cars weave in and out amongst the heavy transport. Federal road dollars are tight, but we must put the dollars aside to do the urgent work of this duplication. I extend my sympathy to all those people caught up in last night's tragedy. (Time expired)