Mr COTTER (Kalgoorlie) - I draw to the attention of the House the situation in Western Australia in relation to road funds. I raised this matter briefly in a speech at another time, but I think that it needs elaboration. Western Australia's sparse population and its very long roads create problems of which the Treasurer (Mr Howard) would be aware. It is good to see him sitting at the table, listening very sympathetically to the debate. Western Australia has been faced with ever-increasing problems because the percentage of total road funds provided in Australia has been deteriorating. We ought to look at factors other than population. We ought to look at things such as the amount of income and the benefits generated for Australia.

Communities in the Pilbara area of Western Australia generate some 1 1 per cent or 12 per cent of the total export income of Australia. They ship out huge tonnages of iron ore, but the people are living under fairly harsh conditions. They do not have a sealed road anywhere near them. The only sealed road goes up the coast to Port Hedland. There are no inland sealed roads in the Pilbara area. Those people pay huge amounts of money in income tax, sales tax, road maintenance tax and all the other taxes, but they do not gain the benefits of satisfactory roads in their area. They have to travel 400 miles over very rough gravel roads. At most times they have to drive with their headlights on in the daytime so that they can see out of the potholes. They cannot even enjoy a trip to the coast. Some of their children have never seen the sea. In those areas the temperature rises to about 48 degrees. Not long ago I took the Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations (Mr Street) to the Pilbara when the temperature reached 48 degrees Celsius. The Minister saw the situation there at first hand. I hope that some day the Treasurer will be able to visit some of the more remote areas of my electorate and see the difficulties under which the people live, particularly the difficulties caused by lack of sealed roads. We have a problem there. The Western Australian Government is trying to stretch the sealing of roads to the greatest extent depending on the funds available. Although the population in the south-east corner of Australia is deteriorating, people in that area are reaping the benefit of past, historic percentages. We should really be looking at where the development is taking place, where the action is, where the export income and export commodities of Australia are being generated and mined and we should be willing to put a little more of the percentage into those areas to alleviate some of the very severe problems of roads.

The Kimberleys area of Western Australia is completely cut off at the present time because there are no sealed roads in that area. The people have been without perishable commodities for some weeks now, and it will be at least three weeks and possibly six weeks before road transport gets anything through. I do not believe it is fair that a whole section of the Australian community should be completely cut off because we are not able to provide them with a sealed road and the return of a fair share of their tax money. That is the thing that is bugging most of the people in those remote areas. They are not frightened of paying their taxes. They fully realise their responsibilities and their obligations to support the total government budget of Australia, but in return they would like the return of a fair share of the tax money in the form of road funds and in other forms such as money to build air strips and taxation zone allowances. We are looking at a severe situation which will deteriorate if we continue to disburse the funds on the present formula.