Labor abandons the Bruce Highway
17th October, 2008
The Queensland Labor Government has not sought any funding for the Bruce Highway from Cooroy to Curra, in its submission to the COAG National Infrastructure Audit.Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss said it is astonishing that the State Labor Government has declared that the Bruce Highway does not need any more money. The Highway is identified as Project 18 in Queensland’s submission for funding from the Building Australia Fund but the submission says the Highway is ‘Funded Substantially (All or Most Stages) Already, No Additional Funding Sought’.
“Every person who travels on the Bruce Highway can point out sections of road where money needs to be spent. Yet the Queensland Government has run up the white flag and stated that no further funding is necessary,” Mr Truss said.
“The report especially lists the Cooroy to Gympie stretch of the Bruce Highway, where there have been 49 deaths since 2000 under the heading ‘Funded Substantially (All or Most Stages) Already, No Additional Funding Sought’.
“This is the section of the Highway that the previous Liberal and National Government committed $700 million for four laning. The Rudd Labor Government has taken $500 million of that money away.
“It is disgraceful that the Queensland Government is satisfied with the Commonwealth’s offer of only $200 million between now and 2014 for the Cooroy to Curra project,” Mr Truss said.
“Queensland Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt says he is concerned about the accidents on the road but when he is given an opportunity to restore the lost funding he says Queensland does not want any more money for the project. If the Traveston Crossing dam does not proceed there will be no money for upgrading the Highway before 2015.
“The report demonstrates that the Queensland Government is totally disinterested and does not care about the state of the Highway. Labor has betrayed the people of the Mary Valley and will do nothing to deliver the upgrades that are necessary to improve safety and increase the road’s capacity.
“It is clear that the Queensland State Government has forgotten that it actually is supposed to stand up for Queensland and instead now bows and scrapes to their Labor mates in Canberra.
“The Bligh Labor Governments top 13 priority projects for Building Australia funding in Queensland are all south of the Sunshine Coast.
“How many more accidents need to occur before this Government will take notice and support investment to build a better Bruce Highway?”
