Albanese’s visit delivers disappointment and failure on Cooroy to Curra
7th September, 2011
Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the Bruce Highway today has been a huge disappointment. Mr Albanese announced no new money for the Cooroy to Curra upgrade and did not even release the overdue draft plan for Section A, Federal Member for Wide Bay, Warren Truss said today. “The draft plan for Section A was supposed to be released for public comment last year. Here we are in September, more than nine months later, and Mr Albanese has again failed to release it,” Mr Truss said.
The Section A project will extend the four lane Highway from Cooroy to Sankeys Road.
“The Queensland Government said that it sent plans for Section A to the Federal Government in August last year, and today we had a visit from the Federal Minister, more than a year since he received the plans, but still no announcement from him as to when the planning study will be released for public consultation,” Mr Truss said.
The Cooroy to Curra section of the Bruce Highway continually rates as one of the deadliest highways in Queensland by the RACQ. There have been more than 50 fatalities and 300 people admitted to hospital since 2000 as a result of accidents on the notorious stretch.
“Today’s visit shows yet again that Mr Albanese is all talk and no action. He knows how treacherous the Cooroy to Curra section of the Highway is and he knows that fixing the Highway has to be a high priority, but he persistently refuses to nominate starting dates for the remaining sections of the Cooroy to Curra upgrade, Mr Truss said.
“Mr Albanese even stripped more than $100 million from the Section B Sankeys Road to Traveston Road project in the last Federal Budget and put it toward other projects. These funds could have been used on building the Section A project.
Mr Truss warned that continued delays by Mr Albanese will push back other needed Highway projects.
“There are now rumours that the Gillard Labor Government could push back Sections C and D of the Cooroy to Curra project for another 20 years. If it does that, it will also push out construction of other Highway projects, including the upgrade of Curra to Maryborough and beyond, for decades to come,” Mr Truss said.
