Transport and Main Roads Minister Paul Lucas welcomed reports that the federal government would spend up to $1billion for the Bruce Highway in Queensland and the Hume Highway in New South Wales.
“It’s a good start, but it’s about $5 billion too short to even meet south east Queensland’s needs,” Mr Lucas said.
“I’m not the only one saying this. The RACQ said today that Queensland needed an extra $1.5 billion at least, to bring the Bruce Highway up to a minimum standard and the Transport Workers Union said more money was needed.
“Even former federal Transport Minister John Anderson admitted that Queensland had the worst national highway network in Australia.”
Mr Lucas said the federal government needed to spend $6.2 billion on the national road network in south east Queensland alone, over the next eight to ten years.
"With only $940 million committed by the federal government, there is a gaping $5.3 billion hole," he said.
"The Bruce Highway, from Brisbane to Cairns, needs more than $7 billion over the next 15 to 20 years, but so far only $547 million has been committed to it under AusLink.
"If today's media report is true – and Queensland gets its fair share of the up to $1 billion towards flood-proofing and urgent safety work on the Bruce Highway – then it's a good start and most welcome," Mr Lucas said.
"More is needed to offer reasonable flood immunity along the highway's 1680km length; still more is needed to address safety issues on the federally-funded Bruce Highway.
There are significant flood plains along the Bruce Highway and it would cost tens of millions, if not hundreds of millions, to solve them.
- Mulgrave River at Gordonvale
- North Johnstone River near Innisfail
- Tully River (for which there is currently a $80 million federal commitment towards a $172 million project)
- Herbert River at Ingham
- Burdekin River in Burdekin Shire
- Fitzroy River at Rockhampton
- Mary River at Gympie and Maryborough.
“Even areas of more localised flooding would require funds in the order of $5 million to $30 million to fix.”
- Pound Creek at Ingham
- Yellow Gin Creek in Burdekin Shire
- Sandy Gully Creek in Bowen Shire
- Don River in Bowen Shire
- Six and Eight Mile creeks in Fitzroy Shire
- Isis River in Isis Shire
- King Johns Creek at Caboolture.
"And that’s even before we get to safety issues on the Bruce Highway,” Mr Lucas said.
"The highway represents about one percent of Queensland's road network but over the past five years, has experienced about 11.8 percent of the state's fatalities.
"And yet only $10 million a year of federal money is allocated to safety and urgent minor works on all of Queensland's AusLink roads, not just the Bruce Highway.
"I am always grateful for any funding from Canberra, but it won’t go anywhere near solving problems with the national highway in Queensland.
"We need much more,” Mr Lucas said.
The Minister said his worst fears about the Pacific Motorway between Brisbane the Gold Coast could come to pass.
“From Beenleigh to the border there are five safe federal liberal seats held by big margins. Yet not one of those federal liberal members can get a cent from their Canberra colleagues for Gold Coast roads.
“It’s been more than 1,000 days since the Federal Government committed any money to major Gold Coast road projects.
“The last announcement of federal funding for major Gold Coast road projects was on March 10, 2003 when they committed $120 million to help fund the Tugun Bypass.
“Since then, we’ve had more than 1,000 days of pretty much nothing,” Mr Lucas said.
The Minister said the RACQ, local government, the TWU and even Queensland Nationals president and federal government MP Bruce Scott all agree that more money is needed to upgrade the Bruce Highway.
“If the federal government doesn’t come up with the funds to fix our national highway in Queensland, we’ll all be on the road to ruin,” Mr Lucas said.
Media Inquiries: Ellen McIntyre 3237 1947
Other languages