Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Innovation) Share this | Hansard source

not because this government somehow wanted to give that money to people in my electorate but because, after a long time of campaigning by the community, can I say, and by me assisting them, we have delivered that funding, because I wanted that money and I wanted that road upgraded. Members opposite have opposed it and they have gotten exactly what they desired since they were elected: nothing, because they wanted no money to come to the area and that is what they got. If you are a member of the government and you tell your roads minister, ‘I don’t want any money to upgrade the Ipswich Motorway in my part of the world’ then you will not get any, because that is easy to do. But if you are trying to achieve funding, that is a little bit more complicated.

The reality is, if you want a full plan that will deliver roads and infrastructure way beyond 2030, you need to have a complete plan, a full plan. You do not need just one road. I am not a one-road man. I think the Ipswich Motorway upgrade is essential and critical and should be the first cab off the rank, but I also believe you need other roads in the area. You need a road to the south, and that is the extension of the Centenary Highway, through Springfield and the Ripley Valley and back to Ipswich. With it comes a brand new rail corridor and rail, which will do an immense amount for relieving traffic and pressure off the Ipswich Motorway.

You also need a proper western bypass—a real one, not a Goodna bypass that was dreamt up by the member for Blair and maybe a couple of his cronies; a real one that is studied and done properly, with a fully accountable and transparent process where the community has some involvement. People will get a choice. They were not given a choice but they will have a choice at the next election in three, four or five months time. I think they will be voting with their feet and telling this government exactly what they think about road funding in Queensland. Bring on the upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway. (Time expired)

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