Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to talk about two major infrastructure concerns in my electorate of Dickson. It has now been over a year since the January 2011 floods when the North Pine River flooded, causing extensive damage to the northbound AJ Wyllie Bridge. As a result this bridge was closed and traffic was forced to use the remaining southbound bridge, causing traffic chaos and huge commuter delays. It has been devastating to local businesses and a lingering frustration to local residents. One would think that after a year this problem would have been resolved or at least be close to being resolved, especially with the announcement by the Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, that 'all 89 flood damaged bridges and culverts had been opened'. But I am saddened to say that Anna Bligh was obviously unaware or had not been informed, by the local state members, Ms O'Neill and Ms Male, that absolutely no progress had been made and that residents, commuters and businesses were still waiting.

It has been over a year since the AJ Wyllie Bridge was damaged, so over a year locals have had to bear the brunt of delay after delay waiting for it to be fixed or rebuilt. Now, at the beginning of an election campaign, it is announced that a tender has finally been approved. The construction, however, is expected to take yet another year to complete. Residents, commuters and business owners may have been ignored by the state Labor government but fortunately the LNP candidate for Kallangur, Trevor Ruthenberg, and the LNP candidate for Pine Rivers, Seath Holswich, have taken up the fight. These two hardworking locals have spent the last year fighting for action and have been successful in achieving better outcomes for traffic management during the year. They have also stood up for local businesses who are suffering at a time that is already difficult for the retail sector. They organised a promotional day to encourage locals back to businesses in the area and help them to survive until a new bridge is built and commuters return to their regular travel route.

Other infrastructure concerns are constantly being brought to my attention by my constituents when I travel around the Dickson electorate in my mobile office. The lack of trains servicing the Ferny Grove line is one of these and residents of Samford and the Hills District in my electorate find the decision to use public transport more difficult when it is inefficient as well as expensive. The LNP state candidate for Ferny Grove, Dale Shuttleworth, and the LNP state candidate for Everton, Tim Mander, have been listening to locals also and are fighting for a more reliable and cost-effective train service. Dale, Tim and the LNP team will improve the Ferny Grove line on weekdays so that commuters will have no need for a timetable because they can be assured that a train will arrive regularly. At present commuters from the Ferny Grove line are currently waiting 30 minutes for a daytime off-peak train. This time will be halved when services are doubled, with a train arriving every 15 minutes. Additional trains are needed to accommodate the population growth in this area and also make public transport more affordable for regular commuters—encouraging them back to public transport, which in turn will alleviate some of the traffic problems, especially along Samford Road, a known bottleneck for this area.

To date, the Bligh government has not encouraged regular train travel—it is expensive and unreliable. The introduction of free travel after 10 trips in a seven-day week beginning on Monday on a GoCard is a farce. In a five-day working week most travellers only make 10 trips and the last thing many want to do is climb back on a train on the weekend to get cheaper travel. We have read in the paper about people taking short trips in their lunch hour on buses so that the longer trip home through more zones is less expensive. People should not have to do this to try and benefit from using public transport. If you want commuters to leave their cars at home and take the bus or train then you have to make it worth their while. Paying for a service that is just as expensive as driving and parking and is at the same time inefficient is not an incentive to use public transport.

Dale Shuttleworth, Tim Mander and the LNP team are genuinely committed to our local community, and in particular to providing reward and encouragement to regular GoCard commuters with the reintroduction of the weekly discount. This is something my constituents have asked for for a long time and it is something that, sadly, the state member for Ferny Grove and state health minister, Geoff Wilson, has responded to with a tin ear. Campbell Newman, Dale Shuttleworth and Tim Mander are committed to delivering a revitalised train network underpinned by better planning for the future. Commuters will be encouraged back to public transport and the rewards for all of us will be immense.

See this speech in context