Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes the:

(1) strong investment by the Australian Government in infrastructure right across Queensland, particularly the Mains Road and Kessels Road Intersection Upgrade and the Ipswich Motorway Upgrade;

(2) commitment by the Australian Government in infrastructure now and into the future, such as our investment in the Bruce Highway; and

(3) current Queensland Government's inconsistent approach to infrastructure projects.

There could not be a starker contrast than the federal Labor government's commitment to infrastructure and the opposition's failure to build and invest in capital works programs during their 12 long years in office. The federal Labor government has a proud history of investing in infrastructure right across Queensland, and with the 2012-13 budget we are delivering a further instalment of $879 million in funding to start, progress and complete a range of projects right across Queensland from Coolangatta to the Cape and from Sunnybank to the Simpson Desert.

This budget commitment adds to the record $8.7-billion investment, which is part of our six-year Nation Building Program to rebuild and renew Queensland's road, rail and public transport infrastructure.

Since coming to power, Labor has more than doubled federal annual infrastructure spending from $143 to $314 per Queenslander. A project that will go from the drawing board to construction in the coming financial year includes the construction of the new Moreton Bay rail link between Petrie and Kippa-Ring—a project first mooted not last century but the one before, in 1895. The federal contribution is $742 million. I thank the member for Petrie for her passionate advocacy for that project.

The federal contribution to straightening and extending the southbound on-ramp from the Gateway Motorway to the Pacific Motorway, and widening the Mount Gravatt Capalaba Road between Broadwater and Gardner roads, is $70 million. The federal contribution from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to building a new interchange along the Warrego Highway at Blacksaw is $54 million. I know the member for Blair has been a passionate advocate for this project. The federal government will contribute up to $18 million under the National Smart Managed Motorways Program for the installation of the latest freeway technology along the Gateway Motorway north from Nudgee to the Bruce Highway, including mounted variable speed limits, ramp signalling, travel time signs and variable message signs—and that is on the north side, away from my electorate. Nevertheless, it is money well spent for Queensland and for the nation.

From the outset, federal Labor's mission has been to reverse the neglect we inherited. We have invested in modern, well planned infrastructure that will make the lives of working people easier, our businesses more competitive and the nation's economy stronger, not just for the next five years but also for the next five decades across the length and breadth of Queensland. That is precisely what we are doing: we are setting the state up for the future with good infrastructure that will stand the test of time.

One highway that could not have been more neglected by the Howard government is the Bruce Highway. The member for Hinkler is entering the chamber and he would know this highway well. The federal Labor government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a better, safer Bruce Highway. Federal Labor has invested $2.8 billion over seven years on the Bruce Highway. Consequently, no project has been delayed or cancelled. Indeed, compared with the former Howard government we are investing more than twice as much in half the time, including a further instalment of almost half a billion dollars in the 2012-13 financial year.

For a few years, when I was a union organiser for the Independent Education Union, I used to drive the Bruce Highway almost every other week doing 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres up to Rockhampton, Longreach, Moranbah, Bundaberg and everywhere in between. How it has changed since those days. This financial year we have seen federal government investments along the Bruce Highway. The federal contribution to the construction of a new interchange at the intersection between the Bruce and Dawson highways, the Calliope crossroads near Gladstone, is $150 million. Federal Labor's contribution to the straightening and raising of the Bruce Highway between Sandy Corner and Collinson's Lagoon is $50 million. The federal contribution to the straightening and widening the Bruce Highway from Cabbagetree Creek to Carmen Road and across Back Creek Range is $100 million. The federal contribution to straightening the Bruce Highway just south of Gin Gin and upgrading the intersection with the Bundaberg Gin Gin Road is $20 million.

In addition to these major upgrades to key sections of the highway our $440 million safety package also includes installing 52 new overtaking lanes. As anyone who drives the Bruce would know—with all respect to our grey nomads—overtaking lanes are crucial, particularly with that mix of heavy transport and slow caravans. We are fixing 100 dangerous black spots, building 20 new rest areas and stopping places as well as upgrading a further nine existing rest areas and laying audible edge line markings as well. This is substantial progress, substantial investment and it is all being delivered by a federal Labor government. Unlike the Queensland Nationals senators perched up on the 36th floor of Waterfront Place in the city, the Labor Party never forgets the bush. I acknowledge that Senator Barnaby Joyce has his office out in the bush in St George.

Turning my attention to something closer to home, I particularly note the $300-million upgrade to Queensland's second busiest intersection, the corner of Mains Road and Kessells Road at Nathan. The intersection was a weeping sore for years and years under the Howard government. I was elected with a clear commitment to fix the congestion.

The former member for Moreton of 12 years, now shock jock Gary Hardgrave, actually opposed my plan. Yet, on an average weekday, Kessels Road carries about 50,000 vehicles and Mains Road carries about 40,000—and that continues over the weekend. This much traffic often causes delays—on any day of the week. I have been stalled there for three or four changes of lights, even on a Sunday. That is why the upgrade will not only ease congestion but also cater for projected growth, keeping the south side moving well into the future.

This project will also provide for cyclists, both on and off the road; bring down vehicle operation costs; and reduce local exhaust emissions. Anyone who has seen the number of trucks doing hill starts at that intersection and who knows how dangerous and cancer-inducing the diesel particulate matter is knows that this needs to change. This project will also decrease noise levels around the intersection, which is good for the local residents. Over 800 jobs will be sustained over the life of this project, delivering an important boost to the region in these challenging times, where unemployment is, sadly, taking off in Queensland. We are about to see a budget delivered tomorrow. We have already seen thousands and thousands of Queensland public servants sacked, and casuals not have their contract renewed. We are waiting to see how Campbell Newman's axe falls tomorrow, when up to 15,000 lives and homes will be destroyed.

I am pleased to advise members of the House that I have kept my promise to improve this intersection, with the construction of a new Kessels Road underpass now well underway. In fact, I was fortunate enough to open the visitors centre in July. I am very pleased that members of the public can now access the visitors centre and keep themselves informed of the project's progress and all the benefits that this grade separation will deliver. It shows that the completed upgrade will improve safety and efficiency on this very busy road corridor that connects Ipswich and the Pacific and gateway motorways with industrial hubs and residential areas.

The new intersection will improve congestion by eliminating the existing traffic lights and diverting Kessels Road beneath Mains Road. Sadly, this intersection was also bitterly opposed by the Liberal-National Party, whose former leader, now the health minister, Lawrence Springborg, stated as recently as 2009 that he would tear up the upgrade plans for the intersection. It is only because of the commitment and persistence of the Labor government, and Minister Albanese in particular, that this project is being delivered. I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this $300 million upgrade to the Mains and Kessels intersection by mid 2014.

For the record and for the benefit of Premier Newman, I remind him that the former state Labor government also understood the critical role of infrastructure. Right across the state they built schools, hospitals and roads. In the south-east, they spent $2,850 per man, woman and child. In Far North Queensland, they spent $1 billion in 2011-12. This was allocated to projects like the Cairns Base Hospital redevelopment and the Cairns city centre bus interchange. In North Queensland, Labor spent a further $900 million on projects like the expansion of the Townsville Hospital, the Townsville ring road and the revitalisation of the Townsville CBD. In Central Queensland $650 million has been spent in the Mackay region and another billion dollars in the Fitzroy. This was a government that recognised the importance of grassroots infrastructure in every region of Queensland and the jobs that flow from such projects.

Sadly, this is not the approach of the current state Liberal-National Party government. 'Can-cut' Campbell is slashing jobs, programs and infrastructure projects. They indeed have a strange set of priorities. They can upgrade the Gold Coast racetrack but cannot find money for the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I look forward to seeing how their budget progresses tomorrow. (Time expired)

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