Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to reply to the funding that Labor supposedly put into the Bruce Highway outside of Rockhampton because they did stage 1; we did stage 2. And as I say, it is taxpayers' dollars, not Labor or Liberal dollars.

I relish this opportunity to address the chamber on the subject of the Bruce Highway. The Bruce Highway is an important freight and transport corridor up the entire Queensland coast. It is effectively a lifeline between Brisbane and the rest of the state, especially for places like Rockhampton, Marlborough, Yeppoon, Sarina and Mackay. With huge freight trucks, livestock carriers and general motor traffic, the issue of road safety on the Bruce is a very important one. As you have heard today, after much lobbying by the National Party, the federal government has a $6.7 billion long-term plan to 'spruce the Bruce'. This equates to the biggest project agenda in Australia's history. For this, I acknowledge my retired colleague, and former Deputy Prime Minister, Warren Truss, who did tremendous work around lobbying for the Bruce Highway.

My electorate of Capricornia is our nation's official gateway to northern Australia and, already, $700 million of work linked to the Bruce has either been completed, is underway or will soon start in my region alone. I am delighted to inform the chamber of what work has been officially opened or is starting in the three short years that I have been the federal member. In Capricornia, on the southern side of Rockhampton, the Australian government has invested more than $210 million at the entrance to Australia's beef capital—the true beef capital of Australia! The aim of this was to improve traffic flow and road safety and ensure that the city remains open to freight and traffic movement during floods.

I am proud that the Liberal-National coalition funded the lion's share of stage 2 of this project—the biggest part of this reconstruction program—known as Yeppen South stage 2. Here, the coalition contributed $136 million towards stage 2, which was one of my 2013 election promises. The Yeppen South stage 2 roadworks have resulted in the longest bridge on the Bruce Highway in Queensland and improved access into the city significantly. The Deputy Prime Minister officially opened this section in December last year.

There has been significant spending also on other parts of the Bruce Highway in Capricornia in recent times, including: $8.5 million to engineer two new overtaking lanes to make the Bruce Highway safer between Koumala and Sarina; $9.2 million to realign truck access and improve the flow of traffic on the Bruce Highway in the city of Rockhampton, specifically at the George and Albert streets intersection; $7.9 million for new northbound and southbound overtaking lanes on the Bruce Highway south of Marlborough; $15 million to fix up the Hay Point Road turnoff near Sarina under our Black Spot Program; and $1.2 million to Mackay Regional Council to fix the intersection of Horse and Jockey Road and Landsdowne Road at Racecourse. During the federal election, we also announced $60 million for a four-lane highway between Gracemere and Rockhampton. This section connects the Capricorn Highway to the Bruce Highway at a notoriously busy intersection on the outskirts of Rockhampton, where 20,000 commuters, on top of freight and livestock trucks, attempt to enter the city at peak times each day.

Further north in Capricornia, the Bruce Highway is undergoing major reconstruction to make way for the Mackay Ring Road—$360 million has been provided by the federal government. But, as they say in the TV ads, 'But wait, there's more!' I am pleased to inform the chamber that the Turnbull-Joyce government is spending a further $96.8 million to create a four-lane section on the Bruce Highway on the northern outskirts of Rockhampton. Construction was originally due to commence mid-2018 and scheduled for completion by late-2019, weather permitting. However, the first $13.8 million of the Turnbull-Joyce federal government funding has been brought forward to fast-track stage 1. Work is already underway to generate economic activity in the city. This is strong evidence that our coalition government is delivering real improvements to the Bruce Highway.

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