Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that the Australian Government:

(a) is acting to provide critical upgrades to the M1 Motorway to deliver safer, less congested roads for the people of Queensland, which will mean people spend less time in traffic and more time with their families;

(b) is delivering a $1 billion upgrade including between Varsity Lakes and Tugun on the Gold Coast end of the M1 corridor, and between Eight Mile Plains and Daisy Hill within the Brisbane urban area; and

(c) has previously committed funding to two projects on the M1 which are scheduled to commence construction in coming weeks, being:

  (i) $115 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway-Gateway Merge; and

  (ii) $110 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway-Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes project; and

(2) calls on the Queensland Government to match the funding on a 50:50 basis.

It's a pleasure to stand in this House and speak about the funding commitment of the federal coalition government to the M1. Leading up to the 2018 budget, I was very pleased to be joined in my electorate by Prime Minister Turnbull to announce $1 billion to be provided in the budget for critical M1 upgrades. I was also joined by my good friend the member for Fadden, who is here in the chamber today.

This is a tremendous win for commuters and businesses not only in my electorate of Forde but in the surrounding electorates, where many commuters struggle with daily gridlock. However, this result would not have been possible without the thousands of supporters who put their name to my Fix the M1 campaign. I'm proud to say that the petition, the bumper stickers, the speeches and the stories from businesses and people affected by congestion has been heard loud and clear by the Turnbull government. And I'm pleased to say that the good member for Moreton, sitting across the chamber here, is very happy with this announcement, I have no doubt, as it will benefit his electorate as well.

In this year's budget we put fixing the M1 Motorway in Logan at the top of our government's priority list. So, thank you to everyone who supported our Fix the M1 campaign. The billion-dollar coalition government investment will mean people spend less time in traffic and more time with their families, and it will improve the quality of life for residents in South East Queensland. The billion-dollar commitment will fund construction of two high-priority upgrade projects: one, the stretch between Eight Mile Plains and Daisy Hill, within the Logan and Brisbane urban areas, and the other between Varsity Lakes and Tugun on the Gold Coast, at the southern end of the M1 corridor. The Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill project is expected to include widening the motorway from six to eight lanes, ramp consolidation, managed motorways technology, extending the busway to Springwood, supporting bus priority south of Springwood, and better active transport connections between centres along the corridor. The Varsity Lakes to Tugun project is expected to include widening of both the northbound and southbound carriageways to six lanes, a direct northbound off-ramp from the M1 to Southport-Burleigh Road, and ramp upgrades, with ramp controls, extra lanes, pavement reconstruction works, and better cycling and walking connections between centres.

The M1 is one of the most important and heavily congested routes in Queensland, with nearly 30 million tonnes of freight moving between New South Wales and Queensland each year and between 50,000 and 155,000 vehicles per day using the M1, from Springwood to Tugun. These upgrades will help people get home safer and sooner.

I'm proud to say the Turnbull government is funding the roads the people of South East Queensland need, and we're doing it because of our careful budget management. During the 2016 election, the Turnbull government also committed $225 million for two projects that mark stage 1 of these significant upgrades to the M1. These include the $115 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway and Gateway Motorway merge and $110 million for the M1 Pacific Motorway Mudgeeraba to Varsity Lakes project.

I'm pleased to say that it appears the Queensland government is set to announce in their budget later this week that they will commit to matching the federal government's funding on the M1, which is tremendous news for the people of South East Queensland. These vital upgrades to the M1 will reduce congestion and improve the quality of life for the people in my electorate of Forde. This congestion-busting solution to the M1 congestion on the Logan Motorway and Gold Coast Highway is extremely important.

When we met with Bill Leavey from True Blue Glass last week, a small business owner whose employees regularly travel the M1, he explained the importance of this project in allowing his employees to be more efficient and more effective and get to their jobs more quickly so they can do more in a day. But it is not only that: they will get to their jobs more safely. I commend this funding of $1 billion on the M1 by a coalition federal government that has set the stage for major upgrades for this stretch of road.

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