Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

During the 2019 election campaign, the Morrison government promised to fund the removal of the Coopers Plains level crossing, as I had done. Here we are in March 2020 and no work has begun. We're coming up to one year since that election commitment was made and there is nothing. In July last year, I asked the Deputy Prime Minister:

When will work begin on eliminating the dangerous level crossing at Boundary Road in Coopers Plains?

He didn't answer the question but he did say, right here at this dispatch box, that he would come to Moreton to look at the crossing. Well, it's March 2020 and I'm still waiting.

The Liberal and National party Brisbane City Council has never committed to paying its fair share for removing this dangerous crossing. It's happy to pay for half of the infrastructure on the north side of Brisbane but will only pay 15 per cent when it comes to the south side. I've got a hardworking Labor counsellor, Steve Griffiths, who has been lobbying to get it fixed. Labor council candidates John Prescott and Trent McTiernan have been working hard to bring attention to the infrastructure improvements that are necessary in both the Runcorn ward and MacGregor ward and the benefits that would flow. That's why I was delighted to hear the Labor lord mayoral candidate, Pat Condren, commit to fixing not just the Coopers Plains level crossing but also another dangerous level crossing in Runcorn. Both of these crossings are under RACQ's top-five priority list of dangerous crossings. Pat Condren has committed to one-third of the construction costs of this Coopers Plains level crossing upgrade, which is actually the Brisbane City Council's fair share. I look forward to welcoming a Labor Brisbane City Council who will treat the south side with the same level of infrastructure spending as they spray around on the north side.

The member for Dawson suggested that we should lobby ministers. I lobbied the Deputy Prime Minister. I wrote to the minister. I wrote to the Prime Minister. I did all that I could, but we still don't have this construction project starting on the south side. I did my job as a local member. Now we need the Morrison government to actually step up and fund this crossing.

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