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

As much as I like the member for Scullin, typically of those on the other side, it's about actually looking at what they do, because, if you listen to what they say, you'd think they were going to pave the world in gold, but they never actually do that. They never actually deliver on anything. But I'm pleased to say that, in my time in office since 2010 and while in government since 2013, this government has actually delivered for its communities.

The subject of today's MPI is infrastructure. I'm pleased to say that there is a whole lot of infrastructure that this government, over the last seven or eight years, has actually delivered for the electorate of Forde and, more broadly, for South-East Queensland and across the country. But that is just one aspect of the many things that this government, over the past eight years, has delivered each and every day to make the lives of Australians better, and that's what we're focused on doing. We are focused on making the lives of Australians better each and every day, and I'm proud of this government and what it has done in that space.

Locally, as I said, we have delivered on infrastructure, starting with exit 54 at Upper Coomera. A $10 million investment was the final bit of the funding puzzle needed to get that duplication project underway and built. I can tell you that the residents in Upper Coomera and in Coomera, on the other side of the highway in the member for Fadden's electorate, are extraordinarily pleased at the success of that intersection upgrade. Being able to traverse the highway from either side has made life much easier for them. But, importantly, it has also contributed to tourism traffic going to Dreamworld. If anyone is going to Dreamworld, they use that exit.

I can also report to the House a $16 million upgrade to the service road and intersections at North Maclean on the Mount Lindesay Highway. The member for Wright would well know that piece of road because his electorate is on the other side of that. This was a vital piece of upgrade for this community to improve the safety along that stretch of road on the Mount Lindesay Highway, which, as many in this place would know, is a road that is increasingly busy and, sadly, increasingly accident-prone, with people losing their lives. This upgrade has made a substantial improvement to that section of road.

In addition to that, work is now well underway on the next major upgrade of duplication on the Mount Lindesay Highway between Stoney Camp Road and Chambers Flat Road—another piece of the Mount Lindesay Highway that was increasingly subject to accidents. I was out there recently to check the preliminary works. Given the fabulous weather we have in Queensland, work was proceeding apace, and I will be pleased to see the completion of that over the next couple of years.

Another very important project that members of this House and certainly the member for Moreton would be aware of and very pleased that it's been finished is the Gateway merge to Springwood upgrade on the M1—a $115 million investment by the Commonwealth government in partnership with the state government, who put in another $90-odd million. It's made an enormous difference travelling from Brisbane down to the Gold Coast. We are now working on the bit from Daisy Hill or Slacks Creek north to the Gateway, which is a $375 million investment by the Commonwealth government. Work is well underway on that, particularly through the Springwood stretch where the M1 will be widened out to six lanes and there will be a new merging lane from Compton Road onto the M1, which will make that whole intersection a lot safer and a lot easier.

They are just some of the practical examples of this government's delivery of infrastructure projects in and around the electorate of Forde. It just shows how nonsensical the motion from those opposite is, because this government is actually delivering for my community. I would add the $1 million investment in conjunction with the Gold Coast City Council for work along the Williamson Road and Days Road intersection, installing traffic lights at a very busy intersection that services a number of schools. I spoke to Principal Mark Sly, from Coomera Anglican College recently, and I know how pleased he was about the delivery of that intersection upgrade. This government is delivering every day for Australians right across this country. (Time expired)

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