Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to express the shock I'm in that the Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads last week re-announced the $12 million federal contribution and $3 million state contribution to the Bruce Highway Goorganga Plains Upgrade project. Back in 2018, while I was mayor of the Whitsunday Regional Council, I successfully secured $12 million—the same $12 million—from the coalition government for flood mitigation at Goorganga Plains.

In the north we have wet seasons and it's not uncommon for flooding to occur. Goorganga Plains, on the Bruce Highway, is renowned for flooding almost every year. When Goorganga Plains floods, the Bruce Highway is cut, and people are cut off from their loved ones and cut off from emergency services, produce can't get to market and food supplies cannot be brought up from the cities. The need to address people being cut off from emergency services and family is extremely urgent, yet the Queensland Labor government has sat on $12 million worth of federal funding for five years. Meanwhile, the residents of Dawson continue to suffer through unsafe flooding conditions.

This isn't the only funding the Queensland Labor government is sitting on for projects in my electorate. Back in 2019, the federal coalition government committed $29.6 million for Hamilton Plains. When it floods at Hamilton Plains, people in Cannonvale and Airlie Beach are cut off from the hospital and cut off from the airport and, of course, schools and businesses are affected. That's why the previous coalition government created the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative to support regional communities. I'm very proud to say that our side understands the importance of keeping people safe on our roads. Unfortunately, our side's hard work at lobbying has been gridlocked by the Palaszczuk Labor government's inability to manage money, inability to plan and inability to prioritise the regions over the south-east corner.

Last week's re-announcement was a very poor attempt at winning over locals who are frustrated at the Palaszczuk Labor government's inaction. The Premier and her ministers need to realise the people in my electorate are not silly and this does not go unnoticed. I am, once again, calling on the Palaszczuk Labor government to stop playing politics, look after our roads and use the money that you've been given by the coalition government to make sure that our road safety is a priority.

See this speech in context