Colin Boyce (Flynn, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support the member for Barker's motion, and I too call on the government to invest in Australia's regional and rural remote road network and to support local governments to improve road safety and freight productivity.

The Flynn electorate is over 132,000 square kilometres—almost twice the size of Tasmania. There are 401 individual localities in my electorate, and every single one of them has got serious concerns about the condition of their road networks. Here's why: lack of funding for road infrastructure has already been identified by the Queensland Auditor-General's report as involving a projected $9 billion shortfall. Bridge and culvert refurbishment and road resheeting are operating at less than 20 per cent of their budget needs. In the Gladstone area there are four bridges with oversize load and weight restrictions on them. These bridges need to be repaired because they present huge logistical problems for the region. The former coalition government secured $100 million for this port access road problem back on 3 April 2019. However, this has not progressed, and access to the Gladstone Port project is stagnant and has still been in the planning stages since 2020.

Motorists have to navigate through 19 sets of traffic lights when travelling through Rockhampton. The Rockhampton Ring Road has been a political football for several years, with construction only starting late last year. In the meantime, the town is filled with delays every time an oversized load is driven through, including defence machinery and renewable energy components.

Another bridge that has weight and load restrictions is the Neerkol Bridge near Stanwell Power Station. The bridge was built in 1974. Stanwell has been identified as a clean energy hub by the Queensland government, yet the bridge provides several challenges going forward not only due to load and weight restrictions but also to flooding problems.

Labor's proposed carbon tax on new vehicles will have serious consequences for regional Australia and its road network. Australians could pay up to $25,000 more for their favourite family car, SUV or four-wheel drive, and up to $18,000 more for their favourite ute, according to research undertaken by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries. This will impact individuals, households and businesses across Australia, including in the electorate of Flynn. These impacts include $11,020 more for a Toyota RAV4, $12,180 more for an MG ZS, $25,050 more for a Toyota LandCruiser, $17,950 more for a Ford Ranger, $14,490 more for a Toyota HiLux and $13,830 more for an Isuzu D-Max. Labor's policy will hit families who rely on SUVs to get their children to school, and tradies and farmers who rely on their utes to do their job. Penalties will be imposed on popular petrol, diesel and hybrid models to subsidise the cost of electric vehicles for the rich and inner-city elites.

The Flynn electorate is different to other metropolitan areas. We drive longer distances and we use our cars for work and recreation. Labor claims the new vehicle efficiency standard will result in lower running costs for new cars—but not if you can't afford to buy one. If Labor's family car carbon tax goes ahead in its current planned trajectory, some manufacturers are also likely to withdraw from the Australian market.

The Labor government's ongoing funding cuts to road programs, such as to the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, highlight Labor's failure to understand the crucial role that Australia's road networks provide in driving national economic growth and prosperity. Flynn projects that have been previously funded by the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program include the heavy vehicle detour at Theodore, the productivity enhancement package on the Gregory Highway, the Goovigen Connection Road, the Biloela heavy bypass, Macquarie Street at Gracemere, the Boongary Road upgrade at Kabra, and the Dawson Highway Gladstone-Biloela upgrades.

I wish to conclude and express my absolute disgust at the Labor government's decision to push back funding of $400 million to upgrade the beef roads network, which would have seen 457 kilometres of beef corridors sealed from the start date of 2025-26 financial year, but has been pushed out to the 2027-28 financial year. The government's decision to delay this funding for the beef corridors is evidence that they are happy to treat Central Queensland like a cash cow but not invest in this critical infrastructure that is so important to business and industry.

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