Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I would also like to express my condolences to the family of Maggie Deahm and value her wonderful contribution to this House.

I rise tonight to welcome Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk's plan for a new high-frequency Brisbane Metro Subway System. This will slash travel times for Brisbane commuters and will deliver a revolutionary seven-kilometre high-frequency—every two minutes—subway system linking the bus interchanges at Woolloongabba and Herston in my electorate. This will mean higher frequency and faster travel between the suburbs to the city, while reducing travel times and reducing congestion. It will utilise sections of the south-east and inner-northern busways, crossing the Victoria Bridge and entering a new portal in the Adelaide Street area to connect with the existing King George Station.

Under this plan, people's journeys from the suburbs to the city and home again will be much faster. This outstanding public transport innovation will remove almost 200 buses per hour from the Brisbane CBD streets. It is such great news for residents of my electorate who live and work in the CBD. By comparison, Labor's uncosted light rail proposal will see the successful Blue CityGlider shut down and closed and would only free up 18 buses per hour. The LNP is the party of the future and this policy embodies our determination to make Brisbane a world-class city.

The Brisbane Metro will carry up to 18,000 passengers on opening and this will grow to 30,000 long term—compared to Labor's light rail proposal, which will only cater for 3,000 passengers. Labor has once again shown their lack of talent for policy formulation. It is empty. It is hollow. It is uncosted. It is pie-in-the-sky stuff. Labor's light rail trams proposal on city streets is going to make congestion worse; it is not going to make it better.

Mr Neumann interjecting—

Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—

The opposite members can interject all they like. The Brisbane Metro solves traffic congestion and public transport issues for the long term.

Labor's proposal is just another one of those fanciful ideas and another investigation. We have had 20 studies done and they have all amounted to nothing. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk has a plan. He will deliver the Brisbane Metro for our city. Just like the vital Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade in my electorate, Labor's lord mayoral candidate will rip it up. He will rip up the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade and he will stop the construction of the Brisbane Metro.

Both these projects are absolutely vital for the city of Brisbane. The Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade will reduce congestion for residents in Ascot, Hamilton, Clayfield and the north-east corridor of my electorate. It will also allow greater capacity for busses and cyclists to access the CBD, with specially designated lanes and safer roads.

Opposition to the Brisbane Metro and the Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade is more recklessness from Labor, and I know the people of Brisbane will see through Labor's rhetoric and stick with the lord mayor's proven track record. These projects are absolutely vital to deal with a looming bus infrastructure capacity crisis that will choke our city if we do nothing. Labor just want to rip it up, delay and have yet another investigation. The time for all of these reviews is over, and the time for Brisbane Metro is now.

While the construction of the Brisbane Metro is in the inner city, it will also benefit commuters from middle and outer suburbs who are currently spending increasingly long periods of time in bus gridlock. The benefit having 200 fewer buses on our CBD will allow for other network improvements in the inner, middle and outer suburbs.

As the federal member for Brisbane, I know our city needs this vital and important project. I will be working with the lord mayor to present his proposal to my federal colleagues, and I know that residents and businesses are crying out for this. The Brisbane Metro will cut travel times substantially. It will be quick and easy to get on and off and IT will improve efficiency for Brisbane locals—

Mr Neumann interjecting—

It is fully costed, that is the most important thing. You can interject all you want. It will be great for local residents, businesses, travellers and the tourism industry and the many people we have visiting our wonderful city.

Under the lord mayor's plan, Brisbane is heading in the right direction. Our city cannot risk Labor. We need the Brisbane Metro and we need the vital Kingsford Smith Drive upgrade. Labor have said they are going to oppose both of them. Lord Mayor Graham Quirk and his team have a vision for a better Brisbane. I am very proud to be working with him, and together we are a going to be standing up for Brisbane.