Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a pleasure to rise to speak about an issue that is very important to all Gold Coasters, and that is the funding of the M1. The reason that this is an important issue is because the M1 has proven to be, for many years now, a thorn in the side of the city. In principle, this is because we have a lot of traffic on one of the key roads that runs between Brisbane and Sydney; in fact, the M1 has become heavily congested over a number of years now because there have not been suitable investments by the Gold Coast City Council—

Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You should fund it!

Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

or by state governments in arterial roads.

I heard the interjection from the Labor member opposite that we should fund it. I have very good news: this road project is so important to the Gold Coast, and the coalition is so committed to the Gold Coast, that we have actually funded the widening of this same section of road, not once but twice. In 2007 the coalition government provided $455 million worth of funding to widen this road—funding that I delivered, together with the then member for McPherson, Margaret May. We stood on the side of the M1 and announced the $455 million worth of coalition funding to widen this road. Unfortunately, the state Labor government of the time took that $455 million worth of funding and diverted it to another road project. Subsequently, we have now put money on the table again. In fact, it is only the federal coalition government that has put money on the table again for the widening of this road—a further $110 million or thereabouts.

The Labor Party talks a lot, but the fact is that they are not putting money on the table. The federal coalition has funded this project, as I said, not once but twice. But I will throw a bouquet to the state Labor minister, Mark Bailey, who is constructively engaging in conversations with the federal coalition to make sure this project is finished. I understand that constituents are justifiably sick to death of hearing squabbles between state and federal governments over who should be funding what and by how much.

I want to put on the record that I am committed to getting this project done. I am so committed that I have delivered funding for this project twice. I will continue to make sure that the widening of the M1 happens. It is an important part of the Gold Coast infrastructure. It is a way in which the federal government can play its role. I also demand of the Gold Coast City Council that they do their bit with boosting arterial roads and taking local traffic off an interstate highway, and that the state government also does their bit with other arterial roads as well.