Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since becoming the member for the electorate of Flynn in 2010, I have set about achieving clear goals for my time in this place. One of these goals is to drive the improvement of our region's economic roads. To that end, I believe I have been reasonably successful. One hundred and five million dollars has been spent on the Calliope crossroads, with a huge safety benefit to Central Queensland; $65 million on the Capricorn Highway duplication between Gracemere and Rockhampton and raising the level of the road by one metre—it is a flood area; $32 million on the Bajool to Midgee upgrade; $25 million on the Kin Kora intersection, through fifty-fifty funding with the state government; $15 million on six overtaking lanes between Gracemere and Emerald; and $8.5 million on eight bridges across Flynn. I will name just a few more: $20 million for the Phillip Street missing link in Gladstone; Gin Gin north and south and the big dipper have been taken out and improved; Marmor intersection upgraded; a new bridge at Eight Mile Creek South Bajool; and the Benaraby intersection upgrade on the Bruce Highway. I am proud that this has been achieved in the last six years, but there is still more to do.

Unfortunately, that has been placed at risk by the state government, which is hell-bent on pork-barrelling seats in Brisbane. With such an enormous price placed on the Cross River Road, I am concerned that this government will divert funding from the highways and roads in Flynn to the Cross River Rail—$5.4 billion does not simply grow on trees. I challenge the state government to declare where they will get $5.4 billion from without affecting roads in the regional areas, which are economic roads. Will they plunge the state further into debt and still have no infrastructure for our roads in Central Queensland? Will they scrounge every cent out of their road budget to pay for it? Labor has form. Our electricity prices have already risen due to the Queensland government's dodgy accounting, dragging out money and laying on government debt until generators can do nothing but pass it on to customers.

Ergon and Energex will pass back to the government well over $300 million this year. They also gauge money out of port authorities, Queensland Rail and electricity generators. Labor has a history of ignoring regional Queensland. They are happy to spend $5 billion in Brisbane on travel but they will not hold up their end of the bargain when it comes to roads, bridges, rail and dam reconstruction.