John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to talk briefly in this chamber about infrastructure in the electorate of Groom. We are very pleased and recognise progress with the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing; the promise of Inland Rail and the benefits that that will bring; continued upgrades on the Warrego Highway, particularly west of Toowoomba; and the fact that this work, supported by governments at all levels, is complimented by significant private investment as well. There is FKG's Toowoomba Technology Park, with the Pulse Data Centre; the Wellcamp Airport, which has captured national and international attention; and the efforts of many local developers such as renowned philanthropist Clive Berghofer and many others.

We have a region that enjoys at present a significant growth rate and low unemployment. Business and job opportunities in the years to come abound. But we must support such growth, particularly in regional Australia. I want to briefly address access to the Wellcamp Airport, in Groom, directly from the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing. Unless we work together to finalise that, we'll simply have to retrofit with millions and millions of dollars of work in the years to come. Now is the time to do it.

I want to talk about Brimblecombe Road, that access from the Warrego Highway across to Cecil Plains Road and on to Wellcamp Airport. I'm on the record in The Oakey Champion newspaper as saying that Brimblecombe Road, largely a gravel road at the moment and certainly the major access from the west, requires upgrading. I note that, just in recent weeks, there has been a tragic accident at the corner of Brimblecombe Road and Warrego Highway, with the loss of life of a young lady and her mum who were travelling through our region. This is about freight and passenger access to the airport and, particularly, safety.

In relation to Warrego Highway savings, I've been campaigning towards work on the culverts at East Creek and West Creek in Toowoomba—the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle, if you like, for flood mitigation following the tragic 2011 flood events in Toowoomba that captured national and international attention.

Regional development must be supported. All levels of government must work together. I've been campaigning on that for some years. I'll continue to fight, but I implore our mayor; our relevant state ministers, particularly Minister Bailey; and our federal minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, to do just that: to work together to ensure that these pieces of the jigsaw puzzle in Groom, which has so much to offer, are being addressed—for freight, passengers and safety.