Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to inform the Federation Chamber of a $103 million upgrade on the Bruce Highway that is underway right now in my electorate. It will be an 11-kilometre upgrade, including overtaking lanes, floodproofing two bridges, and a number of floodways that are required. For those who don't live in Queensland, who don't see the changes of the weather up there, the fact is we do get floods and cyclones, and the Bruce Highway is the lifeline for regional Queensland. This is how people receive their food, it's how they transport themselves when they need medical support and assistance and it's how they keep their businesses running.

This upgrade includes an upgrade of the Saltwater Creek bridge, which is actually right over the boundary between me and one of the parliament's most passionate advocates for road safety, the member for Wide Bay, Llew O'Brien. As a former senior police officer in the Wide Bay area, there is no-one, in my view, who has a stronger view or is a stronger supporter of road safety. The member for Wide Bay and I fought hard to make sure that this project was delivered. Of course, we do know that it is creating some angst amongst the community. Eleven kilometres is a very long way through roadworks when you're on one of the main highways for the country. But I'd urge all of my constituents and businesses and truck drivers who are using the road to please have patience; it will be completed, and the upgrade will be quite incredible.

However, we were very surprised that Premier Palaszczuk decided to open said bridge early, without inviting the two local members—I think the Premier mustn't have got the memo from the new Prime Minister, Prime Minister Albanese, about the kinder and gentler parliament!—which was quite inconvenient and upsetting. But our local constituents know who delivered this bridge, who delivered this upgrade, and it is $82.4 million from the former coalition government that's making it happen. This is how things happen. They get fought for here and they get delivered, and we see the local state members line up every single time! They love it, they get down there—anything to get themselves in the paper and other press.

But this is an important upgrade. It is a pinch point for the Bruce Highway. It is affected by flooding. It doesn't even have to be that serious to block the road, and I know the member for Wide Bay fought very hard to get the section D bypass as well. Not to be outdone, we've certainly improvised, adapted and overcome. The member for Wide Bay and I found a couple of bollards and some ribbon, and we had our own opening, which created some interest amongst the local press—no problems having Saltwater Creek bridge in the background!

I thank all those individuals who are out there working on this upgrade. It is hot and hard work—laying bitumen, doing upgrades, driving trucks. It is hot, it's dusty, it's difficult, but this will make the Bruce Highway faster, safer and less affected by flooding. That is what we all want. We have all seen the impacts, locally, of very bad accidents on the Bruce Highway. I in particular don't want to see any more, but we know that it continues to get blocked on a regular basis. So I support anything that can be done to improve road safety and to improve the quality of the road for the people of Queensland.