Federal Member Llew O’Brien claims to have exposed the true condition of Queensland’s roads after discovering secret data on the state of the state’s road network.
Mr O’Brien lodged a Right to Information request with the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads, and the data reveals many of Queensland’s roads are unsafe, dangerous, and not fit for purpose.
“This is data that the Queensland Labor Government has kept secret from us, which identifies the shocking condition of Queensland’s roads and highways,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey has always known where the dangerous roads are and now, with the public release of this internal data, the rest of Queensland can see where the problems are.”
There have been calls to require all states and territories to release data as a condition of receiving their share of federal road funding.
“This is a major road safety wake up call for the Albanese and Palaszczuk Labor Governments,” Mr O’Brien said.
“We need transparency and accountability for funding decisions to transform dangerous roads into safe roads.
“With much of the Bruce Highway through Wide Bay rated just two stars, the data highlights the need for increased investments to make the Bruce Highway safer, not cuts, such as the 30 per cent cut to federal road funding proposed by the Albanese Labor Government.”
Projects to upgrade the Bruce Highway have historically been funded on an 80 per cent federal and 20 per cent state funding split, but on Wednesday, the Federal Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King said the Albanese Labor Government wants to cut its share of funding from 80 per cent to just 50 per cent.
“It’s people living in regional Queensland who will pay the price for Labor’s cuts,” Mr O’Brien said.
“We live in the most decentralised state with large populations spread across the east coast.
“The Bruce Highway is in appalling condition north of Gympie and we need more investments to make it safer, ease congestion and boost productivity, with four lanes and physical separation between opposing directions of traffic.
“With 11,000 daily vehicle movements, our section of the national highway between Gympie and Maryborough would already be four lanes if it was in any other jurisdiction.
“The Albanese Labor Government’s proposed cuts to federal road funding and the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s disinterest in fast tracking the Tiaro bypass show Labor at state and federal levels don’t share our community’s ambition for four lanes all the way through Wide Bay.
“With Labor’s cuts and disinterest, taxpayer-funded infrastructure for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics will be in place long before we see a full four lane Bruce Highway through Wide Bay,” Mr O’Brien said.
So far this year, six people have died on the Bruce Highway between Gympie and Maryborough.
“This is a toll of devastating grief, sorrow and sadness for the victims, their families and friends, and the communities affected by these horrific losses,” Mr O’Brien said.
“Our stretch of the Bruce Highway, and other roads in Wide Bay, have been the scenes of shocking and devastating crashes where vehicles on sub-standard roads approach each other at closing speeds of 200 kilometres per hour. It’s a recipe for disaster and these highways and roads have to be fixed.
“Road safety has to be the first priority,” Mr O’Brien said.
“The Albanese Labor Government’s massive immigration program is only going to make our already congested roads worse.
“But instead of increasing investment to boost capacity to ensure our roads can accommodate Labor’s rapid population growth, it’s actually cutting funding, jeopardising road users.
“The Government has an unavoidable responsibility to ensure our roads are as safe as possible.
“The data shows there’s a lot of work to be done and it’s time for more investment, not Labor’s life-risking cuts.”
