Pollies Fight For Funds

Journalist: Christopher Burns

Townsville Bulletin

North 'needs highway money' North Queensland politicians are willing to challenge their parliamentary counterparts in pursuit of funding the Bruce Highway where its most needed in the North.

With bipartisan promises before the federal election to fix the Bruce Highway, on which motorists are five times more likely to be injured or killed than by travelling between Sydney and Melbourne, the significant question is where the funds would be distributed.

There are fears from politicians such as federal Dawson MP Andrew Willcox that the bulk of $9bn in state and federal funding could be concentrated in South East Queensland to appeal to the most voters.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week confirmed the Labor government could increase the split to 80-20 to fund the highway, with the government's share being $7.2bn.

Opposition leader Peter Dutton matched that promise but with the caveat that CFMEU would be banned from working on these highway projects, although union representatives say such an action would be illegal.

Mr Willcox said "we have the money in the till" but was concerned patches in his electorate between Townsville and Mackay might not be on the priority list.

"This needs to be done properly, it needs to be done with common sense, and we need local contractors on the job.

"I can't sit back and watch taxpayers' money be squandered through study after study and go into the back pockets of the unions while people die."

At a state level, Assistant Minister for North Queensland Janelle Poole said she would lobby government officials to ensure the "horrific" North Queensland stretches were upgraded, and she had the blessing of Premier David Crisafulli to fight for the regions.

"That is my job to be the thorn in the side of the people down south to advocate for that funding that we need here," Mrs Poole said.

But Mrs Poole did not believe she would need to fight against her own cabinet. "I would like to think we wouldn't have to, because I think what would happen is they will look at where the need is greatest, and it is not South East Queensland as far as I'm concerned."

Townsville's Division 10 councillor Brady Ellis, who represents locations along the highway including Fairfield Central Shopping Centre, Alligator Creek and Elliot Springs, said the population was booming with families. "It is just getting so much more daily commuter traffic than it ever has. "There's been something like 11 crashes over the last 11 years, which is a dreadful statistic, and if that happened anywhere else I think it would have been fixed by now."

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto said funding the Bruce Highway was a "vote winner" considering that Townsville and regional motorists used it daily.