BACK OUR BRUCE, BACK OUR PEOPLE
Federal Member for Dawson, Andrew Willcox, is no stranger to the Bruce Highway and has today launched his campaign Back Our Bruce, Back Our People.
The section of the Bruce Highway that runs through the electorate of Dawson, from Mackay up into Townsville, has been identified as the most dangerous section of the entire highway, with the worst identified as the 100km stretch between Bowen and Home Hill.
“As someone who spends a lot of time on the Bruce Highway, travelling to meet with businesses and constituents in my electorate, I’ve experienced the dangers of the Bruce firsthand,” Mr Willcox said.
“How many fatal or near-fatal crashes must happen on the Bruce Highway before the State Labor and Federal Labor Governments start taking this issue seriously.
“They’ve cut the funding ratio from 80/20 being 80% from Federal government and 20% from State to 50/50 which has never been done before, with no funding at all being allocated in the recently released budget and no future plans for the Dawson section of the Bruce Highway.
“While Labor is busy investing millions of dollars in the southeast corner to secure votes, innocent lives in my electorate are being lost, and frankly it’s disgusting.
“The lives of the people who live, work, and travel throughout the electorate and through this section of the Bruce Highway are just as important as those living in capital cities, and we deserve to be able to confidently travel on our roads and arrive at our destination, or home to our families, safely.
“That is why I am launching this campaign today, and I urge everyone to jump on my website and sign the petition. It doesn’t matter if you live in the electorate or if you’re a truckie or a tourist driving through, if you’ve travelled this part of the Bruce and experienced the appalling state of it, please join us in the fight to fix our highway.
“Regional Australians are being ignored, and our safety compromised, that’s why this campaign is so important. The more signatures we have, the louder our voice and the stronger our message will be to those who currently have the power to do something about this and make the highway safer.
“This isn’t about politics or political agendas; this is about the safety of my people and of the people travelling through our region.
“Regional Queensland contributes enormously to our economy, through mining royalties and agriculture. I’m not asking for the moon; I’m simply asking for our fair share and to lift the standard of this section of the highway.
“Dawson deserves better,” Mr Willcox said.
In a report released this week, it was revealed that the Bruce Highway failed basic safety ratings, sections in regional Queensland being ranked the worst danger zones, with the stretch between Bowen and Home Hill having the worst pothole density with 88 per 100 kilometres.
To sign the petition, visit www.andrewwillcox.com.au/back-our-bruce
“I encourage everyone to get involved and help support this campaign. If people have any experiences they’d like to share, please contact my office via either Andrew.Willcox.MP@aph.gov.au or on 07 4944 0662,” Mr Willcox said.