Canberra must deliver on Queensland project for Northern Australia Roads Programme

The Palaszczuk Government has released a list of 25 projects it is seeking funding from the Australian Government’s Northern Australia Roads Programme to drive further growth and jobs across the State.

Addressing State Parliament today on the eve of her Government’s Working Queensland Cabinet Committee meeting in Charters Towers tomorrow, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Queensland Government submitted the list to the Australian Government in November last year.

“Our priorities remain and the need of our communities and great State remains. What we need is for Turnbull Government to respond without further delay,” the Premier said.

“In all, Queensland put forward 25 projects seeking Federal contributions of around $590 million on the appropriate 80-20 funding split.

“My Government’s submission focused on key freight routes, such as the Flinders, Landsborough, Gregory, Peak Downs and Capricorn highways and the Gregory Developmental Road.

“We also included projects and packages in and around regional centres - Cairns, Townsville, Rockhampton, Emerald and Mount Isa – as well as regional roads connecting communities across northern Queensland.

“Importantly, this will include the progressive sealing of sections of the Hann Highway over the next five years.

“These projects will improve our transport networks, particularly for the movement of people and goods, particularly for exports and tourism. Queensland exports increased by more than $5 billion to $49 billion last year.”

Minister for Main Roads, Road Safety and Ports and Minister for Energy, Biofuels and Water Supply Mark Bailey said the projects were critical for regional Queensland.

The Minister said key benefits of investing in the projects highlighted by the Palaszczuk Government for the $600 million Northern Australia Roads Programme include:

• boosting economic productivity in northern Queensland by decreasing delays and improving travel-time on key tourism routes and supply chains;
• reducing social and economic costs of fatal and serious injury crashes;
• enhancing remote, rural, regional and urban liveability through improved accessibility to essential services; and
• boosting overall economic confidence in northern Queensland by creating and sustaining jobs.

Mr Bailey said projects nominated for the Northern Australia Roads Programme included upgrades to:

• the Flinders Highway between Charters Towers and Townsville, Hughenden and Cloncurry;
• the Barkly Highway, upgrading intersections in Mount Isa;
• the Landsborough Highway between Longreach and Winton;
• the Capricorn Highway duplication between Rockhampton and Gracemere, and upgrade of the Valentine Creek Bridge, as well as overtaking lanes between Rockhampton and Emerald; and
• Gregory Developmental Road, widening between Charters Towers and Belyando, and an upgrade of the Cape River Bridge.

“The Palaszczuk Government is continually working to improve and invest in our State-wide road network, including through the recent State Infrastructure Plan, which included announcements benefitting Gladstone with the Dawson Highway, the duplication of Riverway Drive, upgrades along Kawana Way,” Mr Bailey said.

Mr Bailey said the 2015–16 to 2018–19 Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program – known as QTRIP – provides for $18.8 billion in investment.

“QTRIP supports an average of approximately 15,000 direct jobs over the life of the program – not only delivering improved roads, but providing jobs and boosting our regional economies,” he said.