Statement from Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey

We’re glad Canberra’s finally spending some of our tax dollars in Queensland – it’s better than nothing.

We still wouldn’t mind Sydney’s deal though - $5 billion for a new airport, railway line AND the whole snowy scheme.

NSW also got $5.64 billion from the LNP Federal Government on an 80:20 basis to upgrade the M1 – the same road, just across the border.

In some cases they gave even more to NSW - immediately south of our border they contributed 99.78 per cent towards the $341.07 million M1 Banora Point upgrade.

Bizarrely, in 2015, then Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss said: “We are open to an 80:20 to on roads like the Pacific Highway in Queensland, although probably not the pieces going through the Gold Coast because they carry such a heavy level of local traffic. So where the predominant use or a significant use is actually heavy transport moving to the ports, or moving interstate we’re of a mind to pay 80:20”.

Today, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said: “The M1 is one of the most important and heavily-congested routes in Queensland, with nearly 30 million tonnes of freight moving between NSW and Queensland each year and between 50,000 and 155,000 vehicles a day using sections of the M1 from Springwood to Tugun.”

It seems like Mr Turnbull believes the case for an 80:20 split is there.

The Federal Government has funded other national road projects in Qld 80:20, including the Bruce Highway, the Gateway Arterial, the Warrego and the Hann Highways – all of which carry less traffic per day than the M1.

If the Bruce Highway to the north of Brisbane is funded 80:20 and the Pacific Motorway south of the border is funded 80:20 why isn’t the road that connects it? If National Land Transport Network Roads only get 50:50 funding as the Coalition argues, then why are they funding the Gateway Arterial North on an 80:20 basis? 

We’ve been fighting since 2015 for a fair share for M1 funding on the Gold Coast.

The good news is that it now looks like we will be able to get started on our plans.

As part of our M1 action plan released in November 2017 we committed our 20% funding for the upgrade between Varsity Lakes and Tugun worth just over $1 Billion – we have already funded the planning and our $206 million is now locked in.

And only Labor has committed $16 million to develop a business case for future upgrades between Eight Mile Plains and the Logan Motorway.”

Perversely, we’ve also been forced to go it alone on Cross River Rail, a project that will dramatically reduce congestion on our transport network. If the Turnbull Government was serious about reducing congestion on the M1, they would have come to the table.

Background:

A list of project currently underway and recently completed on the M1 is available here: https://www.tmr.qld.gov.au/Projects/Name/P/Pacific-Motorway-M1-upgrade-program 

ENDS

Media contact: Dominic Geiger, 0447355565