Upgrades to Queensland’s Bruce Highway, Kingsford Smith Drive and the Northern Link tunnel have been overlooked for funding by the Rudd government while NSW, WA and Vic receive millions of dollars of funding for rail projects.
Queenslanders have been abandoned by Labor, with no new road or rail projects announced in the federal budget.
After the Rudd Government has taken an extra 12% of Queensland’s GST revenue, they are giving Queenslanders another slap in the face by ignoring the desperate need for upgrades to the Bruce Highway and other road and rail projects.
Fiona Simpson suggests that Bligh’s asset sale agenda has stopped Queensland from receiving these much needed funds, “there is no incentive for the Federal Government to invest in Queensland Infrastructure if the Bligh Government is simply going to sell it, giving the benefit to private investors.”
Yet the growth in Queensland’s population is putting extra pressure on existing services, peak hour traffic is getting worse and roads are rapidly deteriorating. Queensland desperately needs federal government investment to help these projects get off the ground.
Ms Simpson says that regional Queensland motorists have been forced to travel along the potholed and dangerous Bruce Highway for too long; and south east Queensland commuters have been forced to contend with traffic gridlock that can be alleviated with federal investment in roads.
The question needs to be asked: why has the Bligh government failed to stand up to the federal government on behalf of Queenslanders?