When the Miles Labor Government claimed critical Sunshine Coast transport projects had more than doubled in cost and that was their excuse for cutting them along with their Federal Labor mates pulling funding, they refused to release the business cases.
Do they think the voters are mugs? Not even the construction industry says there’s been a 100% blow-out in costs – it’s only incompetent Labor Governments who couldn’t manage a chook raffle that achieve that.
As a growth area we pay the price for Labor’s coverups and incompetence but so does all of Queensland as they can’t manage money. When they can’t build projects on time and on budget – and they blow budgets by hundreds of millions – everyone pays a heavy price for that.
So, when last week the Miles-Palaszczuk Labor Government chopped the rail to Maroochydore project in half, announcing they would only support it to Caloundra in time for the Olympics – it came on top of another cut – the removal of the Mooloolah River Interchange (MRI) project. This achieves the dual bungle of turning Caloundra into a car park and the rest of the Sunshine Coast into gridlock.
The MRI project would have provided new bridges over the Mooloolah River to improve safety and relieve congestion as it’s already failing. Without new river crossings, you couldn’t even run a fast bus to Caloundra, let alone drive a car.
We must fight Labor’s cuts to rail and roads as it’s a tourniquet rather than a transport solution for Sunshine Coast commuters. I will continue to fight for the release of the reports as the solution to building what we need is competent cost and project management and not coverups.
Premier Miles has totally trashed the Olympic vision which was to connect the SEQ transport network and venues, providing a legacy of generational infrastructure for now and into the future which would have transformed the Sunshine Coast’s accessibility.
What happens with the Maroochydore CBD which relies on public transport for future jobs growth?
What happens with the athletes village in the CBD and connections to other Sunshine Coast venues? No answer from Premier Miles who has a PhD in union campaigning, not in construction.
The LNP under David Crisafulli’s leadership committed to the rail project and had a guarantee of funding from the previous Federal Coalition Government, but State Labor kept delaying, ordering yet another business case which they’ve hidden.
I will keep on asking for the business case to be released and fighting for the right transport infrastructure for the future of the Sunshine Coast. It’s time for the construction, rather than destruction.
The chaos, coverup and corruption must cease.