Shadow Main Roads Minister Curtis Pitt says Main Roads Minister Scott Emerson’s tour of the Bruce Highway is a farce, as he has failed to provide the promised funding for the Bruce Highway.
Mr Pitt said despite the LNP’s election commitment to provide $1 billion for the Bruce Highway the recent LNP Budget only allocated $10 million in the next year for the entire Bruce Highway.
“No amount of posturing by Mr Emerson on the Bruce Highway makes up for the fact the LNP Budget has failed to deliver on one of their key election commitments,” Mr Pitt said.
“As Mr Emerson spends this week smiling for the cameras and promoting himself he needs to explain to the people of Queensland why the funding to fix the Bruce Highway is not in the budget.
“Along with underfunding the Bruce Highway Mr Emerson has also failed to provide funding for state controlled roads in the first LNP Budget, with $1.6 billion over four years being stripped from Queensland’s road network.
“Underfunding of the Bruce Highway is not a new trick by the LNP, as the Howard Government chronically underfunded the Bruce Highway for 10 years — leaving it in the condition we find to today.
“National Party federal leader Warren Truss was the Transport Minister in the Howard Government which oversaw 10 years of neglect of the Bruce Highway.
“And now the Newman Government has appointed Warren Truss to their Bruce Highway Taskforce, to try and fix his neglect.
“The Howard Government spent $100 million a year on the Bruce Highway, while the Federal Labor Government has spent $500 million a year, since 2007.
“At a state level over the last 10 years the previous Labor Government spent $114 million a year in addition to the Federal government commitment.
“This got work moving on the Bruce Highway and has resulted in the installation of 52 new overtaking lanes, fixing 100 dangerous black spots, building some 20 new rest areas and upgrading a further nine existing rest areas.”
Mr Pitt said Mr Emerson’s reliance on self-promotion was designed to cover the LNP Government’s tricky nature by allocating only $100 million in the Budget over the next three years out of the promised $1 billion for the Bruce Highway.
“The LNP Budget shows $10 million allocated this year, $10 million allocated next year and $80 million allocated in 2014-15,” he said.
“Only 1% of the LNPs election commitment for the Bruce Highway has been allocated this year.
“It is also worth noting that this year’s Budget allocated $17 million for the Samford Rd/Wardell St upgrade in the Premier’s Ashgrove electorate – $7 million more than what was allocated under the LNP’s plan for the Bruce Highway.”
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