Mal Brough (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As I am reminded by my honourable colleague, he is down to speak today but he is not here. I have not been out attacking the member for Fairfax, because I know that it is important that we work together. But, when we are given the opportunity to be on a unity ticket, sitting on opposite sides of the parliament, and to speak on behalf of our constituency, that is exactly what the public demand and that is not what has happened today when that opportunity has availed itself.

In the brief moment left to me I want to inform the people of the Sunshine Coast that the coalition government is committed to doing the work on the Mooloolaba and Caloundra exits and the Bells Creek interchange is underway. I am going to work with the community with the following priorities. To make sure that the loop road where the public currently have to cross when coming out of Mooloolaba to head north—which is dangerous and is inconvenient—is done quickly is our No. 1 priority. No 2: we have a big job-generating potential around Aussie World and the Ettamogah Pub and the thing that is stymieing that is the on-ramps and off-ramps to the Bruce Highway. That is my No. 2 priority. I might say that the buses that the public would travel on to go to that tourism precinct cannot go there today because of the on-ramp not being safe enough for TransLink. I want to get those things done now. I want to work with my colleagues to make sure that we deliver for the Bruce Highway today and into the future.

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