Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, shame—and we just cannot afford that. The question that I ask is: how many of these jobs will come from my hometown, the Gold Coast, where there is already a high unemployment rate? The tourism industry on the Gold Coast cannot face any more challenges in the years ahead if we are to compete with cheaper international locations. We cannot afford a government which will continue to make that task more difficult.

I would now like to speak about a continuing concern of many Gold Coast residents, and that is the upgrade of the M1. To highlight the important role the M1 occupies on the Gold Coast, you only need to consider that the Gold Coast itself is constructed along three main thoroughfares: the M1 in the west, which links the Pacific Motorway south of the Queensland-New South Wales border to Brisbane; the Gold Coast Highway, which runs up the Gold Coast coastline from the border through to Labrador; and Bermuda Street-Bundall Road, which runs through the centre of those two roads. These three roads link the north of the coast to the south, and they are key in allowing our residents, our tourists and businesses to go about their daily business. The M1 is the main route for freight vehicles and traffic heading to and from Brisbane and the surrounding areas. It plays an important role in the region's economy by ensuring that goods are received on time and by allowing residents to get to and from where they need to be in the most direct and timely fashion. In recognition of this, the Howard government in 2007 committed to providing $455 million worth of funds to upgrade the M1 between Tugun and Nerang. Yet with the ascendancy of the Rudd-Gillard government, it seems that the priority for this crucial piece of infrastructure has been downgraded.

Heavy congestion is still an issue up and down the M1, from Tugun to Nerang, with traffic stopping altogether during peak periods on the southern Gold Coast. On 21 March this year, I asked a question on notice to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport about the M1. I asked the minister: (a) when will works commence for further upgrades to the M1 between Mudgeeraba and Tugun on the southern Gold Coast, (b) when are these upgrades schedules for completion and (c) what sum has the government allocated to upgrades between Mudgeeraba and Tugun? In his response, which I received this morning, some 69 days after the question was put, the minister referred to the Mudgeeraba Interchange, the upgrades of the Robina and Varsity Lakes interchanges and the widening of the M1 between Nerang and Mudgeeraba. He then went on to say:

The full program of works is expected to be completed by late 2013.

However, there is no mention in his response of widening the M1 further south of Mudgeeraba, which is the full completion of the works, so his answer is clearly incomplete. I call on the minister to respond fully, openly and honestly to all the residents and tourists on the southern Gold Coast, who for too long have been ignored by this Labor government.

Mr Adams interjecting—

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