Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Kennedy for his question and for his strong and sometimes colourful advocacy for North Queensland. I travelled to his electorate to look at the Ollera Creek Bridge with the member, with the Hinchinbrook mayor, with the Queensland Premier and with the emergency services minister following flooding in February. One of the things I've been working very closely with the Queensland Premier on as well is making sure that we build back better and we don't just recommit to having things done exactly the same way, because then you get the same washaway when you have a major flood. I thank the member for his very strong advocacy. It is expected that there will be further heavy rain in days to come as well.

We are contributing over $11 billion to disaster recovery efforts right around the country, supporting long-term recovery, but we're also making important investments in his region of the world: obviously, the Bruce Highway, to which we have committed an additional $7.2 billion, taking our government's total investment in the Bruce Highway to over $17 billion going forward; the Inland Freight Route between Mungindi and Charters Towers, $800 million, which is important; the Kuranda Range Road west of Cairns, $210 million; the Peninsula Developmental Road, including the Archer River bridge, some $220 million; and, of course, the Kennedy Developmental Road as well, $97.3 million to complete the seal between the Lynd and Hughenden, where I visited with the member for Kennedy. I can announce today that this will allow us to progressively seal and widen the road as well in the region around Winton. That will make that possible.

I'm not sure about standing orders in terms of pre-empting budget announcements, but there have probably been a few in past days. I can confirm that in tonight's budget, as well, there will be additional funding for the Barron River bridge, which has been really important in terms of connecting Cairns to the member for Kennedy's electorate. That is something that we've done—in cooperation, again, with the Queensland government.

I look forward to working with the member for Kennedy, as I always have, to deliver for his electorate. We have had record funding in roads, but also there's more to do in energy, with the CopperString project and with the employment opportunities in his electorate. (Time expired)

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