Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Rubber is hitting the road on our Bruce Highway upgrades, benefiting residents and drivers right across our Moreton Bay region. Everyone knows how choked up the Bruce gets. It's bumper to bumper and enough to drive anyone around the bend. That's why I'm thrilled we've hit top gear on the next stage of upgrades to the Gateway Motorway and the Bruce Highway. The Albanese government has signed a contract worth close to $2 billion to put the pedal to the metal on upgrades from Bracken Ridge to Pine Rivers. What I'm most excited about is the Dohles Rocks Road upgrade.

My electorate is one of the fastest growing electorates in the country, and that means more cars on the road. Every day, about 160,000 vehicles travel between Moreton Bay and Brisbane on this corridor. That number is expected to increase by 50 per cent by 2041. Without action, congestion will stall our community. That's why the Albanese Labor government is investing more than $1.5 billion, alongside the Queensland government's $389 million, to deliver the Gateway to Bruce upgrade. This project combines two critical works: the $1 billion Gateway Motorway upgrade from Bracken Ridge to Pine Rivers and the $948 million Bruce Highway upgrade from the Gateway Motorway to Dohles Rocks Road. After years of my predecessor idling in neutral, promising the Dohles Rocks Road upgrade but never shifting into gear, Labor is getting on with this essential upgrade. These upgrades will reduce travel times for commuters, improve freight efficiency and make sure families can get home sooner and more safely.

It's also about supporting jobs, because this contract will create hundreds of local jobs during construction. It's about planning for the future because traffic volumes are only going to keep accelerating. And it's about spending more time in the living room with your family, not in the driver's seat.

On this side of the House, we're steering Queensland in the right direction. We're in the fast lane on delivery, not stuck in the slow lane of excuses. Queenslanders deserve more time at home and less time on the road. With Labor behind the wheel, we're driving progress, not pumping the brakes.

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