Alex Somlyay (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister update the House on recent developments along the Bruce Highway and other government initiatives to further develop Queensland’s major roads network? Is the minister aware of any alternative policies?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Fairfax for the question. As I mentioned to the House yesterday, the Australian government is engaging in an ambitious plan to upgrade Australian roads and, in particular, to upgrade the Bruce Highway to four-lane standard at a cost of some $1 billion. Planning has been under way for this major upgrade now for 18 months or so in cooperation with the Queensland government and half-a-dozen routes have been identified for consideration for the new corridor for this road.

The honourable member asked me whether there are any alternative policies. There is one, and that comes from the Queensland government, who have been partners in developing these corridor strategies. Their alternative policy, announced last week, is to build a dam to flood nine kilometres of the road. Their policy is to flood the road that we are proposing to upgrade.

Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I was giving the minister the benefit of the doubt, but I think you will find this question is identical to one from yesterday; it is certainly an identical answer. Consequently, it has been fully asked and answered and you should call the next question.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Manager of Opposition Business is well aware that the standing orders require that a minister be relevant to the question. How the minister answers that question is up to the minister. I call the minister. He is relevant to the question.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Queensland government has been actively involved in the development of an appropriate corridor for the new route. It has produced this wonderful magazine with the Queensland government’s logo on the top of it. Included in it are the series of routes, which have been opened for public consultation, for the Bruce Highway. What I find interesting is that none of these routes has got a big blue blob over it to demonstrate what is going to be flooded.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister has made his point.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Queensland seems to be proposing a road for submarines rather than for cars. What we have here is a government on the run, trying to sabotage an important Queensland development aimed at ensuring that there is adequate transport movement up and down the Queensland coast.

Needless to say, the constituents of the member for Fairfax—and my own—are very angry about this proposal. There have been numerous public meetings, including one addressed by the member for Fairfax, where thousands of people have demonstrated their disgust that this proposal has been dumped on them without any warning or notice. Six local mayors have all indicated that they regard this proposal as completely unacceptable, commenting particularly on the lack of information and lack of studies into the feasibility of the dam and its impact.

But it is not just the local people who are angry. It is not just those whose farms will be flooded and whose roads will be submerged. It is not just those people whose livelihoods will be destroyed. A very interesting letter has just come to my hands from Dr Ivan Molloy. He was quite a well-known character at the last federal election—well known to members opposite in the worst possible sense—but he also happens to be the husband of the member for Noosa, Cate Molloy, representing one of the areas supposed to be advantaged by this dam proposal. Dr Molloy has written:

This ill-judged decision, with such disastrous environmental and social consequences and undertaken without any semblance of community consultation, indicates either the state government is in pre-election crisis or is arrogant and out of touch. ... Either scenario is not healthy.

Queenslanders know a fair bit about not being healthy. But here we have the Labor Party, as well, recognising that this Beattie dam proposal—or damn Beattie proposal, as most of the locals refer to it—is an environmental disaster. It will significantly interfere with the infrastructure of the region. It is a proposal that the Beattie government should put to death immediately.