Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question can be asked of the Queensland government: where is the money? It simply comes down to the fact that the Gold Coast, Australia's sixth largest city, and its fastest growing, was promised $146 million to improve a number of key roads and intersections in our city—money that has been scrapped by the new Queensland Labor government. I for one am sick and tired of the excuses this new government has put forward about why they cannot fund vital road infrastructure needed for our city.

I would highlight the fact that the federal coalition is doing its part. We have increased funding to Queensland over the next four years—increased—by $6.7 billion. What is more, when it comes to road funding, between 2013-14 and 2018-19 we are providing Queensland with an extra $2.5 billion for road funding. So when people on the Gold Coast ask me what the coalition is doing at a federal level to boost road infrastructure and to provide funding for important public transport, such as the second stage of the light rail, my response is very straightforward: we are providing an extra $2.5 billion, not forecasted by the Queensland state government. It represents a compete windfall for the Queensland state Labor government. We are providing that extra money because of the prudent way in which the Commonwealth government has been managing its finances after the six years of excesses of the previous Rudd-Gillard-Rudd governments. We are providing an extra $2.5 billion to the Queensland state government and they have walked away from the Gold Coast and walked away from $146 million. That money was promised to our city by the former LNP government.

The Queensland state Labor government must deliver this funding for our city. They must deliver it, because it is only fair, equitable and appropriate for the fastest growing city in Australia and second largest regional city in Queensland. This is important money that goes towards, for example, an upgrade to six lanes, and intersection improvements, for the Southport Burleigh Road between Smith Street connection road and Nerang Broadbeach Road. The key road project here is Bundall Road, and in particular the intersection between Bundall Road and Ashmore Road. This is a project that I have called for the state government to fund for quite some time. The state LNP government were going to step up to the plate, but where is state Labor. I say to Annastacia Palaszczuk, I say to Jackie Trad, and I say to all the state Labor MPs: enough excuses and enough prevaricating. You have $2.5 billion extra. Reach into your pockets and provide this much-needed funding for the Gold Coast, in particular to upgrade that crucial intersection, that bottleneck on the Gold Coast, of Ashmore Road and Bundall Road, and do it as soon as possible.