House debates

Monday, 22 June 2015

Constituency Statements

Forde Electorate: Roads

10:52 am

Photo of Bert Van ManenBert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure I rise today to speak about the Fix the M1 task force. This task force is a joined imitative between the Beenleigh-Yatala and Logan chambers of commerce, community groups and representatives from all levels of government. Fix the M1 is not about politics; it is about the community working together with politicians from all sides and levels of government to reach a common goal. It is about talking with a united voice, which will turn words into actions. That is what the Fix the M1 task force aims to achieve.

The M1 highway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast is Queensland's busiest stretch of road. It is already at operational capacity, and we are at a point where urgent action is needed. The bottleneck between the Logan Motorway and the Gateway Motorway not only causes frustration for thousands of commuters on a daily basis but is having an adverse effect on the business community.

One example is Loganholme based business, True Blue Glass. Owner Bill Leavey, who has 16 vehicles set up as mobile workshops, says that it is at a point where he sees gridlock from Loganholme to the Gateway Motorway almost daily. A 10-minute trip for his glaziers to the Gateway Motorway can often take up to an hour, and the situation often worsens in the afternoon, with southbound traffic gridlocked from as early as 2.30 pm and lasting for up to four hours. Mr Leavey says that, over the past three years, the problem has only gotten worse. The congestion leaves his glaziers averaging two hours overtime per day and completing only four or five jobs. This is imposing enormous financial pressure on Mr Leavey's business and creates a stressful situation for his team, who often spend as many hours behind the wheel as they do actually working. Mr Leavey estimates that the losses incurred as a result of the M1 congestion could cost his business as much as $9,000 per week, a significant cost for any business to deal with.

I would like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Warren Truss, for being open to listening to our concerns and for being available to speak to about funding options for this now long-overdue upgrade for this section of road. But our community also needs the support of other levels of government. I am sure that, with my fellow federal and state MPs and Logan city councillors, who are all affected by the M1 congestion, we will all stand together and work to find the solution. The voices of many can make a difference. I hope to see many local businesses, residents, community groups and government representatives add their names to the list of supporters of the Fix the M1 petition. It is only by working together that we can create the infrastructure that will meet the needs of a growing population and a growing region.