George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 2011, I led a convoy of Liberal-National politicians, including former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, Warren Truss, along the 1,700-kilometre length of the Bruce Highway as part of my 'Fix the Bruce' campaign. As a result, the Liberal-National government made the largest commitment to the Bruce Highway in our nation's history. A key component of that $6.7 billion commitment was the replacement of the Haughton River Bridge with $485 million of federal funding. North Queensland has voted the Haughton River Bridge as the most urgent problem to be fixed on the 400-kilometre stretch of the section between Mackay and Townsville. The narrow crossing of the Haughton has no side rails and is treacherous to cross when it is raining or when a truck is coming the other way—even more so when both happen at the same time. This critical safety upgrade, as well as the many jobs it will bring to North Queensland, has currently stalled, with the state Labor government paralysed like a rabbit in the headlights. Labor's Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has refused to fast-track the long and drawn-out planning and design process, continuing to put lives at risk and delaying vital job creation. That is why I have circulated the petition in the Burdekin, calling on the Premier to 'pull the finger out' before someone else gets killed and to let those jobs come to North Queensland, where they are so desperately needed.