Just $1m For Roads … Over Three Years

June 13, 2017

Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington has slammed the State Government over the South Burnett’s share of road funding in the 2017-18 State Budget.

She said only 2 per cent of the funding for the entire Wide Bay-Burnett State road network has been set aside for the South Burnett.

Mrs Frecklington said the figures were buried in the Wide Bay-Burnett Queensland Transport Roads Investment Program document, which outlined funding for State roads.

“When you look at the figures announced for the South Burnett’s State roads, there is just $1 million budgeted for the whole region for the next three years,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“This is simply unacceptable.

“Our State road networks like the Bunya Highway, the Burnett Highway, and the D’Aguilar, need funding injections.

“And then there’s our major connection roads, like the Bunya Mountains-Maidenwell Road and Burrandowan Road, which just seem to have been forgotten.”

Mrs Frecklington said the State Government had almost entirely cut spending on the South Burnett’s road network.

“There is nothing in the pipeline for at least three years, and this is typical of this Labor Government.

“Right across the State infrastructure budget we are seeing that the regions are playing second fiddle to south-east Queensland.

Highlighting the funding for Brisbane’s multi-billion dollar cross-river rail project, Mrs Frecklington accused Labor of ripping money away from regional Queensland to fund projects for inner-city Brisbane.

Mrs Frecklington said another clear example of this was the loss of funding for the “Building our Regions” program.

“While it was a poor replacement for our former LNP Government’s ‘Royalties for the Regions’ program, its purpose was to fund regional infrastructure projects,” Mrs Frecklington said.

“Now even this program has been cut.”