June 16, 2021
Local MP Member Deb Frecklington is disappointed there’s not more in Tuesday’s State Budget to benefit the South Burnett.
Mrs Frecklington pointed to the fact no funding had been allocated for an upgrade of Tanduringie Creek Bridge, despite funding set aside for planning in a previous Budget.
The bridge, on Kingaroy-Cooyar Road, was the site of a “near miss” involving a school bus in 2020.
And while she was pleased funding had been announced to seal a section of the Bunya Mountains-Maidenwell Road, she questioned why works would not start before 2024-25.
Mrs Frecklington said regional road upgrades and maintenance continued to be neglected, citing Mundubbera-Durong Road, Kilkivan-Tansey Road, Memerambi-Gordonbrook Road and Running Creek Bridge on Brooweena-Woolooga Road.
“While Labor’s Big Black Hole (Cross River Rail) sucks up all the cash, regional road users are left to deal with more potholes, dodgy bridges and unsafe roads,” she said.
“Labor just doesn’t get the importance of these regional roads to our local community.”
Mrs Frecklington said other items that were overlooked included:
- A paediatrician for the South Burnett
- Flashing lights outside Kilkivan P-10 school, and
- Barlil Weir
Mrs Frecklington said water was a major issue.
The State Budget has allocated an extra $70 million in funding for the Building Our Regions program to support council infrastructure projects.
Regional councils will be able to bid for the funding from this program over the next three years to improve their water and sewerage systems.
However, Mrs Frecklington said the $70 million was for the whole of the State and would not stretch far, considering the South Burnett needed about $12 million by itself, and the Toowoomba Regional Council required about $30 million.
And Mrs Frecklington described the State Government’s revaluation of the Queensland Titles Registry as “ridiculous”.
The Registry has been revalued from $4.2 billion to $7.8 billion in 12 months. Moving it into a new Future Fund now also technically lowers the State’s net debt.
Mrs Frecklington said the LNP had queried the original $4.2 billion figure, as both the Victorian and NSW registries were valued at under $3 billion.
“When the Treasurer came out with the $8 billion figure, it was just embarrassing,” she said.
