The Hon Michelle Landry MP
Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing
Federal Member for Capricornia
Colin Boyce MP
Federal Member for Flynn
Senator The Hon Matthew Canavan
Senator for Queensland
Central Queensland LNP Federal Members, Michelle Landry and Colin Boyce, and Senator Matthew Canavan, have slammed Labor’s Budget for the lack of investment in Central Queensland.
Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, and Senator Matthew Canavan, have both championed for the Rockhampton Ring Road funding to be reinstated after Labor pulled the pin on the project last year.
“The Rockhampton Ring Road is a much-needed infrastructure project that was fully funded prior to Labor entering Government.
“Our community is crying out for critical infrastructure projects and are sick to death of Labor continuously overlooking Central Queensland. While Brisbane will see $3.4 billion invested in Olympic Games infrastructure.
“Businesses and the community need confirmation that Labor will be bringing forward the funding for Rockhampton Ring Road. Particularly as so many businesses have invested so much into being shovel ready to bring the Ring Road to life.
“Labor is out of touch with what it takes to build the nation and bring further prosperity. Not once did the Treasurer mention the words rail, road, dam, bridge, agriculture or infrastructure in his speech last night,” Ms Landry said.
Central Queensland has been a main contributor to the $4 billion surplus through the strength of our resources and agriculture sectors but in return Labor has cut and delayed investment into regional roads, services and community projects.
In the 2021-22 financial year, the resources sector in Flynn and Capricornia returned $9 billion in royalties to the Queensland Government’s coffers.
Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said that Labor’s Budget has put a review on the $120 billion infrastructure pipeline, putting all regional programs in doubt.
“Central Queensland is the economic engine room of Australia yet has not been supported in this year’s Budget,” Mr Boyce said.
“It appears that the Federal Labor Government are happy to strip critical funding from regional projects and pump the money into metropolitan areas. There has also not been a commitment that vital regional Queensland infrastructure projects will be not impacted by the review. For instance, no commitment of funding for the Rockhampton Ring Road, no commitment to seal more than 450 kilometres of the Queensland beef corridors, no commitment for upgrades of the Inland Freight Route (Charters Towers to Mungindi), no commitment for Gladstone Port Access Road Extension and no commitment for Paradise Dam.
“Enough delays, the Federal Labor Government need to cough up the funding for these critical projects.”
Senator Canavan said “Local businesses need to be assured that the Rockhampton Ring Road will continue as originally planned, all that’s in this budget is the money for early works, with all the other funding still not committed.”
“This is just creating more uncertainty for our community, they can give over $3 billion to the Olympics but can’t guarantee that a project that was meant to be a certainty under Labor will continue all the way through.”
“The Labor Party is happy to take the money from Central Queensland but when we ask for some of it to be reinvested in our community we’re expected to be happy with the scraps.”
