Federal Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, has called out the Prime Minister’s outrageous Rockhampton Ring Road claims he made to media at his press conference in Gladstone yesterday.
Ms Landry said Labor had been quick to cut the ribbon on Coalition funded projects and were attempting to rewrite history on LNP projects which have recently begun.
“The Prime Minister is playing the Rockhampton community for fools if he thinks that they have forgotten his attempt to throw the Ring Road on the Labor scrap heap,” Ms Landry said.
“In their first Budget of October 2022, the Prime Minister announced they would scrap the Rockhampton Ring Road project altogether. It took enormous pressure from our community to get the road back on track.
“It was a great achievement of mine to secure the initial $800 million for the project back in November 2018, followed by an additional $52 million in October 2019 for the planning and preservation work to begin. It’s unfathomable that the Prime Minister can make such outlandish claims that it was the Labor Party who got the project off the ground.”
LNP Candidate for Rockhampton, Donna Kirkland, said the Ring Road was vitally important for Rockhampton and more needed to be done to fix almost a decade of neglect.
“Rockhampton roads have been let go to wrack and ruin by both State and Federal Labor Governments who take this region for granted. Labor’s lack of investment is nothing short a disgrace,” Mrs Kirkland said.
“Extraordinary delays on projects like the Rockhampton Ring Road only blow out budgets. Central Queenslanders deserve a disciplined government that delivers projects on time and on budget.”
Glen Kelly, LNP candidate for Mirani, said regional Queenslanders were paying the price for Labor’s failures.
“Regional Queensland is the engine room of the State’s economy. We deserve a fair share of road funding. Under the Miles Labor Government, the crumbling roads in Central Queensland are causing excessive wear and tear to vehicles,” Mr Kelly said.
“Reliable, quality road networks are vital to our economy because they facilitate the delivery of goods and services. They enable tourists to visit smaller towns, and allow locals to get to work and school, or attend appointments. It’s also how ambulances and fire trucks tend to emergencies. The disgraceful road conditions in Central Queensland are costing motorists and businesses time and money.”
The volunteer fire fighters and cattle grazier said he would be travelling to the northern end of the Mirani electorate this afternoon to inspect the roads firsthand.
“I’ve lived here my entire life and have watched in disbelief as our roads have deteriorated under Labor. Only the LNP has the right priorities for Central Queensland’s future and that includes making our roads safer.”
