WITH A Queensland State Election looming, in October, the topic of the Bruce Highway’s poor condition has flared up again.
Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox MP has hit out at both the Queensland Premier and also the Prime Minister, accusing them of ‘playing games with people’s lives’.
“While the Premier and the Prime Minister fight out who is going to pay for what, Queenslanders are in danger on the Bruce Highway,” Mr Willcox said.
Mr Willcox said he found it amusing that Premier Steven Miles suggested that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese ‘knows the Bruce Highway better than anyone’.
“I don’t know everything, but I sure know that isn’t true,” Mr Willcox said.
“In my time as the Mayor of Whitsundays and the Federal Member for Dawson, I have never seen our Prime Minister step foot on the Bruce Highway in my electorate.
“So, I can only suggest he is getting his information from google earth.
“He would be best to take the advice from residents, business owners, farmers, transport operators and tourists, who drive the Bruce every single day.”
Mr Willcox said AAMI had recently released new crash data, showing eight of the 10 most common crash locations in Queensland were situated on the Bruce Highway.
“For our State Transport Minister [Bart Mellish MP] to completely refuse AAMI’s findings and suggest they are just doing it to drive people to their websites, is just unfathomable,” he said.
Mr Willcox said it was concerning that the Queensland Premier could announce spending billions of dollars on 50c fares for the city but couldn’t commit funding to the regions to fix the Bruce Highway.
“He is taking Queenslanders for a ride, and I can only hope we have a change of government in the state, because I know we are not safe under this current one.”
