MEMBER for Whitsunday Amanda Camm has slammed the Queensland Budget, saying delays to Hamilton Plains upgrades and possible delays to the Shute Harbour Road widening, at Cannonvale, showed a disregard for the region.
A statement released by the Queensland Government last week said the budget – released on June 11 – would ‘hugely deliver for the Mackay-Whitsunday region, through increased investment into health, infrastructure and education’.
But Ms Camm said the budget demonstrated that…‘this Labor Government is more concerned about their own political future than Queensland’s future’.
“The government has tried to spin this as being a budget that delivers more for regional Queensland,” Ms Camm said.
“All it demonstrates is that, for the last decade, this Labor government has not listened to what the priorities of regional Queensland are.
“The number one traffic issue in the southern part of my electorate, in Mackay, is the need for capacity upgrades to Mackay Bucasia Road.
“But this project doesn’t even rate a mention in this budget, not even in the forward estimates. The government has not allocated $1 of spending for this project over the next four years.
“And the two main road priorities for Whitsunday residents have been shown the same respect in this budget.
“The upgrades to Hamilton Plains, which this government has been delaying since funding was first announced in 2019, has had its completion date extended to beyond 2028.
“And both this project and the Shute Harbour Road, Paluma to Tropic Road duplication projects have also been flagged as having possible further delays, as the timing of the project is still subject to confirmation.
“Labor can promise funding for regional infrastructure, but they have a track record of not delivering on time, on budget or to the promised scope.
“The people of regional Queensland will see this as a budget where, once again, they are being asked to pay for Labor’s failings.
“We only need cost of living relief because Labor haven’t been focused on the right priorities for the last decade.
“This is a budget for the next four months, not the next four years and beyond. Queenslanders need a government that is focused on the right priorities for Queensland’s Future.”
