Déjà vu on M1 funding as State Labor reinvents history

14 May 2015 11:03 AMMichael Hart

 

Déjà vu on M1 funding as State Labor reinvents history

 

Member for Mudgeeraba Ros Bates MP and Member for Burleigh Michael Hart MP have today come out swinging at the Palaszczuk-Gordon Government and Minister for Main Roads Mark Bailey for blatantly rewriting the history of M1 funding.

 

“All we ever saw under the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd Federal Labor Governments was the re-announcing of funding provided by the Howard Government in 2007, which the Bligh Labor Government had sitting in the bank and did nothing with until 2009,” said Ms Bates.

 

“Not one red cent of funding for the M1 was ever allocated by the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd Labor Government since John Howard allocated $455 million in the Auslink Mark 11 funding in the 2007 Budget.
 

“We saw five Federal Labor budgets rehashing, re-announcing and reinventing monies to the M1 that have never seen a budget allocation from a Labor Federal Government.
 

“To add insult to injury all we saw was Anthony Albanese, the former Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government trumpeting the ‘Nation Building: Biggest Ever Roads Program’ with not one lousy cent ever being put in by Labor federally.
 

“Now we see Mark Bailey, the new Minister for Main Roads in a Palaszczuk-Gordon Government continue to perpetrate the myth about the M1 funding.”
 

In his media release yesterday, Mr Bailey said no funding was allocated to widen the Pacific Motorway to six lanes between Mudgeeraba and Varsity Lakes.
 

“We asked for $350 million. We got nothing,” said Mr Bailey.
 

“Previous bids by the Queensland Labor Government were ignored by the Federal Labor Government and I would like a commitment from Minister Bailey that his Labor Government will cough up the State’s 50:50 share of $125 million to fund the six-laning of the M1 from Exit 82 at Robina Parkway to Exit 85 at Reedy Creek and the third north bound lane from Exit 82 to Exit 79,” said Ms Bates.
 

“Is the Minister just going to talk the talk or walk the walk?

“Residents of the southern Gold Coast are not fooled by this Palaszczuk-Gordon Government and their buck-passing to other levels of Government.
 

“There are those of us on our side of politics who have the corporate memory of ten years of fighting for funding for the M1 and no amount of rewriting history from a ‘Johnnie-come-lately’ new Minister can change the facts.
 

“Get on with the job, Minister, and put up the State’s share before bleating about no money from the Feds.”

 

[ENDS] 14 May 2015