Hawkins Transport CEO joins politicians, the RACQ and Queensland Police in pushing for upgrades to the Bruce Highway
April 19, 2012
Hawkins Transport CEO Roz Shaw will join the RACQ, Queensland Police and LNP politicians in pushing for upgrades to the Bruce Highway
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman today announced the membership of his Bruce Highway Crisis Management group, which he says will act as one in a campaign to improve the route.
Shaw, who is also the vice president of the Queensland Trucking Association, will work with RACQ Chairman Geoff Leddy and Queensland Police Superintendent Bob Gee.
“The Crisis Management Group will be charged with taking our priority list of shovel ready, engineered projects to Canberra to fight for the funds we need to fix Queensland’s major transport artery within 10 years,” Newman says.
Newman has decided against taking a bipartisan approach, opting only to include LNP federal and state politicians.
The membership includes federal opposition spokesman on transport Warren Truss, Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch and Herbert MP Ewen Jones.
State MPs appointed include Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney, Transport Minister Scott Emerson and Local Government Minister David Crisafulli.
Newman says three local government representatives will be added once the outcome of the April 28 council elections is known.
“We have already committed $1 billion of state funds for the Bruce Highway on the condition the Federal Government urgently brings forward expenditure to fix this link within 10 years, so now they need to step up to the plate,” Newman says.
“Much needed work on the Bruce Highway includes not only flood immunity works, but increased overtaking lanes, more rest areas, better road safety and duplication projects.”
Newman says the Bruce’s shortcomings were brought “into stark focus” during the 2011 floods, which cut off large parts of the highway and isolated towns.
Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Anthony Albanese says the government is making an “unprecedented” $2.7 billion investment in the Bruce Highway.
“Indeed compared to the former Howard Government, federal Labor is spending more than twice as much in about half the time,” he says.
