Editorial: Terrible reminder to fix our horror highway

If only our political leaders focused on the dangers of vehicles crossing the median strip in regional Qld as much as they did on senators crossing the floor in Canberra, writes The Editor.

While those in charge in Canberra were on Sunday obsessing over what punishment should be meted out to a first-term senator because her grandstanding diverted some attention from the government’s tax cuts taking effect, three people died in what was another avoidable tragedy on the Bruce Highway.

Investigators are yet to figure out exactly what caused the Greyhound bus to crash into a caravan being towed by a four-wheel-drive, killing three and leaving dozens injured, including two who are still this morning fighting for their lives.

What is already clear, however, is that the bus – allegedly – drifted across the median strip of the two-lane undivided section of the highway and struck the caravan.

Fatigue? Nobody yet knows, and investigations continue. But the outcome could have been very different had the section of highway featured safety barriers or wider median strips. But it didn’t.

Because, as is the case for half of the highway’s length, governments have not yet invested in this most basic of lifesaving technology.

If only our political leaders were more focused on the dangers of vehicles crossing the median strip in regional Queensland than they have been on senators crossing the floor of parliament in Canberra.

Politicians cannot continue to ignore calls for the Bruce Hwy to be fixed, writes The Editor.

As we have observed in this column frustratingly often over the past few months as our journalists have turned their spotlight on the deficiencies of the Bruce Highway, surely it is not too much to ask of our nation’s politicians that they stop treating Queenslanders like mugs and commit to “finishing” this one frustration that unites us all – and that genuinely puts lives at risk.

The Hume Highway between Melbourne and Sydney was “finished” in 2013 when all of its 840km was finally completed as dual carriageway. The Pacific Highway between the Gold Coast and Hexham at Newcastle (and so Brisbane to Sydney) was similarly “finished” in 2021 after 15 years of work to make it a four-lane divided road. That project has led to a 70 per cent reduction in fatal crashes.

But up in Queensland, we are out of sight and out of mind – and no government has yet pledged the same for the 1679km highway that links Brisbane with Cairns (the closest being a promise to do so over 15 years at a cost of $33bn by the state opposition at the 2020 election that it lost).

As we noted here yesterday, 45.2 per cent of the Bruce Highway is rated just two stars out of five for safety, while 44 per cent is rated three stars. Just 10 per cent is considered safe enough to get a four or five-star rating. It is not only not good enough. It is disgraceful.

In the wake of this latest tragedy, we therefore repeat our call on all relevant federal politicians to prove that they do actually care about Queensland and commit now to delivering what has been done for motorists in Victoria and NSW – to take to the next election a promise to “finish” the Bruce Highway.

It will take decades, no doubt. (The Pacific Highway project was just 657km, compared with the Bruce’s 1679km.) But without a goal, we are stuck in the current situation where decisions are made ad hoc on which parts of the highway to upgrade.

This leads to sections such as the one where Sunday’s tragedy unfolded to be perennially left off the list, and so they end up languishing forever as officially unsafe – with absolutely no guarantee they will ever be fixed.

The Courier-Mail’s Help Our Highway campaign, in conjunction with our regional mastheads, has raised awareness of how bad the Bruce actually is. Tragically, this accident shows why our politicians cannot keep ignoring these calls.

TERRIBLE REMINDER TO FIX HIGHWAY

The beauty of The Courier-Mail’s Let Them Be Kids campaign is that, as well as shining a light on the damage caused by unchecked social media access by our children, we’ve also championed some practical solutions to a pervasive problem.

The primary solution is to legislate a minimum age for social media use of 16, which has already won the support of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton – with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also receptive to the idea.

Our petition calling for the change has attracted more than 52,000 signatures.

Today we report on another practical solution, a body image program for schools that teaches kids to challenge the “ideal” images they see on their socials.

Our series on social media-induced eating disorders this week has laid bare the extent of the problem. Research has tragically found that a worrying 75 per cent of adolescent girls and 50 per cent of boys feel body dissatisfaction, and more than half of all girls engaged in disordered eating behaviours in the past 12 months.

Australians are not prepared to sit back anymore and watch their kids be damaged by the social media giants. They are finding solutions. We all must take note.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here