Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten need a plan for Queensland if they want to win election

QUEENSLAND has regularly shown it can pack an economic punch but its booming growth is compromised by the Bruce Highway. Both leaders need to address that.

THERE are now 33 days until Australia votes, the time a campaign would usually run.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to run a 55-day campaign means that the past three weeks have largely fallen on deaf ears because there are very few voters who will pay attention for that long.

So if the weeks since the writs were issued on May 8 have been the phony war, today is the day it needs to get real.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will ignore Queensland at their peril. Pic: Jason Edwards

Last night’s debate could be seen as the firing of the starter’s pistol – indeed, it may have been the first time some tuned into the campaign.

It is, therefore, time both parties turned their attention to explaining exactly what they plan to do to improve Queensland and the lives of Queenslanders.

Both parties want to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and the truth is, there is not a huge amount of money – but it is an inescapable fact a federal government has responsibilities to fund projects that allow the country to work.

Queensland, which has carried such a huge load of this nation’s economy for years, has needs which must be met.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made three trips to Queensland and has given few commitments to the state.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has been here regularly also but similarly he has given few commitments.

In truth, they have just four weeks to get their messages across. In both Queensland and Victoria, school holidays begin on June 24 and polling day, July 2, will fall in the middle of the break, meaning many people will be voting early or paying limited attention.

Last week’s announcement of a plan to effectively drought-proof central Queensland was welcome. Mr Turnbull promised $150 million for a network of Queensland dams, including a 50 per cent down-payment on Rookwood Weir near Rockhampton, in a bid to massively boost investment in agriculture.

Announcement of a plan to effectively drought-proof Central Queensland is welcome but the state too often has been neglected by Canberra. Pic: Lyndon Mechielsen

But this is a vast state which requires vast infrastructure and too often has been neglected, ignored, misled or underfunded by Canberra.

Committing to a new stadium for Townsville is also about economic development – the city has huge potential to host tourist-attracting sports events but is being held back.

Similarly, as identified by The Courier Mail’s recent GoQld investigation, the state needs a firm schedule for the rollout of the National Broadband Network. Our distances and our diverse range of industries require certainty about communications.

Today’s revelation that the State Government has given the Federal Government an excuse to squib on making a commitment to upgrade the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast is far more than just regrettable.

However, the failure to produce a costings report should not stop a commitment in the context of an election campaign.

Two decades ago when the motorway between the capital and the Gold Coast was a virtual carpark on a daily basis, it was fixed.

Admittedly, it was fixed only after a long series of political battles, but once the work was done, it produced an essential transport corridor that – barring major accidents – essentially works well.

Congestion on the Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. Pic: Lachie Millard

That road was understood to be absolutely vital to the state’s economy, allowing a rapidly expanding population to grow in the southeast.

The Bruce Highway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast is just as vital, but it is broken, as the population increases.

That booming growth is compromised badly by a transport corridor that doesn’t work. The Bruce, which is increasingly a daily commuter route, also remains our major freight route and, in its current shape, simply cannot handle the demands of both.

Neither Bill Shorten nor Malcolm Turnbull will find themselves in The Lodge after July 2 unless they can win Queensland. Queenslanders have demonstrated, time and again, that given a fair go, the state can pack a powerful economic punch.

Now it is time for our leaders to tell us how they plan to help that to happen.

DUTY TO END DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

DURING the past two years Australians have taken brave and bold steps to drag domestic violence out of the shadows.

Dame Quentin Bryce has helped raise the profile of domestic violence in recent years but there is still a lot further to go. Pic: Tara Croser.

It has gone from a subject hidden by shame to something that has genuine community commitment.

The work of all levels of government and of individuals such as former Australian of the Year Rosie Batty has given victims the courage to speak and for witnesses to come forward.

Former governor-general Quentin Bryce broke new ground with her forensic investigation of the problem.

This weekend, a 17-year-old Logan girl became another victim. Her case will again catapult domestic violence to the top of the public mindset and she will, sadly, for a while, become a face who stands as a symbol of the scourge.

For every victim whose suffering focuses a few moments of public attention, there are hundreds whose abuse – even when they feel able come forward – will never be high-profile.

But they’re all around us, all the time. The good work of recent years must continue.

Domestic violence cannot exist behind closed doors. Those who suffer must know they will be believed and supported.

We’re doing a good job and we need to do a much better one.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Lachlan Heywood, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at couriermail.com.au