Llew O’Brien and Mark Bailey continue to go tit for tat over plans for a Bruce Highway Bypass of Tiaro

Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien has slammed the State Transport Minister, saying that to suggest the Australian Government could budget for a four-lane Tiaro Bypass without the State Government first planning for it was “patently wrong”

Wide Bay MP Llew O'Brien and Queensland Transport Minister Mark Bailey continue to go tit for tat over the Bruce Highway Bypass of Tiaro.

UPDATE: Federal Member for Wide Bay and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Llew O’Brien has rejected the Queensland Main Roads Minister’s defence of a two-lane Bruce Highway Bypass of Tiaro, and his claim that support for a four-lane Bypass would be played out in the upcoming Federal Budget.

“We’ll find out how successful (Llew O’Brien has) been at pushing his case in Canberra when the Federal Budget is handed down in a couple of weeks,” Mr Bailey said.

But Mr O’Brien said his government could only consider plans - plans for a four-lane Bypass - once the State Government had recommended them, and Mr Bailey knew that.

“Mark Bailey’s comments expose his incompetence, which will put lives at risk unless he brings forward a plan for a four-lane Tiaro bypass,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Mark Bailey knows full well that the Australian Government can only consider plans the Queensland Government recommends to it.

“The Queensland Government employs the engineers and designers and is solely responsible for drawing up the plans, estimating the costs and establishing the delivery timelines. The Queensland Government then recommends the project to the Australian Government.

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“To somehow suggest that the Australian Government can do that work is patently wrong. How can the Australian Government possibly allocate a budget for a project without the Queensland Government first doing its job?

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Bruce Highway TiaroPhoto: Nat Bromhead / Fraser Coast Chronicle

“The Australian Government can only consider what the Queensland Government puts forward, so Mark Bailey’s comments show an abrogation of responsibility, a dereliction of duty, and a failure to understand the process for which he as Minister is supposed to be responsible for.

“Let’s not forget that when Mark Bailey first recommended a two lane bypass to the Australian Government it did not include physical separation between the opposing directions of travel. He was happy to recommend that cars approach each other at a closing speed of 200 kilometres an hour, with nothing to stop a head on collision. It was only after my intervention that Mark Bailey reconsidered the design to include physical separation between lanes, but we are still waiting to hear what this will be. On 8 April 2021 Mark Bailey was reported in the Fraser Coast Chronicle saying that the separation would be a “median strip or equivalent” but in today’s Gympie Times he has said it will be a concrete barrier. Which is it? Or is it something else entirely different?

“The Australian Government is on the record stating if Queensland puts forward a plan for four lanes it will be considered, so do your job Mark Bailey and bring four lanes forward.”

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News 5.3.12 BCM Bruce Highway cut at Chinamans Creek on the north side of Tiaro. Pic John Wilson

EARLIER:

Queensland Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey has hit back at Federal Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien’s criticism of the State for failing to plan for a four-lane Bruce Highway bypass of Tiaro instead of two lanes.

Mr O‘Brien has said the two-lane proposal will leave taxpayers paying twice for the project.

“It doesn’t make any sense, especially when the Queensland Government admits that a four-lane Tiaro bypass is needed because it has planned a four-lane corridor – but it will only initially build two lanes.,” Mr O’Brien said.

Mr Bailey said “Mr O’Brien must be the first person to talk down funded safety upgrades to the Bruce Highway”.

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Tiaro resident Peter Lockwood on the side of the Bruce Highway in Tiaro.Photo: Brendan Bufi / Fraser Coast Chronicle

Building a brand new stretch of highway east of Tiaro will be much safer than the current undivided section it replaces, he said.

“It will take a lot of trucks off Tiaro’s Main Street, making it safer for pedestrians, and improve sections that currently flood, so the Bruce Highway will be much less likely to be cut after heavy rain.

“We’re in the design phase of this project, but it will be designed to modern safety standards with physical separation of northbound and southbound traffic lanes.

“I’ve spoken to Mr O’Brien and committed to including a concrete barrier along the length of the new road to physically separate north and south-bound traffic to ensure head on crashes are not possible.

“It will be also designed so that extra lanes can be added when the traffic volume justifies it.

“No new work will be redundant, and any claims Mr O’Brien makes to that effect is just misleading his own community.

“While it’s the Queensland Government that will build this road, it’s the Federal Government that’s funding 80 per cent of it.

The question of whether the Bruce Highway Tiaro Bypass is four lanes or two could rest with the Federal Budget, to be brought down on May 11, 2021.

“If Llew O’Brien wants this new stretch of road to be four lanes instead of two, then he should be working with his own Morrison Federal Government to get the necessary increased funding, which he has failed to achieve to date.

“He can start petitions, post on social media and keep the political spin going about it being the State Government’s fault all he likes, but at the end of the day he needs to convince his own government to find the funding.

“We’ll find out how successful he’s been at pushing his case in Canberra when the Federal Budget is handed down in a couple of weeks.”

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