Northern Beaches hub: Push to secure $20m to reduce traffic

‘Nightmare’ Northern Beaches traffic congestion could ease under plan to lobby the federal government for community hub project.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce could not commit $20 million for the Northern Beaches community hub on the spot but he rated Mackay’s chance as high.

Mr Joyce said the Mackay region was the engine room and powerhouse of Australia when it came to export dollars through our coal and sugar and we deserved our share.

He said his door would be wide open if Dawson Nationals candidate Andrew Willcox won the seat at the impending federal election, tipped for May, and sought to lobby for half the cost of the hub.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and Dawson Nationals candidate Andrew Willcox. Picture: Rae Wilson

“I’m obviously not going to approve that on the spot but what I need is a strong advocate who is going to be able to do that and that is why we are going to have Andrew here,” Mr Joyce said.

“I want to make sure that, in your efforts to make sure the Northern Beaches is a better place to live, that we do our part.

“It’s incredibly important the people of Australia understand that every time one of those boats arrives at Hay Point, we earn export dollars that make this nation wealthy.”

Mr Willcox, the current Whitsunday Mayor, said incumbent Dawson MP George Christensen had been able to secure a bucketload of money for his constituents during his four terms in the job but he was keen to make his voice heard in Canberra.

“I go all right at that as well,” the current Whitsunday Mayor said to Mr Joyce.

“I’ll be knocking on your door because I won’t be a shrinking violet.

“I’m pleased you’ve announced to the whole of the Dawson region that you get how much we contribute.

“We’ve got the biggest cane industry, we’ve got grazing, we’ve got mining and mining support services; we generate an enormous amount of GDP and all’s we want is our fair share back and that’s what I’m going to be trying to do.

“For the people who generate the money, we’ve got to provide them with the services, the infrastructure, health care.”

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said he planned to lobby whoever became the next Dawson MP for half of the cost of the $40m Northern beaches community hub.

He said the council had money put aside but hoped Mr Willcox would make the hub an election promise.

Section 1a is a $10 million project to build community hub facilities in the Northern Beaches including a library, daycare and meeting rooms for clubs.

Section 1b will be an aquatics facility with parks and public service facilities.

“The community wants a lot of things in the Northern Beaches,” Mr Williamson said.

“As a council we’ve got to commit to this and we have done that through our future budgeting process but we are going to rely on the federal and state government to be able to complete the whole of what we have envisioned for the Northern Beaches community.

“The northern side of the community hub will have potential for a day hospital, a bigger hospital facility, commonwealth facilities and state facilities that will truly make Northern Beaches Community Hub a good town centre.”

The community hub will be built on a parcel of land council bought last year, opposite the Northern Beaches State High School.

Mr Williamson said the whole road network system was a nightmare but the state roads department challenged that view.

“They tell us it’s not a nightmare other than a couple of hours in the morning and a couple of hours in the afternoon,” he said.

“(They say) it doesn’t meet the duplication requirements for TMR to step in.

“So there’s a big problem associated with the traffic flow of the Northern Beaches.

“One of the short-term processes is to take some of the traffic (coming into town) all the time off that road network into a Northern Beaches community hub area where you’ll find most of the services.

“That’ll only buy us a few years admittedly but that’s the time we need to consider how we get that traffic off Mackay-Bucasia Road onto a new road system and across the river.”

Mr Christensen said he hoped stage two of the Mackay Ring Road would also help ease traffic congestion.

“I am hopeful when Main Roads look at stage two they will see how that can interact with the Northern Beaches, in terms of sending some people around the ring road, ‘’ Mr Christensen said.

“That was always the vision, I hope that is still going to be the vision shared by Main Roads (Department) in the future.”