Migration to blame for road congestion, premier declares

Steven Miles has made an outrageous claim about the cause of Queensland’s clogged roads and stretched public transport networks.

Migration is to blame for Queensland’s clogged roads and stretched public transport network, Premier Steven Miles has sensationally declared.

Doubling down on his call for the federal government to slash overseas migration numbers by half, Mr Miles told The Courier-Mail the record high numbers of international arrivals to Queensland was “directly contributing to congestion”.

State government analysis found net overseas migration contributed to 167,000 of all trips on Queensland’s road, bus, rail and active transport network in 2023, a 177 per cent increase from the 60,000 trips in 2019.

Some 120,000 people moved to Queensland in the year to September 2023, including 87,954 from overseas.

Premier Steven Miles. Photo: Steve Pohlner.

Mr Miles said the highest on record international migration rate had created significant “challenges” for the state’s legacy road and transport services infrastructure.

“My government is delivering the biggest transport build in Queensland’s history – that’s more rail, roads, buses, footpaths and cycleways than ever before. But, as quickly as we build it Queensland is outgrowing it,” he said.

“Every extra minute spent stuck in traffic is costing dollars at the bowser.”

The premier last week issued an unprecedented call for Labor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to slash international migration rates to take pressure off Queensland’s housing supply.

Now, Mr Miles declared road congestion had also worsened as a result of the high number of new residents in Queensland.

“The massive overseas and interstate migration we have seen is directly contributing to congestion – 229,000 more daily trips on our roads, trains, buses and active networks over the last five years,” he said.

The Premier has blamed congestion on migrants.

“This is exactly why I have called on the federal government to moderate migration, to ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with growth.

“Queensland has the longest road network of any state in the country, and most of this is nationally significant to our tourism, trade and freight industries.”

Queensland’s third-term Labor government has faced criticism for a lack of investment, delays and cost blowouts in key transport infrastructure projects.

Mr Miles said more than $10bn would be invested in rail and bus infrastructure over the next four years, but said building it would take time, prompting his call for moderation of migration levels.

The premier’s call for Mr Albanese to cut migration, made on the day of the federal budget, were later echoed by federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton as he pledged to cap the rate at 140,000 people per year if the Coalition wins government.