Central Queensland Motorsports Complex election commitment by the LNP

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce was in Rockhampton on the eve of Rockynats to announce $10 million for a motorsports complex to be built outside of the city. Here’s all you need to know.

On the eve of Central Queensland’s biggest motorsport event, Rockynats, a swag of LNP politicians gathered on the backdrop of Rockhampton’s iconic Quay Street to commit $10 million toward a new $30 million motorsports complex on the outskirts of the city.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce joined Capricornia MP Michelle Landry, Senator Matt Canavan and LNP candidate for Flynn Colin Boyce to announce the election commitment in partnership with the CQ Motorsport Club.

At first he spoke about how it was important to develop and keep wealth in the nation, and how if we didn’t, it would disappear overseas like what happened with British Petroleum, which was funded by the Mount Morgan gold mine.

“It’s a pleasure to be back in Rockhampton which has done so much for our nation and we are so proud of what it does,” he said.

He then went on to say politicians needed to listen to what projects the community wanted.

“For Sydney it might be a swimming pool …. But for Rocky, it’s this, it’s motorsports,” he said.

“This is something that talks to what the people of Central Queensland want.”

The proposed complex is an entirely new project, after plans for a motorsport complex at Bouldercombe were scrapped in May 2021, due to
Rockhampton Regional Council’s financial fallouts from COVID-19.

That project was tabled to be a $180 million facility and reached as far as the design stage tender for $200,000.

The new proposed site is on the opposite side of Gavial Gracemere Road, where it meets the Bruce Highway at Midgee.

Initial plans for the 300 hectare site include a pit building with 33 individual garages, FIA grade 3 main circuit of 3.2km with potential to extend by 1.2km, primary paddock and gymkhana zone, customer parking, skid pad, burnout pad and a future location for speedway.

There would also be driver education sessions held at the site which would aim to improve road safety.

The facility is estimated to create 65 jobs during construction, 22 ongoing jobs, and contribute $2.6 million toward Rockhampton’s economy once operational.

Members of the CQ Motorsports Club were present for the announcement and were very positive and optimistic about the news.

“We are so happy, it’s going to be a great boost for the Central Queensland motor sporting community… (it’s) unreal,” Clay Weston said.

The club has actively been chasing a home for motorsport for the past 10 years.

“The whole club has been pushing to get ourselves a local facility where we can go and have fun and have our motorsports,” he said.

The facility would also allow the chance for local racers to excel.

“(We could) produce some new racers, there are lots of Central Queensland people that have developed into fantastic racers,” Mr Weston said.

“Motorsports is such a variety of things, there is speedway, drags, circuit racing; there’s lots of different varieties of motoring.

“We are going to try and have it so we can use it for everybody.”

While there is still another $20 million needed for the project, if the LNP gains power on election day, the club said it was the biggest funding commitment it had ever received.

“Ten million dollars will get us started, we can stage the process, not everything can be built in a couple of weeks or a couple of years, maybe if we get this funding we can go on further,” Mr Weston said.

Capricornia MP Michelle Landry said she was really pleased the Federal Government could contribute to the project.

When asked if it was fair to ask council to stump up money for the project, given its current financial standing, the recent funding cuts of $6 each year from the Federal Assistance Grants and the announcement of the closure of the city’s SmartHub, she said there were three levels of government to support the project.

“Infrastructure builds jobs, puts more money into the community,” she said.

“The cuts that council have had to make lay fairly and squarely with the state government, the federal funding has not lessened at all, so we need to ask our local members.

“You need different things in the area, we have this beautiful art gallery on the banks of the Fitzroy River, there’s a lot of different people in this area that have different needs.

“Motorsport across Queensland is huge … It’s a big sport, these guys (the club) have been waiting for years for this.”

When asked why it was being announced now, during the election campaign, she said it was about timing.

“They (the club members) have been lobbying hard and the time is right for us to provide the funds for this,” she said.

“Things are announced in election campaigns, people lobby for years for projects.”

While in Rockhampton Mr Joyce was also asked about the ongoing plight of Biloela’s Tamil family, which led to a string of tangents about other national issues, including an airport at Newcastle, critical minerals and an attack on Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.

He alluded that Mr Albanese had said something one day, and another the next, using the example of him criticising coal mines and then visiting one the next day, and not taxing the mine next door.

He ended his speech by repeatedly saying:

“Will the real Mr Albanese please stand up, please stand up, please stand up.”

Mr Joyce was then taken for a drive along the riverfront in a restored EH Holden that was on display in the background for the announcement and is an entrant in Rockynats.