PM hints at backing LNP’s horror highway fix

The Prime Minister says the Federal Government is “getting ready to understand the full costs” involved in an ambitious LNP plan that would see the entire Bruce Highway widened.

Scott Morrison has given the strongest indication yet that his Government could financially back an ambitious widening of the entire Bruce Highway, saying they were “getting ready”.

The Prime Minister joined Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington on day five of the election campaign yesterday in the marginal seat of Currumbin which the LNP holds by just 1.23 per cent. He said this week’s federal budget had set up a “longer term design and plan” that could support the type of program the Queensland LNP had proposed.

The Sunday Mail last month revealed the LNP’s $33bn proposal to upgrade the entire 1677km of the Bruce Highway to a modern dual carriageway, with Ms Frecklington promising $50m towards mapping out a detailed blueprint. She’s pledged an LNP government would more than double the state’s annual spending on the highway from $200m to $440m, and seek a deal with the Federal Government under an 80:20 funding arrangement.

Mr Morrison yesterday said his government was “getting ready to ensure we understand the full costs in what’s involved” in the Bruce proposal.

“But what I stress again is we are building projects on the Bruce from Brisbane to Cairns, that’s happening now, all the way up,” he said. “Our road program here in Queensland was held back for many years trying to get agreement.”

Saying it “took a long time to get there”, the Prime Minister said he suspected he and Ms Frecklington would come to an agreement more quickly, “because she’s not looking to pick a fight with me or carry on with any politics”.

Asked whether he was going to give Ms Frecklington the money for the $33bn project, Mr Morrison said “we’re getting ready, we’re getting ready should Deb be elected and the LNP be elected here soon”.

Mr Morrison said if Ms Frecklington was elected, it would “really change things up here in Queensland cause we’re going to be able to get moving.”

But state Treasurer Cameron Dick hit back at the Prime Minister, saying Mr Morrison came with no additional funding for the LNP’s highway plan, slamming it again as a “highway hoax”.

Meanwhile Mr Morrison said Ms Frecklington was free to join him whenever she wanted when asked whether he would be joining her in the regions this campaign. While spruiking his Make It Happen program, he said she had a positive plan to get Queenslanders working again.