Qld election 2024: David Crisafulli vows to fix Bruce Highway

There will be serious action on the Bruce Highway if the LNP takes government, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has vowed.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli at the Capricorn Netball Association courts near Yeppoon that will be upgraded under an LNP government. Picture: Liam Kidston.

There will be serious action on the Bruce Highway north of Gympie when the LNP takes government, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has vowed, while promising to make the next federal election a referendum on funding for the road.

Mr Crisafulli made the commitment in response to The Courier-Mail’s third reader question of the campaign, from Rockhampton’s Leyland Barnett.

The LNP leader said his plan to improve the Bruce Highway involved reconstituting an advisory board that has not met for two years.

However, the board was set up to develop a 15-year strategy which has since been published.

“The next element is to tell Canberra that they have to come back to 80-20 (funding split),” he said.

“And I do note (Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton) has said that he’s going to do that. That’s good, that’s 50 per cent of the deal done.”

Mr Crisafulli was also adamant he could talk sense into the Albanese government, which has repeatedly ruled out switching back to the 80-20 funding model despite a push from the state government.

Upgrades on the Bruce Highway had previously been funded by the federal and state governments on an 80-20 agreement, but this was reduced to 50-50 after an infrastructure review last year.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli on the campaign bus near Yeppoon. Picture: Liam Kidston

Pressure has been building on all levels of government to improve the Bruce Highway – a 1673km road that connects Brisbane to Cairns – as the death toll creeps up to more than 40 in the past 12 months.

“I do believe we can work with Canberra to get back to that funding model, and if we again show them value for money rather than cost escalations and time blowouts, I think they will want to invest. They’ll see it as a really good opportunity,” Mr Crisafulli said.

Premier Steven Miles, pressed on the same issue, pointed to the Rockhampton Ring Road as a major project set to deliver faster travel times and a safer Bruce Highway alongside ongoing discussions with the federal government on a package of works.

“And I am in ongoing discussions with the Australian government on a priority list of safety projects that we can get under way quickly on the Bruce Highway,” he said.

“If they agree to deliver funding, we have allocated $250m of additional funding to that package of safety upgrades.”

Both leaders started day three of the election campaign in greater Rockhampton, with Mr Miles heading to Stanwell Power Station to announce the latest branch of his cheaper energy plan. Mr Crisafulli spent the morning at the Capricorn Coast Netball Association and promised them $4.5m to upgrade their courts and lighting facilities, before heading to a medical clinic in Emu Park to announce two mental health short-stay facilities for the state.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates. Picture: Liam Kidston

Despite making the health crisis the centrepiece of his attacks on the government for years, Mr Crisafulli on Thursday said he would wait until the September health data was published before releasing his own strategy to bring down ambulance ramping and elective surgery waiting lists.

He said specific targets for hospital performance would then be released within 72 hours.

Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates has since written a letter to Health Minister Shannon Fentiman demanding the government release the latest quarterly hospital data in full, claiming it would set a baseline for the LNP’s health targets, three weeks out from election day.

In a letter on Thursday, seen by The Courier-Mail, Ms Bates requested a personal briefing from Ms Fentiman within 24 hours.

“It would be preferable if this could take place tomorrow (Friday),” she said.

“Could you please advise an appropriate date and time.” The latest figures, which included July and August only, showed paramedics had lost an average of 13 minutes outside emergency departments compared to 17 minutes last year, with emergency department wait times also falling.

Ms Fentiman said a decision had been made to release as much up-to-date data early ahead of the October election

Mr Miles and Mr Crisafulli were set to go head-to-head in the first election campaign debate on Thursday night.