Katter’s Australian Party candidate Clynton Hawks wants upgrades to Flinders Highway

Katter’s Australian Party Herbert candidate Clynton Hawks says he supports the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct – but it’s conditional.

KATTER’S Australian Party Herbert candidate Clynton Hawks says he supports the Lansdown Eco-Industrial Precinct – but it’s conditional.

The transport industry worker has revealed he will support the project, which is primed to bring a jobs boom to the North, if Flinders Highway upgrades occur to carry the estimated 20,000 extra vehicle movements each day between Townsville and the site.

The project has had a $12m investment from both the state and federal governments, with additional funds spent on upgrading the Flinders Highway turn off to the site.

The state government also put $5m towards turning lanes and safety improvements on the northern approach to Woodstock-Giru Rd.

Mr Hawks said Lansdown was “ambitious and visionary” but the route could not be neglected.

“I have been very critical of this project because of questions around the foundational infrastructure, like road, rail and water,” he said.

“With the water component taken care of I still have concerns about the Flinders Highway piece.”

Clynton Hawks is the Katter's Australian Party candidate for Herbert. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Mr Hawks said Mayor Jenny Hill had sought his position on the development earlier this week.

“So that is what I am doing,” he said.

Mr Hawks said projects like Lansdown were critically important if Australia wanted more manufacturers to export locally-made products.

“Our national identity is tied to what we make so I think this is a strong nation-building project in every sense of that term,” Mr Hawks said.

“Queensland Pacific Metals nickel refinery would start laying their foundations tomorrow if the infrastructure was in place to support them at Lansdown, so there’s no question in my mind that there’s demand for this development.

“But the federal government needs to come to the table so that’s why what I’m saying, in effect, is that if elected I will lobby the crossbench to support funding for the necessary road infrastructure, including Flinders Highway upgrades.

“The electorate needs someone who can get things done and can work with State, federal and local governments to make developments like Lansdown get up.”

Kennedy MP Bob Katter said he also strongly supported the precinct.

“Especially if we can get a nickel refinery back to Townsville,” he said.

“We already have a copper refinery and a zinc refinery in Townsville and there’s no reason why we can’t do more.”

The federal government is funding multiple road upgrades between Townsville and Tennant Creek.

Rail key to unlocking region’s potential: KAP

KATTER’S Australian Party candidate Clynton Hawks is concerned the government is chasing the “latest shiny thing” in hydrogen and neglecting important basics in road and rail.

Mr Hawks, who works in the transport industry, said the Townsville Eastern Access Corridor was a good example of what happens when political cycles dictate infrastructure planning and development.

TEARC will connect the North Coast Line to the Port of Townsville, which was originally planned to be jointly funded by the state and federal governments.

Labelling the project as the golden child of previous elections, Katter’s Australian party says the project has all but disappeared from the limelight despite being part of Townsville Enterprise’s wishlist.

Last year the Queensland government revealed it was still planning for TEARC despite a 2018 business case finding the project was not viable yet.

The revelation came as the state had begun to buy land to build the project as part of the planning groundwork.

Funding is allocated in the Transport and Main Roads Investment program 2021-22 to 2024-25 to help buy up lots for the project.

Mr Hawks said the major parties were too busy focusing on hydrogen, which he labelled the “latest shiny thing”.

“Hydrogen is very ‘now’ but you’ve got to think back a decade to recall it was biofuels that everyone was making promises about,” Mr hawks said.

“Today, the only party keeping biofuels alive in political discussions is the KAP.”

The Herbert candidate said road, rail and ports were never “politically attractive” but represented connectivity infrastructure that is key to unlocking the minerals resources potential in the North West Minerals Province.

“You have to get cheap electricity there, that’s Copper String 2.0. And you need to be able to get the minerals out once they’re extracted. That’s the transport network,” Mr Hawks said.

“The rail network in north, far north and central Queensland has been ignored by the two major parties, but if successful at the upcoming federal election I will seek a reversal to that mindset and get our rail back on track.

“The virtue of TEARC is that it gets freight trains out of the city and moves them to the port access road where they need to be out of sight and out of mind.”

Mr Hawks said allowing 1.5km long trains to run straight into the port without having to break up at the Stuart switch yarns would be a time saver and productivity boost, reducing the end-cost to haulers and the consumer.

“The new line would mean longer trains can get into the Port of Townsville, provide growing capacity for the tonnage demand on the line all the way out to Mount Isa,” he said.

“Everyone I speak to talks about getting more freight going on rail and in some cases it’s possible.

“It makes sense to invest in the network to bring even more product from the North West Minerals Province to the Port of Townsville.”

Townsville Enterprise CEO Claudia Brumme-Smith has previously told the Bulletin it was important not to consider TEARC in isolation.

The federal government invested heavily in road infrastructure in the recent budget, with millions pumped into NQ road upgrades. 

Originally published as Katter’s Australian Party candidate Clynton Hawks wants upgrades to Flinders Highway