David Crisafulli on why light rail stage 4 needs to be reviewed, his vision for Gold Coast transport infrastructure

LNP leader David Crisafulli has made a major commitment on transport infrastructure for the Gold Coast while defending his party’s stance on light rail stage four. Read what he said.

LNP leader David Crisafulli has said the Gold Coast is living through “a generation of poor planning” and “needs a proper infrastructure plan”, while defending his party’s stance on light rail to the airport.

Mr Crisafulli, who is the member for Broadwater in the city’s north, reiterated his party’s plans to order an immediate review into the proposed stage four extension if they win power in October, saying all “routes and modes” would be looked at.

The mooted review comes amid warnings in a government document released in April that the project -expected to cost around $3-4 billion could cost as much as $7.6 billion at an upper end estimate to deliver.

“Residents will know that there’s been no business case released, that the government has ducked and dived on the issue,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“They’ve treated residents like doormats. I just want them to know that they can have a seat at the table, and they can have a say.

“Let’s have a look at a business case, let’s have a look at routes and modes and let’s take the community on the journey and treat them with the respect that they haven’t been given.

“This city deserves infrastructure and this city will get infrastructure. It will also get consulted and treated with respect.”

LNP leader David Crisafulli. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Mr Crisafulli has made a firm commitment to Sunshine Coast voters to extend heavy rail to Maroochydore, declaring in May: “No ifs, no buts, no shortcuts – only the LNP will build Sunshine Coast Heavy Passenger Rail all the way to Maroochydore.”

That has prompted Treasurer Cameron Dick to ask, “Why does the Gold Coast get a review but the Sunshine Coast gets heavy rail?”

However Mr Crisafulli has pledged that if he wins power he will deliver transport infrastructure for the Gold Coast.

“Doing nothing is not an option in terms of infrastructure for the Gold Coast. The city’s living through a generation of poor planning,” he said.

“It’s a city well north of half a million people at the mercy of one road that once upon a time at peak hours was a bit of an issue, these days you can never drive from the capital to the Gold Coast without some form of traffic gridlock. You can never drive to go to the beach without getting an impact.

“There needs to be a proper infrastructure plan for the Coast and this place will get its fair share.”

The LNP have promised to review plans to extend the light rail to Gold Coast Airport, with ‘all routes and modes’ on the table. Picture: Richard Gosling.

Mr Crisafulli’s comments were backed by the LNP’s candidate for the seat of Burleigh Hermann Vorster, who said the state government had “poisoned” the light rail project by failing to consult properly with the southern Gold Coast community.

“People no longer trust the government, they no longer trust the process, and they want a circuit-breaker,” he said.

“What we’re offering is to pump the brakes on a bad process, to go back to the community ... so that we can start a new process to see whether the route is right and the mode is right.”

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Originally published as David Crisafulli on why light rail stage 4 needs to be reviewed, his vision for Gold Coast transport infrastructure