Dangerous Logan intersection fuels fiery Shannon Fentiman-Jacob Heremaia standoff

A long-running political stoush has erupted over a dangerous Logan Reserve intersection, with Labor’s Shannon Fentiman accusing Cr Jacob Heremaia of neglecting urgent safety upgrades.

Political opponents Waterford MP Shannon Fentiman from the ALP and Logan City Council’s Jacob Heremaia have thrown barbs about the slow upgrade of this Logan Reserve intersection.

A simmering political feud between two Logan-area rivals has boiled over into Queensland’s state parliament, with Labor MP Shannon Fentiman accusing LNP-aligned councillor Jacob Heremaia of neglecting a dangerous intersection that residents say puts lives at risk.

During a late-night parliamentary adjournment speech, the Waterford MP Ms Fentiman called out Logan’s Cr Heremaia for failing to act on the intersection at Chambers Flat Rd and School Rd in Logan Reserve, which locals say has been a safety concern for years.

Ms Fentiman, who served as Queensland’s Attorney-General and is a senior Labor figure, said funding for the upgrade was provided by the federal government in 2023 but accused the Logan City Council, and specifically Cr Heremaia, of stalling the project.

She said it was a council project on council controlled land.

“Residents are deeply worried about safety at this intersection,” Ms Fentiman told parliament.

“They have been raising concerns with us. They are rightly asking why nothing has been done.”

“There is no excuse for this delay. The money is there, ready to go, but what have we seen from the local LNP councillor?

“A newsletter and a couple of Facebook posts in the last month after the member for Logan (Linus Power) and I have been out there calling on him to do something.”

An aerial view of the intersection which locals claim is dangerous. Picture: Google Maps

The clash marks a new chapter in what has become an increasingly personal and public rivalry between Fentiman and Heremaia.

The councillor, widely seen as a rising conservative figure and a possible future LNP state candidate, has regularly criticised the state government over infrastructure delivery in Logan.

Cr Heremaia fired back at the claims saying the two Labor politicians were playing politics on the eve of a federal election and knew nothing about delivery of road infrastructure.

“While they’re talking, I’m delivering,” Cr Heremaia said.

“It’s a dangerous intersection because their government signed off on 110,000 new residents in our city through their Regional Plan without proper infrastructure upgrades.

“In the past 10 years as an MP, Ms Fentiman could have done something about it but to date, she has done nothing.

“I’ve been a councillor for half the time, secured the funding and now the road engineers are working on relocating the utilities underneath the site so construction can begin.

“These two old-school failing politicians are attacking a political opponent rather than worrying about the people in the community.

“They never cared about this intersection until six months ago when I became their political opponent.”

Cr Heremaia said he had raised the intersection in Logan City Council and had been working on the issue with engineers and the head of the council’s Roads Department more than 50 times in the past year.

One resident, local business owner Joel Dobbins, wrote directly to Ms Fentiman “out of frustration”, calling the inaction “a horrible indictment” and urging Cr Heremaia to act.

“With a background as a Project Manager, qualifications in Procurement and Contracting, and as the local council Division 8 representative, you must act immediately,” Mr Dobbins wrote.

Cr Heremaia says he had spoken directly to Mr Dobbins, providing a written update on engineering work.

Ms Fentiman tabled the letter in parliament, using it to underscore community frustration and call for immediate construction.

“This is about the safety of local families,” she said. “Residents should not have to beg for action. They deserve to see shovels in the ground — not just the odd Facebook update after we demand better action.”

The intersection is known to locals as a confusing and hazardous junction, particularly during peak hours and school runs.

The feud, though rooted in policy, now appears deeply personal.

Cr Heremaia, a vocal critic of Labor’s governance in Logan, has emerged as a political opponent to Ms Fentiman’s longstanding presence in the region.

Originally published as Dangerous Logan intersection fuels fiery Shannon Fentiman-Jacob Heremaia standoff