Politicians slow to react as Bruce Highway shutdowns continue

Another day, another crash that meant the Bruce Highway had to be shut in both directions. It’s not good enough and it still feels like our governments are stalled when it comes to what must be done, writes the Editor.

Another day, another crash on the Bruce Highway that meant our state’s main road artery had to be shut in both directions. It really is not good enough, and it feels like both sides – and both levels – of government are stalled when it comes to what must be done.

The Bruce Highway is a totemic issue for Queensland that demands more than a piecemeal approach. It demands a big, totemic response.

Our argument in our reporting focus this year on the highway has been the need for a commitment from both sides and both levels of our government to one day actually “finish” the Bruce Highway.

This demand is prompted by the fact that the major road arteries in the two big southern states have now been completed – with dual carriageways now connecting Sydney with its coastal towns and cities, and with Melbourne. That only happened because of a proper commitment to deliver that, rather than what has been the fate of the Bruce Highway of smaller sections of the road being prioritised for attention one by one.

That approach to the Bruce has had one significant outcome: That the tough, expensive and necessary bypasses of major towns are now all but complete. But that does not mean the highway is complete. Because it is only as strong as its weakest link – and there are still plenty of those; sections of what is Queensland’s major highway that remain in a condition hardly fit to even connect two small towns.

We're working hard to inspect and repair potholes on the Bruce Highway between St Lawrence and Gin Gin due to heavy rainfall that has impacted road networks in Central Queensland. Picture Transport and Main Roads Queensland

Again, as we have highlighted in the Help Our Highway campaign that we have been running all year, just 10 per cent of the entire 1679km highway is assessed as “extremely safe” – or four or five stars on the Australian Road Assessment Program’s safety scale.

An astonishing 45.2 per cent of the highway is rates just two stars – and 44.1 per cent three stars. Now, these figures are from 2019, so do not account for any of the works done since. But we don’t have the updated figures because the data since has been kept secret by the state and federal governments.

Why? We assume because they would prefer Queenslanders do not know the truth of the shocking state of the Bruce. But Queenslanders do know the truth – and tragically they are reminded of it pretty well every week when there is an accident so serious that the highway is shut in both directions while authorities clean up the mess and another family is told the tragic news.

Our demand is as reasonable as it is simple: That a minimum standard is agreed to, and that a commitment is made that the entire length of the highway will be brought up to that standard – with no exceptions.

We are not suggesting that there should be a dual carriageway the entire length of the highway; although that is what has been delivered for the people of NSW and Victoria on the Pacific and Hume Highways. We acknowledge the Bruce Highway is more than twice their length and services a smaller population.

But we are demanding there be a proper commitment made to the people of Queensland who rely on the road: That is, everybody who lives north of Noosa.

This commitment must spell out what the minimum standard will be. And it must set a completion date.

It is all good and well for budgets to allocate “record funding” for the Bruce. What matters is delivering a road worthy of our great state.

This is surely not too much of an ask of politicians who so routinely declare their “love for Queensland

Clock is now ticking on Games planning

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is right to say that there is still time for us to get the planning for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane (and surrounds) back on track. But seriously, that clock is really ticking now.

It has been three years and three months since Brisbane was gifted the Games by an International Olympic Committee vote on the eve of the Tokyo event – and what has happened since then has been a dizzying rollercoaster of scandal, about-turns and poor decisions.

Premier Steven Miles missed a golden opportunity earlier this year to get things back on a more even keel when he bizarrely opted to pre-emptively ignore the findings of a venues review he had established because it recommended a plan that he personally did not agree with – the exact “I know best” attitude that had been the biggest criticism of his predecessor Annastacia Palaszczuk when it came to Games planning.

Mr Miles has also persisted with the petty Palaszczuk model of an Organising Committee board that is not only clunky in its scale but that excludes anyone from the state Opposition – the very people that could form government after the election on October 26. That means that, if power does change hands, there will be yet another reset as the incoming premier establishes his own 100-day review of the plans.

Mr Albanese was, then, perhaps too definitive in saying Wednesday that “I’m not concerned” about the progress. Surely anybody paying attention is at least a bit worried.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details are available at www.couriermail.com.au/help/contact-us

Originally published as Politicians slow to react as Bruce Highway shutdowns continue