Address to the Federation Chamber, Queensland Beef Industry

Monday 1 July 2024

I may be from Canberra, but the Smith ancestors are from Capricornia.

I will start by saying this: the funding for this project has not been delayed. Talk about funding profiles and funding being cut is a furphy. The coalition allocated paper funding to this project before the work had actually been done to ensure that it was ready for delivery. The Queensland government has now undertaken rigorous planning of these projects, and they are now moving into construction. The truth is that the Albanese government is delivering the beef corridors projects, something the coalition talked about but never delivered. They are all sizzle and no sausage.

Queensland's beef corridor network stretches across nearly 218,000 square kilometres and runs from east to west across Central Queensland. This strategic web of roads carries world-class beef product and contributes $1.7 billion to the Australian economy. We agree that upgrading the beef corridor network will increase productivity across the agriculture and resource industry sectors and also improve safety. The Australian government, in partnership with the Queensland government, will work with seven local government mayors and key industry stakeholders on the identification of short-, medium- and long-term beef road priorities to inform a 10-year Central Queensland beef roads investment strategy.

The beef corridor project was developed by seven councils, with the aim to seal nine sections of eight unsealed roads, upgrade three sealed roads and improve access to Gladstone port. The $500 million project is funded 80-20 with the Queensland government. The member for Capricornia has accused this project of being further delayed, but, curiously, the member 's motion does not recognise that, on 13 March 2024, the Queensland government announced the first stage of construction, starting with the following projects—funnily enough, projects that the previous speaker has informed the House about:

Pave and seal sections along Clermont-Alpha Road in Mackay/ Whitsunday and Central West districts

Pave and seal and widening of floodway along Alpha-Tambo Road in the Central West district

Pave and seal in sections of the Fitzroy Developmental Road between Bauhinia—Duaringa in the Fitzroy district

Pave and seal section along May Downs Road in the Mackay / Whitsunday district

I note the member's frustration with this funding not coming sooner, but I also reminded the member that her party was in government for nearly a decade. The question should be: if the former LNP government believes so strongly in this project—and it is a good project—why was it relegated to an election commitment and not properly funded? It was paper funding by a government that loved the announcement but did little to deliver. I can understand the member would be so frustrated that they might have some beef with their own side on this issue. After all, politics is a high-stakes game. The previous government had a particular penchant for making grand funding announcements and not delivering on them. Take the Molonglo Valley bridge in my electorate. It was announced but is only properly funded and now being delivered by this government.

We are a government focused on actually delivering projects, not just delivering on press releases. Undertaking proper design, consultation and procurement of these projects takes time to ensure the projects that are built are the right ones in the right locations and for the right budget. I recognise the important work that the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government has done to rein in spending to ensure that we can deliver the infrastructure the federal government has actually committed to.

Finally, Australian beef is a byword for quality, which is why there's always a place for it on plates across our country and far beyond our shores. Supporting infrastructure for safer roads that protect truck drivers and produce is critically important for this Albanese Labor government. In conjunction with the Queensland state Labor government and in partnership with local councils, we will continue to invest in the mighty beef corridors to ensure that the $1.7 billion economic corridor continues to operate safely and deliver the high-quality beef Australians and the rest of the world enjoy.