Trad gives assurance on all election vows
All systems go – it’s her guarantee
TREASURER Jackie Trad says every one of the State Government’s election promises to the Far North will be delivered. She made the iron-clad guarantee during her first regional appearance post-budget in Cairns which came after criticism that cash flow to the Far North was disappointing.
JACKIE Trad has stared down the barrel and staked her reputation as Treasurer on delivering every one of the State Government’s election promises to Far Northern voters.
The Deputy Premier had Transport Minister Mark Bailey on hand for a media interrogation over roads funding yesterday before taking the podium at a post-Budget luncheon hosted by Advance Cairns.
Both Labor heavyweights guaranteed the $152 million Smithfield bypass, $120 million Trinity Inlet dredging project and $176 million Cairns Convention Centre upgrade would proceed on time as planned.
“Every single thing that we committed at the election has been funded in this Budget,” Ms Trad said.
Ms Trad played down the relevance of two separate budget analyses – by Cairns Regional Council and economist Bill Cummings – showing a meagre per-person capital expenditure in Cairns that was about half that of Townsville.
She did not directly respond when asked if the Far North would have fared better were Mulgrave MP Curtis Pitt still in the Treasurer’s seat. “I’m very proud I was part of the Cabinet Budget Review Committee that determined those allocations in last year’s Budget,” she said.
Cairns MP Michael Healy said there had been “scuttlebutt and rumour and innuendo” but every infrastructure promise had been kept.
The absence of any funds for the so-called Cairns ring road, or extension of the national highway through Cairns to Smithfield, was also broached. The Transport Minister said Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch was “speaking with a forked tongue” when he suggested the Federal Government could not carry out the project without the state’s permission to take over control of the roads in question.
“He is in Federal Government with Malcolm Turnbull, it is their decision if they wish to take it over with a national highway,” Mr Bailey said.
“I think Anthony Albanese’s got a very strong case when he says the national highway should be extended to Cairns Airport.”
Despite his apparent support for Mr Albanese’s plan, Mr Bailey stopped short of committing the $40 million funding the Federal Opposition says will need to come from the State Government.