PM needs to wake up on port

FROM an economic point of view, the Port of Townsville channel capacity upgrade is a no- brainer.

Widening the channel to Northern Australia’s largest port is expected to generate millions for the region and ensure the future prosperity of imports and exports in the North.

No one disputes the benefits of the project, it’s just a matter of who is going to be paying for it. When the final business case was released in February, Labor leader Bill Shorten was tripping over himself to get to Townsville and pledge $ 75 million to the project should he be elected.

But the Federal Government has been dragging its heels, insisting that as a state- owned asset the port shouldn’t receive a dime from the Commonwealth’s coffers.

As the two sides dug in, many in the local business community and the port authority were right to be worried that such an “obvious” positive project for Townsville would be hamstrung by partisanship.

But in the ensuing months, the Government has started to soften its stance on the idea of matching the $ 75 million with a grant. The first glimmer of hope was when Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison visited Townsville after handing down his 2018- 19 budget and vowed to keep $ 150 million slated for the Townsville Eastern Access Rail Corridor for local projects.

Earlier this month, newly minted LNP Herbert candidate Phillip Thompson upped the pressure by publicly calling on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to support the port.

And yesterday we had LNP Dawson MP George Christensen announce it was “time” for his Government to back the project once and for all.

It’s clear the tide is turning within the Government’s ranks so it could be only a matter of when, not if, the funding is committed.

The port has said construction, and the 120 jobs that would come with it, could start by October if they get the commitment. The upgrade almost quadrupled in cost when the State and Federal governments agreed to new dredging laws and it is for that reason more than any other that they have been asked to help pay for the project.

An obviously beneficial project with an obvious reason to request government support — let’s just hope the Prime Minister can see the logic as his regional representatives can.