Highway funds on way: Deb

OPPOSITION Leader Deb Frecklington claims the $33bn Bruce Highway upgrade will be “fully funded and fully costed” — despite the federal government yet to get behind the project.

Ms Frecklington made the election commitment to upgrade the Bruce Highway from Curra to Cairns before securing a funding commitment from the federal government.

With the federal budget looming, communities along the Bruce Highway are waiting with bated breath for Prime Minister Scott Morrison to stump up the cash.

When asked why the LNP had announced the plan before a federal commitment, Ms Frecklington said the party was in negotiations with its federal counterparts.

Ms Frecklington said an LNP state government would fund its portion of the Bruce Highway upgrades without raising taxes.

Ms Frecklington said if the commonwealth was to commit to its share of the funding, many of the 100,000 new jobs created by the project would be based in Townsville.

“Our plan to build a fourlane Bruce Highway and the New Bradfield Scheme will supercharge this region’s economy,” she said.

“Labor has held North Queensland back for too long, but an LNP government will unleash this region’s huge potential.”

Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the federal government had said the state had “sufficient funding” for the Bruce Highway.

He said Ms Frecklington had ignored the Palaszczuk government’s lobbying to secure extra highway funding.

“We wanted the federal government to put in $133m extra per year to upgrade the Bruce Highway, and in three years Deb Frecklington has never supported our calls for more funding from Canberra at all,” he said.