Motorists rapt about key road funds boost

A CASH splash to bust congestion on a major Cairns road has been applauded by motorists while remote Daintree residents have fingers crossed Tuesday’s budget will deliver on a long-awaited clean energy project.

A $240m road package to fund duplication of the Cairns Western Arterial Road between Smithfield and Caravonica will be formally announced in the federal budget.

The upgrade will be funded in an 80/20 federal-state split and will include a new bridge across the Barron River.

Rob Miller of Coral Sea Coaches spends a lot of time on the road running airport shuttles. He welcomed the funding and said it would make a major difference on the section between the Barron River and the Captain Cook Highway.

“I don’t use it that often because I know what it’s like, from Smithfield it’s bumperto-bumper all the way,” he said.

“It will make a difference, any improvement. If you put four lanes in there of course it’s going to be good.”

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has pledged the 2021/22 budget will deliver $10bn for an aged care sector in crisis and funding support for the mental health and disability support sectors. Women’s health will be a focus through an investment of $354m in cervical and breast cancer screening, eating disorders and pre-IVF genetic testing.

In the Douglas Shire, Cape Tribulation Road resident Prue Hewitt hoped cash for a long mooted Daintree microgrid would be announced.

“We are paying 20 or 30 times more than the average Australian household (for power),” she said.

“I think it would be a great thing to have clean power in our part of the world and I know Warren Entsch (Member for Leichhardt) has worked extremely hard to make it happen.

“Electricity is something everyone in the modern world should expect and should not have to fight for. “I think it’s long overdue.” The federal budget will be handed down at 7.30pm on Tuesday.