The politician with a hefty mission
McVeigh looks back on 2018’s highs, lows and what’s to come
THE New Year for many brings a clean slate.
For those in politics, such as Groom MP John McVeigh, that opportunity as yet eludes them as the Federal Government gears up for an election due by May.
There is no doubt 2018 has had its shares of political scandals - or what Dr McVeigh called “distractions” - and that will carry over into 2019.
The former Cabinet minister made Toowoomba Canberra’s darling in January, hosting one prime minister and seeing the realisation of decades-long infrastructure campaigning.
Now on the backbench but a sworn loyalist to current Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Dr McVeigh is blunt about the challenges ahead, not least due to personal scandals from his parliamentary colleagues.
ON THE ELECTION
LIKE a weary traveller, Dr McVeigh and his Coalition colleagues are going into the New Year and federal election with heavy baggage.
“We go into the New Year with baggage, there’s no doubt about that,” he admitted.
“We go into the election with baggage and I would argue Bill Shorten does as well,
Photo: Matthew Newton
but we’ve got a long way to go.
“I think the New Year will be hard-nosed, there will be debate
about policy, less distraction and we will focus on the job that we’re supposed to do.”
ON THE AGENDA
THAT path will be determined by new challenges, ones primarily of an electorate whose wish list has steadily been ticked off.
“We’ve had a lot of stuff happening here so when I go back to Canberra, my colleagues quite often – from both sides of the house – (say) ‘McVeigh get to the end of the line, Groom has had enough’,” he said.
Small and medium businesses are already adapting operations to capitalise on those opportunities, but ensuring the long-term potential is reached will be a priority.
That’s grounded by the continuing mission to earn back his constituents’ trust in the Coalition’s ability to govern.
ON WHAT’S NEXT
WHAT he called “next-level infrastructure” however, will be a main concern.
Upgrading Brimblecombe Rd connecting the Warrego Highway to Wellcamp Airport, and linking it to the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, tops the list.
“I am terribly frustrated that there is not yet a direct connection between the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing and the airport,” he said.
“I’ve been campaigning on that for a couple of years but unfortunately we were not successful in getting the Federal Government and the State Government to include that in the funding envelope.
“The reality is we will have to retro-fit that in the years to come, in my view.”
Highfields is steadily in the Groom MP’s sights, with upgrades to the New England Highway and connecting roads from Toowoomba to the booming area a concern.
“And even more recently, given new armoured personnel carrier vehicles at the Cabarlah Borneo Barracks, which are fully fitted out with electronic warfare equipment, they will need to do some work on the New England Highway right in front of the barracks because they’re big, heavy equipment so them pulling out onto the (highway), there’ll be safety concerns.”
Developing the $15 million passenger rail business case also makes the list.
ON THE SCANDALS
Dr McVeigh and Groom began the year on a high under Malcolm Turnbull, but almost instantaneously, what he called “distractions” began, undermining the ambitions of the Coalition.
Did he think he’d see the year out with a new prime minister?
“No, I didn’t,” he frankly admitted.
“I thought common sense would prevail, that we would stop talking about ourselves and just keep focusing on the sorts of things that constituents bring through my front door.
“Fundamentally I think we have done that with the economy in particular, but we just continued internal debates.
“Now as a result we’ve got Scott Morrison as prime minister and I support him very strongly – I think he’s doing a great job under tough circumstances.
“I don’t think we’ve showered ourselves in glory in that regard this year but nonetheless, we’re on with the job.”