Labor doing heavy lifting to keep Gold Coast on the move

AS a Gold Coaster born and bred, I beg to differ with Ron Nightingale’s letter (GCB, 22/5). He has missed some basic facts around funding of Gold Coast infrastructure.

When it comes to transport infrastructure on the Gold Coast, it’s the Palaszczuk Labor Government doing the heavy lifting because the Gold Coast doesn’t get its fair share from the LNP in Canberra.

We funded the majority of light rail Stage 2 and built it in record time because the Commonwealth Games would have been impacted without it after there were no plans to build it by Campbell Newman.

It’s the Palaszczuk Labor Government that tipped in an extra $600 million in funding for four M1 upgrades. The Morrison Government gave 80 per cent federal funding to the NSW M1 but only 50 per cent to Queensland because we refused to sell assets, as LNP MP Karen Andrews confirmed.

The Helensvale to Coomera rail duplication was 100 per cent funded by the Palaszczuk Government, as was $160 million in pre-Commonwealth Games road upgrades.

And we’re building three new train stations on the Coast at Helensvale North, Pimpama and Worongary-Merrimac which will be completed and operational in time for the first services on Cross River Rail.

Ron assumes public transport makes a profit. It never does so it’s impossible for fares to go somewhere else.

Our state record of funding transport infrastructure on the Gold Coast is very strong and we’ll keep at it in the face of federal indifference which sadly looks more entrenched than ever after Saturday’s federal election and Karen Andrews’ claims that we can simply cut light rail Stage 3A 700 metres short. MARK BAILEY, TRANSPORT AND MAIN ROADS MINISTER