Second M1 cash war erupts at 10 paces
LABOR and the Coalition are at war over funding of the city’s largest road project, the Coomera Connector.
State Transport Minister Mark Bailey fired in a salvo in Parliament on Tuesday, saying the Federal Government was refusing to hand over money promised for the second M1.
Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher quickly responded: “Commonwealth funding for the Coomera Connector is absolutely committed and budgeted for, but as the state government is well aware, the Commonwealth only makes payments for projects once critical milestones are met by the state.”
Both governments have agreed to split the $2.1bn needed to build the 16km first stage, from Carrara to Coomera.
Mr Bailey said the State Government wrote to federal Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce’s department in November last year requesting it release the next round of funding to get construction started.
“They’ve either ignored it or forgotten it due to incompetence,” he told the Bulletin.
“With construction getting underway in January, this round of funding was critical to ensure we could pay contractors and get this much-needed project underway for the Gold Coast, so by not releasing the funding they threatened to delay the entire project.
“The Palaszczuk government has been forced to step in to keep the project moving, bringing forward hundreds of millions of dollars to cover the Morrison government’s shortfall.”
Mr Fletcher said “any suggestion the Australian government is holding up this important project is simply not true, and a deliberate distraction from a Labor government that is notorious for suffering cost blowouts and mismanaging the delivery of infrastructure projects. In November 2021, without any notice, the state government requested an additional $316.1m to cover a cost blowout on the Coomera Connector, on top of the Commonwealth’s existing and agreed $750m commitment to the project. The Commonwealth was quick to respond and provided the significant additional funding within a matter of weeks.
“Ironically, it is the Labor state government
FIERY FEDS
TRANSPORT MINISTER MARK BAILEY
ANY SUGGESTION THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT IS HOLDING UP THIS IMPORTANT PROJECT IS SIMPLY NOT TRUE, AND A DELIBERATE DISTRACTION FROM A LABOR GOVERNMENT THAT IS NOTORIOUS FOR SUFFERING COST BLOWOUTS URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE MINISTER PAUL FLETCHER
that is withholding infrastructure funding, refusing to pass on $50m in Commonwealth funding to Brisbane City Council for the Brisbane Metro project.”
In February, the Bulletin revealed major work on building the first stage of the project between Nerang and Coomera could be delayed until at least mid-year as the state government worked through environmental and legal challenges.
An Infrastructure Australia report showed the Coomera Connector would be four lanes and not the six lanes as originally intended, which sparked a protest from LNP state backbenchers who attacked Labor’s commitment on the project.