No northern voice about Bruce Hwy

NORTH, Central and Far North Queensland are not represented in a government group formed to futureproof the Bruce Highway.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk committed to the formation of the Bruce Highway Trust as part of her signature road policy in 2017, and the group met for the first time last week.

Publicly available information shows seven of the eight members on the trust’s newly formed advisory council are based in southeast Queensland; the eighth is based nearby in the South Burnett.

The group’s members include chairman Peter Garske, former Queensland Trucking Association chief, Barbara Madden, company director of the Smithfield Group, Greg Hallam of the Local Government Association of Queensland, Paul Turner of the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland, Gary Mahon of the Queensland Trucking Association, Georgina Davis of the Queensland Farmers Federation, Daniel Gschwind of the Queensland Tourism Industry Council and Peter Biaginiif of the Transport Workers Union.

Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey said the trust was composed of peak bodies with an interest in the road and represented large sections of the Queensland community.

“These peak bodies were chosen because they represent and advocate for businesses, industries and communities throughout Queensland, not just one particular area,” he said.

The trust has been characterised as a way to take the politics out of the road and drive a bipartisan 15-year vision for jobs and upgrades on the 1679km highway.

Despite criticism the government took three years to fulfil its commitment to the trust, Mr Bailey said it was always intended for it be established in the 2019-20 financial year.

A Department of Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the trust’s first meeting had been “tentatively set” for February but was rescheduled because of the coronavirus.

He said a technical working group that supported the trust had met a “number of times” already. At its first meeting, the advisory council talked about how the trust would operate, its term of reference and what was important to stakeholders.