Newsroom

January 29, 2025

The Bruce Highway has once again been brought to a standstill at Seymour north of Ingham, and it’s no surprise to locals and freight companies who have endured this recurring interruption every wet season. This time, it’s on the first day of a North Queensland tropical low, a stark reminder of the failure to progress critical flood-proofing upgrades for more than a decade.

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader and Member for Hinchinbrook Nick Dametto has slammed the former Labor State Government for dragging their feet on this project and called on the incoming LNP Government to stop the delays and get the job done.

“The Gairloch project, which includes the Seymour crossing, has been sitting on the QTRIP (Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program) for over a decade,” Mr. Dametto said.

“This is not a funding issue, the money was allocated a long time ago. It’s a case of pure incompetence and mismanagement by the former Labor Government who fluffed around for too long and never took this project seriously. Now, we’re all paying the price yet again.

“It is an absolute travesty, that in 2025 our national freight artery grinds to a halt after a day of standard wet-season rain.

“This is not a one-off. It’s a predictable, recurring problem that’s constantly ignored by Government’s based in Brisbane. The fact that, 10 years later, we’re still waiting for meaningful progress is an insult to every North Queenslander who relies on the highway.

“The LNP now has the opportunity to prove they are serious about supporting regional Queensland by prioritising the urgent construction of this project. The money is sitting there, it’s time to see concrete and steel coming out of the ground.”

 

Photo: Hinchinbrook MP and KAP Deputy Leader Nick Dametto at the location of the Gairloch project during the dry.