Newsroom

November 14, 2024

Letter to the Editor - RE: Bruce Hwy claims 33 lives: Premier vows to fix deadly ‘goat track’ (13 November 2024)

I refer to the recent article “Bruce Hwy claims 33 lives: Premier vows to fix deadly ‘goat track’. It certainly has been another year of tragedy on the Bruce Highway with thirty-three lives lost already. Each life represents multiple families torn apart.

Premier Crisafulli has rightly described the Bruce Highway as a “goat track.” This vital artery connects many regional communities to the south-east corner, and we can’t afford for it to remain one of the most dangerous roads in the country. As promised, the new government is forming an advisory body to map a long-term strategy, and we welcome any effort to address this, but this needs to lead to fast tracked construction, we don’t want another four years of studies.

Recently, the Northern Bruce Action Group (NBAG), specifically Dr Tracy Cheffins and economist Colin Dwyer, calculated that a partial duplication of the Bruce Highway, by creating two lanes in each direction along high-risk stretches, as well as a 2-plus-1 lane system on remaining sections, could be done with a $20 billion investment. The research and calculations done by the NBAG was recently adopted by the Katter’s Australian Party to formulate our Bruce Highway Strategy.

$20 billion is no small sum, but the Bruce Highway is our lifeline. It’s an investment that could save lives, boost regional economies, and provide safer travel for Queenslanders If the federal government restored the 80:20 funding arrangement, the dream of duplicating the Bruce Highway could really become a reality. You’d be hard-pressed to find a taxpayer who’d object to funding this project to end the highway’s tragic legacy.

Nick Dametto MP - Member for Hinchinbrook & Deputy Leader Katter’s Australian Party