“PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS”

By Amanda Wright

If Queensland wants the Mackay, Isaac, and Whitsunday regions to remain the economic driver of the state, then it’s time to fix our roads to ensure the journey to prosperity continues.

This was a collective message delivered by our region’s mayors alongside GW3 Chief Executive Officer Kylie Porter, who are advocating for the state and federal governments to stop paying lip service and commit to fixing our broken roads.

Despite generating $74.4 billion annually, our regions are losing $287 million each year because of poor infrastructure and frequent road closures.

Mackay Mayor Greg Williamson said that consecutive governments have pushed our regions to the side without locking in dedicated funding commitment to improve critical carriageways such as the Bruce Highway and Peak Downs Highway. He echoed Isaac Mayor Kelly Vea Vea’s words which were, “It’s time for the government to put its money where its mouth is.”

“We are battling dangerous highways, regular flooding, and cyclone damage, yet the funding to fix these critical arteries is nowhere to be seen, year after year,” Mayor Williamson said.

“If our regions are expected to drive Queensland’s economy, we need the infrastructure to match.”

Regional mayors and GW3 CEO unite to demand urgent road repairs, crucial for maintaining Queensland's economic momentum. L-R: Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) Chief Executive Officer Ms Kylie Porter, Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins, Isaac Regional Council Mayor Kelly Vea Vea, Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson. Photo credit: Amanda Wright

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THE $1B COST OF NEGLECT

GW3 Demands Road Investment For Future Growth

Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) Chief Executive Officer Ms Kylie Porter said the Greater Whitsunday region makes an oversized contribution to the Queensland economy, with a total economic output of $74.4B each year.

“Our regional economic contribution across key industries including mining and METS, agriculture, aquaculture and tourism is significant and demonstrates our region’s strategic importance to the Queensland economy,” she said.

Emphasising the critical need for investment in roads, housing and future industry growth for the Greater Whitsunday region, GW3 has released its 2024 Queensland state election priorities.

This document outlines strategic initiatives and investment commitments needed for the Greater Whitsunday region. The advocacy document highlights the importance of the region’s ongoing contribution to Queensland’s economic prosperity in the lead-up to the Queensland state election on Saturday, October 26.

"This priorities document is a call to action for our state government leaders to invest wisely and ensure that the Greater Whitsunday region remains the Queensland economy’s heavy hitter,” Ms Porter added.

Ms Porter said importantly, these election priorities emphasise that roads in the region are too often closed in response to a weather event or incident and without action the cost to the region will exceed $1.4B over the next ten years.

“Road closures and a lack of investment is costing the Greater Whitsunday regional economy dearly.

“The impact to our industries and our economy is significant with the region losing $287M in revenue and 215 full time jobs annually.”

Mackay Regional Council Mayor Greg Williamson said the importance of delivering our planned road projects on time is crucial to the growth and development of Mackay and the whole of the Greater Whitsunday region.

“By accelerating projects from planning to construction, we ensure that our infrastructure keeps pace with our community's needs and economic ambitions.

"Given our region's susceptibility to road closures, with an average of 16.5 closures for an average of 4.2 days, it is fundamental that we adhere to planned timelines and accelerate project completion.

“By minimising disruptions and ensuring efficient project completion, we enhance the quality of life for our residents and bolster our local economy."

Ms Porter added that the biggest losses across the region’s industries included mining, accommodation and food services.

"Our roads and infrastructure are not just pathways; they are the lifelines of our economy and community safety.”

Isaac Regional Council Mayor Kelly Vea Vea said the Greater Whitsunday road network, which supports billions in economic output for the State, is in dire need of investment.

"Our roads were never built for the size and scale of traffic that uses them. Many of the roads across the area are regularly closed due to flooding or starting to literally fall apart,” Mayor Vea Vea said.

“That is why this election we are putting roads at the centre of our advocacy to all major parties.

“We are calling for a serious funding commitment to support road upgrades across Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday to ensure we can continue to deliver billions for the state’s coffers.”

Mayor Vea Vea added that cost of living relief delivered by the state government, such as 50-cent public transport fares, mainly benefitting the south-east corner, comes from coal royalties largely generated in the Bowen Basin.

“You’re welcome, Queensland,” Mayor Vea Vea said.

“We’re quite happy to keep making the money for those 50-cent fares as long as it’s invested back into the regions generating that wealth.”

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins said building more resilience into the region’s federal and state road network was crucial, saying the section of the Bruce Highway in the Whitsundays is one of the worst.

Mayor Collins said yet another disaster season will come and go and still there was no progress in building flood immunity into the two bottleneck areas at Goorganga Plains on the Bruce Highway and Hamilton Plains on Shute Harbour Road.

“These issues have been kicked around like a proverbial political football for more than a decade and a disrupted road network has a huge impact on not only our residents but also our booming tourism and agriculture industries.

“The almost annual road flooding events cause chaos at our record-breaking Whitsunday Coast Airport with flights cancelled as passengers and staff can’t access the terminal while the freight network, so important to our agriculture sector, is also left in chaos.

"Having our region virtually cut-off upsets everyone both south and north of us as it is our national highway and the connectivity hub for regional Queensland.

"Our aim is to get bi-partisan support for all tiers of government and political parties. We are keen to work with them all to get an outcome for our community,” Mayor Collins said.

Ms Porter said the priority for the region’s roads was to ensure the Queensland Government delivers planned projects on time; accelerates project planning to construction delivery and costs and plans projects that require investment.

“There are 20+ road improvement projects slated for the region with more than $700M in investments committed across the Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday LGA’s.

“On-time delivery of these planned projects is critical to promote and support prosperity and to improve safety across our region’s road network,” Ms Porter said.

Mayor Williamson said highlighting our region’s priorities is essential for making informed decisions to drive real change and progress.

“By prioritising infrastructure development, we can address community needs and enhance our economic future."

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Mayor Greg Williamson discusses the urgent need for timely road repairs, emphasising that accelerated infrastructure projects are essential for regional growth and economic stability. Photo credit: Amanda Wright

Isaac Mayor Kelly Vea Vea highlights the inadequacy of current road infrastructure, noting that many roads in the region were never designed to handle the rapid growth and heavy traffic they encounter today

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