Minister for Transport and Main Roads
The Honourable Scott Emerson
Labor’s black hole leads roads to nowhere
The former Labor Government left almost $400 million in road and transport projects without any funding to deliver them.
Minister for Transport and Main Roads Scott Emerson said the Bligh Government had spent its final months recklessly committing projects to the Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) it knew couldn’t be delivered.
“I have ordered my Department to review this financial mess and provide a comprehensive list of unfunded projects promised by the former government,” Mr Emerson said.
“An LNP Government will be working hard to improve the budget bottom line to cut waste and find the savings so we can build better roads and deliver more frequent, reliable and affordable public transport for Queenslanders.
“Labor simply kept putting transport and road projects on lay-by long after they maxed out the credit card.
“It was a $382 million con on Queensland communities crying out for roads and transport infrastructure.”
Among the $382 million in unfunded promises were:
·$250 million added to QTRIP in 2011-12 by the former government without additional funding
·$75 million added to QTRIP post publication without additional funding
·$57 million in unfunded Regional Infrastructure Fund projects.
“The additional projects weren’t in the original detailed program of works for Queensland’s transport and road network over a four-year period, but appeared over the following 12 months,” Mr Emerson said.
“I understand some of the projects are already underway, which means there is a greater need to find savings because of Labor’s mismanagement.
“With a projected $85 billion debt inherited from Labor it is difficult to guarantee that unfunded projects that have not begun will receive funding in the upcoming budget without finding substantial savings across the portfolio.
“We will not mislead or con Queenslanders into believing there is money in the budget to deliver infrastructure projects when we have the largest debt in the state’s history.”
