CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Mr BUCHHOLZ (Wright) (16:23): Today I stand to acknowledge and give the most sincere shout-out to a state member in my electorate, a gentleman by the name of Jimmy McDonald. Jim brings to the state parliament a sense of enthusiasm, a sense of professionalism and a sense of efficiency, and the way he represents his people is second to none. It's an absolute pleasure to partner with him.
When Jim puts his mind to a particular task, it is foolish not to link arms with him and join the crusade. Jim McDonald, the member for Lockyer, has asked me to join with him in advocating for one of Queensland's most vital transport arterials, the Warrego Highway. The Warrego Highway is a piece of infrastructure that connects Brisbane to Toowoomba through the Lockyer Valley, out through Southern Downs.
It's the main access road out of Brisbane to Darwin for the heavy transport sector. It's also the preferred route from Brisbane down to Sydney for the heavy transport sector. It's the lifeline that keeps our regional economies moving, our projects flowing to market and our freight networks connected to our ports and to our cities.
But those who travel it know it's a highway that's constantly under pressure. Too often it's cut by floodwaters, and too often it's the scene of serious accidents. I have been a member of the parliament for 15 years and I can reliably tell this parliament that, every second year, that road is cut.
It's cut at the Forest Hill Fernvale Road Glenore intersection, and Jim is asking for serious attention to be given to that intersection. I acknowledge that the federal government recently entered back into an 80-20 partnership arrangement with the Queensland government for the Bruce Highway. We welcome that.
When we were in government, we did 80-20 on all the regional roads, and the metropolitan roads were done at 50-50. I'm today calling on the minister for transport and infrastructure to add this intersection to the Bruce Highway, particularly in light of the demand that will be on that corridor as we start to prepare for the Olympic Games. In Toowoomba we will be hosting some of the most significant equine events, and I can tell you, from the number of times that that road has been blocked, Mother Nature is not specific to a particular month.
Floods can come in any month, and we should not be embarrassing ourselves by hosting events that are inaccessible because of these particular intersections. Jim McDonald, you're a champion for the community. You and I will lock arms, get the costings together and get them down here to Canberra, and I'll lobby for you.