Portfolio — 8 June 2026

Assistant Minister Anthony Chisholm used a ministerial media release on 8 June to signal a significant acceleration of work under the $9 billion Bruce Highway Targeted Safety Program, announcing 52 new tenders for design and construction across Queensland [TA-260608-infras-7366c8263c4c:m39801]. The tender package is substantial in scope: more than 200 km of wide centre line treatment, 100 km of pavement strengthening, five new overtaking lanes, 13 intersection upgrades, two new rest areas, and the replacement of three narrow bridges in Far North Queensland [TA-260608-infras-7366c8263c4c:m39801].

The release positions the announcement as the program moving from planning into active delivery across both the Far North and Central Queensland corridors simultaneously.

On the ground, ten projects in Central Queensland are already underway — seven under construction and three scheduled to begin this month. Two completed works were highlighted to demonstrate momentum: safety upgrades at Bauple, delivering wider roads and dedicated turn lanes at the Stratford and Brooks Road intersections, and flood-resilience works at Dallachy Road south of Tully, which are expected to cut average annual flood impact on that section by 40 percent.

The flood-resilience framing is notable — it situates the program not only as a road safety instrument but as infrastructure hardening against Queensland's recurring wet-season disruptions, relevant to both regional communities and freight supply chains.

The program's funding split — $7.2 billion from the Albanese Government and $1.8 billion from the Queensland Crisafulli Government — is explicitly cited in the release, underscoring the intergovernmental character of the program and Chisholm's role as the federal coordinating minister. Federal Minister Catherine King is also referenced in the release in connection with the government's Bruce Highway safety commitment, reflecting the Infrastructure portfolio's lead on national road network investment.

Chisholm's communications approach centres on translating a large program dollar figure into visible, measurable physical outputs — kilometres treated, intersections upgraded, bridges replaced, flood days reduced — rather than dwelling on aggregate funding. The 52 tenders announcement is the clearest forward signal: it opens a broad construction pipeline that will sustain activity along the corridor for the near term.