Australia, Roadworks, Transport News

Opposition matches Bruce Highway funding – with a catch

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has all but confirmed he will stand by Labor’s $7.2 billion Bruce Highway funding commitment if the Coalition earns election

Federal opposition leader Peter Dutton has pledged to match Anthony Albanese’s $7.2 billion funding commitment to upgrade Queensland’s Bruce Highway, but with a catch.

Albanese made headlines last week when he announced the government would commit the extensive funding to upgrading safety outcomes on some of the Bruce’s most dangerous sections, and bring it up to similar standards as the Pacific and Hume Highways.

The Prime Minister was in Queensland to launch the funding and announced the project was of such importance that it would revert to the 80:20 funding split with the state government, as opposed to a 50:50 split that has been floated in recent months.

Dutton has all but confirmed the Coalition would match the funding arrangement if he is successful in his election campaign this year, but says the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) would be barred from working on the project – and future highway projects.

“The Coalition will work with the Queensland LNP government on what specific investments are required to achieve a safer highway within the total cost of the commitment that has been made,” Dutton says.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli agreed with the stance that the CFMEU should be excluded from the state’s major projects.

“When we negotiate agreements, the new government will not be negotiating with the CFMEU, so we are very, very amenable with what Mr Dutton said,” Crisafulli says.

“The CFMEU have no place – with their behaviour – on Queensland job sites.”

Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt says the addition of the caveat of removing the CFMEU from the project was a case of “playing politics”.

“This whole issue about the Bruce Highway is not about unions, it’s not about politicians, it’s actually about road safety and helping Queenslanders stay alive on the roads,” Watt said on Sky News Australia.

“Even now [Dutton] wants to attach conditions to it that are meaningless. There is barely a CFMEU worker on these road or highway projects north of the Sunshine Coast.”

CFMEU National Secretary Zach Smith labelled Dutton’s caveat to funding the Bruce Highway project as “anti-worker”.

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