Labor pledges $7.2bn for Bruce Highway as fierce QLD voter struggle looms | USAEMALL.com

Freshly announced federal funds to upgrade Queensland’s Bruce Highway will “save lives” on the notoriously dangerous route, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Catherine King says.

The Albanese government will on Monday formally pledge $7.2bn to the highway as it gears up for a fierce fight for votes in the Sunshine State.

In a run of morning show appearances spruiking the cash commitment, Ms King said it would take “the Bruce Highway from a one star to a three star”.

“We know that too many people lost their lives on the Bruce Highway last year,” she told Nine’s Today.

“And in particular, we have seen, unfortunately, an increase in fatal accidents on this road, particularly that stretch from Gympie onwards … where we’ve got a really significant bypass, it goes back into one lane. It’s not divided.”

At least 41 people died driving on the highway last year.

Just this weekend two men were killed and a young boy injured in a collision at Owanyilla, 230km north of Brisbane.

Queensland Labor’s state election loss last year has been broadly seen as not boding well for federal Labor.

The Albanese government only holds five of the 30 lower house seats in the state.

Bolstering its standing in Queensland will be crucial if it wants to prevent poll predictions of a minority government.

But Ms King played down the political context.

“What we are wanting to do is make sure we partner with states to improve productivity, to improve road safety, to make sure that our national highways and our roads that we drive on every single day, it’s why we’ve doubled the road funding to local councils,” she said.

“We’re really investing significantly in those projects … no colour-coded spreadsheets under our infrastructure investment, it is really focused on where do we need to put the money to make sure we can get freight moving the country productive and we can save lives.”

Anthony Albanese said in a statement his government was “getting on with building a better future for all Australians”.

“I’ve driven the Bruce Highway many times, and I know the critical role it plays for Queenslanders, tourists and freight,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today’s announcement takes the total investment in the Bruce Highway to more than $17bn.”