During Senate Estimates last week, it can be revealed Federal Labor have allocated minimal funding in the forward estimates for the urgent upgrades and sealing of the 457 kilometre Beef Corridors Road Network. Only $45 million, just over 10 percent of the initially allocated $400 million, has been assigned over three financial years.
Federal Member for Capricornia, Michelle Landry, said this is another example of Labor’s contempt for the rural communities in the region.
“Despite the region contributing a staggering $1.7 billion to the economy, the government is draining resources from the area and failing to provide significant benefits to the communities within the Beef Corridors Road network.
“It was all well and good for the Prime Minister and fellow Ministers to front up to Beef 2024 recently, donning their Akubra’s and claiming to support the industry. However, these sentiments fall short when funding for critical beef road networks can be so easily pulled,” Ms Landry said.
Federal Member for Flynn, Colin Boyce said May Senate Estimates confirmed that the Federal Labor Government have allocated less than $100 million of the $400 million required to seal the Beef Corridors in the forward estimates.
“The communities that rely on the Beef Corridors Road network have still been left in the dark about where the money is going to be provided for vital upgrades and sealing,” Mr Boyce said.
“The Federal Infrastructure Department said that they will work closely with the Queensland Government who are also engaging with local councils to work on the timing for future construction delivery timeframes but there’s still no specific information.
“I’m calling on the Federal Labor Government to bring forward the funding and get the Beef Corridors upgrade underway ASAP,” Mr Boyce said.
Senate Estimates revealed the distribution of funds for the Beef Corridors Road Network as $10 million for the 2024/25 financial year, $15 million for the 2025/26 financial year and $20 million for the 2026/27 financial year.
Senator for Queensland, Matthew Canavan said Labor is risking the lives of those who live and work in the Beef Corridors network of roads.
“The roads due to be upgraded under the Beef Corridors funding are a risk to all those that have driven them, and that was why we put $400 million towards them when we were in Government.
“Labor ripped the funding out and cast a cloud of uncertainty on these much-needed upgrades, but the funding over the next four years is still short of what it was meant to be this time last year.
Central Queensland is again having to fight just to get the scraps of the money that our region sends to Canberra.”
