Roads across the state could miss out on funding if the LNP's plan to build a new M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast goes ahead, says Labor.
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One of the central planks of the LNP campaign was build a new four-lane highway to the Gold Coast in three stages.
However after the LNP released its election costings on Thursday, Labor says the LNP will cut almost $700 million invested in regional roads to pay for the highway.
"Costings revealed by Tim Mander yesterday show the LNP's secret regional roads cuts will see them funnel funding into their own safe Gold Coast seats by ripping off regional Queensland," Labor said in a statement.
"The LNP helpfully left an instruction manual for their highway heist that cuts hundreds of regional jobs. Page 23 of the LNP's own costings clearly states '$695 million (for the Second M1) will be funded as part of the $1.177 billion of Other Construction Projects in the Capital Program Update.".
Labor said the $1.117 billion figure is lifted from its own costings and that work is fully allocated on 102 road projects that include the Townsville-Mount Isa Flinders Hwy works and Longreach-Mount Isa Landsborough Hwy works.
"Labor will build Stage 1 of the Second M1 and fund every single one of the 102 road projects," they said.
"By their own costings, the LNP secret regional roads cuts plan will cut more than half of those 102 projects."
When releasing the costings Thursday Opposition treasury spokesman Tim Mander says the LNP's promises only total $5.05 billion in extra spending over the next four years.
He says that money will come from reallocating $3.1 billion over four years in funding from the public service, which will make it more efficient but involve no forced redundancies.
"It's very achievable, and this is the same thing that the Labor government has done for the last four or five budgets as well," Mr Mander said.
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Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
