The State Labor Government must deliver real and genuine investment to the Gympie region
in next week’s State Budget.
This year’s floods have made it even more obvious that investment should be on local
infrastructure projects, ongoing flood recovery, future-proofing the region, and improvement
of existing infrastructure and facilities.
Projects such as road and bridge infrastructure and support to deliver high-quality sport
facilities have been made more urgent because of the impact from our floods.
For years I have been raising these issues with the Premier and Ministers, through
correspondence, speeches, and questions in the Parliament and in the media.
Some of the projects are an indictment of the legacy of lack of investment from 31 years of
State Labor governments which have ignored the needs of this region which is now under
further stress from a high growth rate.
It must now deliver.
The Government must also live within its means, stop its addiction to taxes and blaming
others for its own failures, and make sure that spending is prudent, sensible, and made with
common sense.
Among local priorities are:
Fast track the process to deliver a new hospital for Gympie;
An ambulance station at Glenwood;
Specific funding for road and bridge infrastructure and improved train services;
Upgrading the Mary Valley Highway (gazettal name Gympie-Brooloo Road) as advised
under the Mary Valley Road Safety Report. It needs to be upgraded to at least B double
standard to assist industry growth in the region;
Overtaking lanes on the Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach Roads;
Widen to two lanes the three-kilometre stretch between Tooth Drive and Reuben Road, on
the Gympie-Woolooga Road;
Construct a roundabout at the intersection of Tin Can Bay Road and Bayside Road, Cooloola
Cove;
Improve flood immunity and start planning for a high-level bridge to improve access between
north and south Gympie;
Upgrade bridges on Gympie-Woolooga Road;
Increased train services from Gympie North to the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. As health
services are being diverted to the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane residents needs improved
services and extra facilities, including toilet facilities;
Future proofing of road infrastructure;
Special assistance to Gympie Regional Council for road upgrades;
Additional police personnel and resources to combat increasing crime levels;
A properly designated police station and additional police personnel at Rainbow Beach which
currently operates from underneath a house;
Upgrade and additional personnel at Imbil Police Station;
New Fire and Emergency Station in Gympie;
New Rural Fire Shed at Imbil;
Additional resources for Weapons Licensing which based on the steady stream of requests I
receive it is clearly not working;
Investment in high quality sporting facilities;
Funding for a multipurpose entertainment and sport facility in Gympie;
Heating for the outdoor pool at the Gympie Aquatic Recreation Centre;
Funding for more social housing in Gympie. Housing stress and soaring homelessness is
exacerbated by a tight private rental market and the lack of welfare housing;
Fast track investment in new school buildings and to flood proof them especially at One Mile
State School. Demountables should only be temporary – they cannot be the solution.
