Tuesday 20 July 2010

'Warren Entsch and Abbott will not upgrade the Bruce Highway on the south of Cairns' - Turnour

Leichhardt MP Jim Turnour is singling out the planned upgrade of the southern access road into Cairns, as a line in the sand against his main political contender. However LNP candidate Warren Entsch says Cairns residents shouldn't be fooled by Turnour's reannouncement of $150 million.


"The Save Sugarworld Facebook site did a great job in pressuring the Cairns Regional Council into taking action to fix up Sugar World. It shows what people power can do," Jim Turnour says.

"Tony Abbott and the LNP are putting the Bruce Highway upgrade project at risk, they do not support it and will not fund it if they are elected this year," Jim Turnour says. "I’m now fighting to ensure that we can improve the Bruce Highway in the Southern Suburbs of Cairns and need your support."

"If you are tired of being stuck in traffic on the Bruce Highway South of Cairns and want this road upgraded join this Facebook site. I’ll keep you up to date with what is happening and you can lend your support to make sure this project proceeds."

"We’ve been fighting hard as a community for these long overdue improvements and together we’ve secured the funding to make it happen. The Gillard Government has committed $150m and the project is ready to proceed," Turnour says. "Not only is this a vital piece of infrastructure, the project is expected to generate more than 400 jobs for the region."

"Now just as work is only a few months away from starting the project is a risk. Tony Abbott and the LNP oppose the $150 million upgrade to the Cairns southern access road."

Local Southside resident, Dianne Brelsford, says she she takes her life in her hands everything she drives on the road.

"Having driven this road morning and evening for the last seven years, I will be glad to see the upgrade take place. Each day I take my life in my hands driving to and from work."

Turnour says LNP refuse to commit the money to this "critically important local project."

"It will ease congestion, making the drive into Cairns shorter and safer. Don’t risk Tony Abbott cutting this project. Support the Cairns-Bruce Highway Upgrade."

Local Regional Councillor Robert Pyne, and Robert Mulgrave Labor MP Curtis Pitt, says people are telling him that they want action on the Bruce Highway.

"Both the Bruce Highway Upgrade and Cairns Transit Network are critical to the needs of our growing region and I fully support these projects," Curtis Pitt says. "The LNP keeps talking about bridges over the inlet and second corridor options that will do nothing for residents in suburbs like Edmonton, Bentley Park, Mt Sheridan, Forest Gardens and White Rock - nor will they help with existing traffic congestion."

Local writer Leigh Dall'Osto says she's looking forward to travelling on a major highway with simple exits to each suburb and no traffic lights along the way.

"While I acknowledge that the final result is 30 years away, I am impressed with the fast approval once a plan was decided upon and the speed in which it has been funded with thanks to the efforts of Jim Turnour who recognised the need for this," Leigh Dall'Osto says. "The current system is dangerous as travelling along a major road at 80 klms per hour and having to stop suddenly due to red lights, over and over again, makes it very difficult to travel smoothly and makes it almost impossible for Learner or P-plated drivers."

"Even after doing it almost daily for several years, I still see drivers turning in front of semi-trailers at the last moment, drivers running up the backsides of overly cautious drivers and drivers running through lights while they are turning red," Leigh says.

ETU union organiser and local Labor party member, Stuey Traill is critical of the narrow thinking by this proposal.

"Why rail options haven't been considered is crazy," Stuey Traill says. "Focusing on just increasing the road capacity, shows how narrow this whole process is. The bus service is not not the answer. There are options like another route [along the coastline] coming out near Portsmith. Also, a satellite hub, of a specialist industries, could be developed around the southside so there's is lesser need for thousands of vehicles to travel into Cairns everyday. These options haven't been considered."

However LNP candidate for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch says Julia Gillard and Labor are dead set on destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, including the Portsmouth Fuel at Roberts Road, along with and the national-award-winning Cairns Coconut Resort Caravan Park with this road to nowhere.

“Cairns residents won't be fooled by Jim Turnour's reannouncement of $150 million for this project," Warren Entsch told CairnsBlog. "These are exactly the same funds that were announced in 2007, and at the rate the Labor Government is moving on infrastructure for Far North Queensland, Labor will be announcing the same funds again in 2013 unless we stop them."

“The Southern Access project is just a great big lie to make Leichhardt residents think that Labor cares about Far North Queensland. It is not a second access that will actually ease pressure on the road – all it will do is help motorists get to the traffic jam at Ray Jones Drive faster."

Warren Entsch says if Gillard and Labor actually cared about Cairns, they would have properly planned this project, they would have actually consulted with the community and found a plan that works.

“If Gillard and Labor were serious about easing traffic problem at the south of Cairns then they would have created a legitimate second access to Cairns rather than adding to the problem."

10 comments:

colin riddell said...

I went to a forum jimmy organised at the show grounds when he was explaining the $43 billion dollar spendathon to local bizz heads.
I stood up and directly asked jimmy if the $150 million he promised pre election and later reaffirmed was part of the $43 billion or not , he said no it is separate he allready had the money set aside ,so where the hell is it!
I said I have not even seen a person down there in an orange vest looking at where you promised to build a fly over .
Since then it has been rolled into next terms promise , jimmy you are a shifty little bludger .
We need another access and those poor bastards don't need their homes resumed.
You wont suck us southsiders in again, lucky a heap of your hopeful voters still live in your electorate. It is a pity they moved the boundary we have a great choice now of mad hatter katter or your goose of a relative .

Wendy Davie said...

Could we please have a tally sheet comparing what has been achieved for Leithhardt with Jim Turnour as our representative and what was not with "Our Mate Wazza" (that is apart from tropical shirt Friday). Mates are great but we need someone representing us in Canberra who will make the hard decisions, do battle on our behalf, thus contributing to a strong viable future for our region.

Frank said...

I agree with Stuey Traill. "Upgraded" and more roads only ease traffic congestion in the short term. Then developers build more suburbs because commuters can get there faster, and, guess what, the roads soon clog up again! I have seen this happen time and again in Melbourne, and moved to Cairns to (among other things) avoid freeways and outdated traffic "solutions". Consult the community: they want rail not buses; and they don't want their homes bulldozed. I'm with Warren Entsch on this one.

Leigh Dall'Osto said...

In response to Warren Entch's comments that businesses along the highway will be adversely affected by the proposed upgrade, the two businesses he has named do not have access to them directly from the existing road and currently, you have to turn off the highway to get to them. The new highway will just make the turnoff smoother and will in fact, help them rather than hinder them.

Leigh Dall'Osto

Syd Walker said...

What a shame Stuey Traill isn't on the ballot for the ALP. Unlikethe current candidate, he seems to be living in the 21st century.

Back in the 1990s, the Federal and State ALPs were not persuaded climate change was a major problem. They dragged heels on action until the scientific consensus became overwhelming and deafening, a few years ago. In the process, hey wasted more than a decade. Many of Labor's policies during that time - its transport polices beinga classic case in point - significantly INCREASED the problem.

Building more road-dependent new communities is NOT the way of the future. This does not lead towards a sustainable Australia.

It isn't only bad climate change policy. It's bad policy for a raft of other reasons: social, economic and environmental.

Now the Labor Party claims to believe the climate change problem is real - and sustainability is a central concern - but keeps doing the same things to make our problems worse.

No new urban hubs should be built in the second decade of this century without first class public transport infrastructure from the outset - infrastructure that helps devlopment naturally occur around well-serviced nodes.

Rail is the obvious answer. Not a mega-highway. Or two highways.

We need a transport policy that isn't Moving Backwards.

Elephant memory said...

Probably a good time to remind cairns bloggers of jim turnours arrogance and abuse of his position .
Remember this in wiepa?

CairnsBlog spies working at the Heritage Resort said they couldn't believe what happened when the Federal MP was booked in for a meal with his party.
"It was around 7:45pm and an agitated waiter told everyone that they couldn't sit at that particular table," a local worker told CairnsBlog. "That table has been reserved. Please don't sit there," we were told.


A rumour quickly went around the bar and restaurant why one particular table was been kept all pristine and waiting. "We've got to look after it for the Honorable!" a staffer said.
However, Jim and his party didn't turn up until around 10:18pm. By this time the Heritage restaurant was empty, and would normally have closed.
"Staff were kept back and the kitchen had to remain open, they were there till after 11pm, serving Mr Turnour and his party - because they didn't have the decency to organise something earlier before they went to a meeting," the staffer told CairnsBlog. "They could have got some sandwiches organised, but instead they had the whole restaurant left open - they had the cooking staff there, it was so inconsiderate."

Even though the Heritage restaurant was booked for around 7pm, Mr Turnour was seen at the nearby Albatross Hotel at just before 10pm, where he was staying.
"This was so inconsiderate. To treat these locals and this business like this - to keep their kitchen open and all these staff back for one table, at that hour of the night, when his party could have made other arrangements," the staffer said.
In the late hours of Tuesday night, Mr Turnour enjoyed full table service, along with a number in his party, including his wife Tiffany, who often travels with the Honorable one.
Nice for some. Honourable? I'm not too sure

NATHAN OF BRINSMEAD said...

Hello
MAY I REMIND YOUR VIEWERS THAT WARREN ENCH WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CLOSING OF THE WANGETTI COLLEGE WARRENS OFFICE WAS FULL OF PAINTINGS FROM WHERE? WARREN AND THEY ARE MOST LIKLEY HANGING IN HIS HOME (NAUGHTY WARREN) ALSO YOUR TO OLD AND A HAS BEEN YOU DID BLOODY NOTHING WHEN THE HOWARD GOV WERE IN REMEMBER THEM ?(IF WE ARE ELECTED THERE WILL BE NO GOODS AND SERVICES TAX) AND KICKED OUT DR HUSTON AND BUGGER ME LIAR HOWARD WAS THERE ALL THAT TIME WITH YOU AS ONE OF HIS LAP DOGS. GO WARREN AND ROT WITH ABBOTT GO SNIFF HIS SPEEDOS LIES WARREN LIES LIES LIER LIER PANTS ON FIRE

Too smart 4u said...

cHRIST HTAT IS THE WORST EXAMPLE OF JIMS LAP DOGS TRYING TO LOOK ELLITERATE I AVE EVER SCENE HHAAaaAAA
HAVE a Few more wines obrien hhaaa tuite tuite hhahaaaaaa

Richie said...

It should be worth noting that Warren Buffett has spent billions buying up US rail networks of late.
He has recognised that the future of short to medium range transport lies in tracks and trains.
This is not driven by a green ideology but rather a pragmatic business case for a high energy cost future.
Buffett's investement is a stark contrast to the bargain basement sell off of QR by this state government.
A fire sale that will see any further investment only based upon immediate profits, and therefore guarantee a reduction of services.
A big motorway may well solve some of our transport woes when it is built, however future proof and visionary it is not.

Unknown said...

We should be shifting people not cars. Where the hell are all these cars going anyway? Into more multi-storie monstrosities that further detract from Cairns' tropical theme?

We need to shift the city's attitude to a more sustainable and healthy means of moving about, namely trains (which requires walking) and cycling.

Cars are important as are trucks and vans (to move things) but there should be strategies to cope with a less oil dependent society and Cairns can be at the forefront of that.

We aren't a big city, we have a lot of good weather but not the council or government to look beyond the car.