Queensland Shadow Minister reviews the Bruce Highway

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Prime Mover Magazine / June 29, 2015

Queensland Shadow Minister for Main Roads, Fiona Simpson, has begun a journey down the Bruce Highway to hear and see first-hand what is needed for this important piece of infrastructure.

“The best way to understand what is needed for this highway is to travel it with those that do it every day. They have a unique and invaluable insight as to what works and what doesn’t,” Simpson said.

Simpson’s journey south from Cairns began with Followmont Transport, and then picked up with Freshwayz Transport for the second leg and Rocky’s Own for the final leg.

According to Owen Driscoll, National Manager Industry Relations at National Transport Insurance (NTI), the journey was organised with TruckSafe Accredited operators in order to ‘ensure the Shadow Minister was in the best of care’.

“The Bruce Highway is a lifeline of our vast state as supplies are moved north and south every hour of every day. I am looking forward to hearing what each driver says and also to listen to the feedback from locals as we travel from postcode to postcode,” Simpson said.

Simpson will also meet with key stakeholders to get their feedback on local concerns and to hear what they believe their priorities are regarding this major Australian highway.

“It’s good to get somebody from the government to actually sit in a truck and see what the guys go through daily and see where the highways need to be upgraded,” Clynt Leeson from Followmont Transport said.

Simpson said the LNP's 10-year action plan to fix the highway was showing results but there was a long way to go.

"I can see areas where there has been significant work done but there needs to be a lot more done over the next 10 years," she said. "It's never going to be cheap but this is our most important highway - a lifeline as supplies are moved north and south every hour of every day."