DAVID CRISAFULLI [QUEENSLAND PREMIER]: Good morning everyone, a significant announcement, but before I do, I just want to acknowledge both Bree and Matt and the way that you guys are working together. It's a credit to both of you. Keep it up. And to Senator Chisholm, it's rare that I don't go somewhere in regional Queensland where he's been, and I think it's a credit to you, Anthony, for the distances you're travelling and I want to thank you for that in the way that we're working together.

We made a commitment to back the regions in Queensland and to get Queensland moving again, and that's exactly what this project represents and what we are attempting to do. And everybody's happy about it. Everybody. At the heart of good governance is making sure that as communities grow that you can build infrastructure to ensure that people's lifestyles are protected. That's why it's important that we invest, that we plan, and make sure that we can roll out road projects across the state. Today, I can announce that works will be commencing very, very shortly on the duplication of the Cairns Western Arterial between Lake Placid Road and the Captain Cook Highway. A really important stage in what is the first of three to make sure that we can deliver the infrastructure that a growing region needs. This is important because people need to travel roads safely. It's important because we want to get them to work and we want to get them home. We want people to enjoy the lifestyle that comes with living in the far north, and everything we can do about investing to make sure that we have the infrastructure to deal with growth is something that we will back all the time.

I make this point. For too long, Queenslanders in the regions have been taken for granted, and we will not take our foot off the gas in delivering road projects right across Queensland. At the moment, we're rolling out $9 billion investment in the Bruce Highway following an 80/20 deal that we struck with the federal government. And here's another project that's only happening because two levels of government have come together and said, enough's enough, let's get on and build things. And our commitment is that this is stage 1, but we want to flow into stage 2 and stage 3 in that same partnership to make sure that we continue to just roll out that delivery of projects right across the board.

So, I make the point. It's important that Queenslanders see us working together. It's important that Queenslanders see us building the kind of infrastructure that's been talked about for a long time and never been delivered. That's changing. And the fact that this project will be commencing and at the same time tenders going out for the major work shows that we are itching to get on with it, and people are going to see the kind of activity that a growing part of this great state deserves.

I'll hand over now to Senator Chisholm.

ANTHONY CHISHOLM [ASSISTANT MINISTER]: Thanks, Premier. It's a real pleasure to be here representing the Albanese Government for this important road project. Great to be here with the local state member, Bree. Nice to meet you. And also our fantastic Federal Member, Matt Smith.

We want to be a government for all of Australia, and that means investing in roads in regional communities. And I know that this road- and you can see by its use today how busy it is. So I know that this investment will be welcomed locally, and the money that the federal government are investing here is going to make a difference around safety. It's going to ensure that people can get around quicker. It's going to be good for the wet season. And it's going to ensure that this community will remain a great place to live for many decades to come. We look forward to stage 1 getting underway next year. This early works enables it to happen. And then the government continue to remain committed to stages 2 and 3 as well. 

This is part of our ongoing investment in regional in Queensland. The Premier mentioned the Bruce Highway and the $9 billion that we're investing there, $7.2 billion of that coming from the federal government. I'm looking forward to heading to Townsville a bit later today, driving down the highway and seeing some of those projects that are being done now to improve safety and conditions on the Bruce Highway. We know that for many Queenslanders, traveling is a significant part of what they do, whether it be for work, whether it be for pleasure, whether it’s tourists coming to spend money in our regional towns. So, we want to ensure that they can do it in a safe way and that all of Queensland benefits from federal government investment. Thanks to the constructive relationship with the state government – we look forward to seeing this project completed. And I want to thank Matt Smith, the Federal Member for Leichhardt, for his strong advocacy around regional roads and investment in the Far North. Thank you.

Thanks, Bree.

BREE JAMES [STATE MEMBER FOR BARRON RIVER]: Thank you. Thank you Senator. Today is very exciting day, especially for those that travel the Western Arterial Road every single day. This is an arterial road. It is a very important road, and we saw it- the importance of this road during the Jasper floods. It was the only road that people on the Northern Beaches could get through to the city. And this road has been a real frustration for locals because it just backs up with traffic every single day. So, to see it being four lanes in the future and works beginning today is such exciting news. We've been promised this road for a decade. So, this is something that everyone is so excited to finally see happening because it is such an important road to our region.

So, this is an election commitment that we made, and we promised that we would deliver this road. So it is very exciting to have the premier here today to announce that works will begin on this very important road, and Matt and I speak about this one- sorry, Matt over here. Matt and I speak about this road often, and we know how important it is for the Northern Beaches community to get into the city and back out again. So, this is really, really great news. There is a building boom in Queensland, and this is just showing that it's also in the region. So, whether you're in Coolangatta or the Cape, the Queensland Government is investing in the region. So, I'm really excited to finally see work begin on the Western Arterial Road.

MATT SMITH [FEDERAL MEMBER FOR LEICHHARDT]: This is a truly fantastic announcement. And what it shows is that all levels of government need to work together to deliver for our communities. This isn't about grandstanding. It's not about megaphone diplomacy. It's about getting together and delivering for the people that put us here. This road has been a long time coming. Four lanes is going to stop the snails in the morning. And in 50 years’ time, when people who aren't even born yet are taking the kids to school, off to sport, going to see family, they're not going to care who gets the credit or who delivered it. They're going to care that the road is there. And that's really what we've been put here to do. So, this is made possible because Bree and I work together well. This is made possible because Catherine and Brent work together well. Albo and Dave have a really good relationship. We understand that only when governments work together can we deliver for the communities that we serve.