Tony’s doorstop

18 February 2010

Subjects: Midland Highway upgrade.

TONY ABBOTT:

I’m very pleased to be here by the side of the Midland Highway with Will Hodgman, the Leader of the Opposition in Tasmania, with Guy Barnett my friend and Tasmanian Senate colleague, to announce that a Coalition government will fund the upgrade of the Midland Highway to the tune of $400 million over ten years, starting in 2014. This is a very important road in the state and really, nationally. This road is at the very heart of Tasmania. If Tasmania is to develop properly, if the people of Tasmania are to have the kind of life and the kind of economy that they deserve, this road needs to be upgraded. I’m pleased to make the commitment and, frankly, if the Rudd Government were serious about helping the people of Tasmania instead of narking and carping, it would back this commitment and do likewise. I’m just going to throw to Will to say a few words and then I’ll take some questions.

WILL HODGMAN:

Look obviously I’m delighted to be here with the federal leader and, most importantly, delighted to know that the Coalition will make such a significant contribution to what is an important infrastructure development in this state. Tasmanians have a real choice to make on March 20 and one of the key policies that we have consistently argued for over a long period is making the Midland Highway dual carriageway. Tasmanians deserve it. It is a federal road and we’ve always said predominantly should be funded by the federal government. The alternative federal government, the Coalition government led by Tony Abbott, will commit a significant amount of money to make this project happen. We are obviously delighted that that is the case, and we will continue with the vision and the leadership that says to Tasmanians if they want to drive on roads that are as good as those roads interstate, if they believe that Tasmania deserves a four-lane Midland Highway that is safer and that better allows our economy to grow for the long-term future of this state, which in my view is only going to grow – the Government’s own report show that there will be an incredible increase in passenger movements, freight – if we’re going to make Tasmania the food bowl of the nation, we need a national highway, the Midland Highway, that is capable of helping deliver that.

TONY ABBOTT:

Okay. Questions?

QUESTION:

The question was how far would you expect $400 million to go out of a 200 kilometre highway?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, my understanding is that there’s 120 kilometres that is yet to be duplicated. My understanding is that on standard construction costs, it should be possible to complete the duplication with $400 million.

QUESTION:

State government says about $2 billion.

TONY ABBOTT:

Well my understanding is that the $2 billion estimate is for a completely new road and we’re not proposing a completely new road. We are proposing a very substantial upgrade; that’s what we’re proposing and we believe on standard road construction costs that it’s doable for $400 million.

QUESTION:

So will the four lanes go straight through from Hobart to Smithton or will there be spots where it won’t be four lanes?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well the intention is to have a four-lane highway all the way from Hobart to Launceston. Now, I don’t have a detailed blueprint because obviously I’m in opposition and I don’t have the capacity to give you engineering maps at this point in time, but it’s a $400 million commitment from a future Coalition government. It is an absolute commitment. No ifs, no buts. That money will be available to Tasmania to give them the kind of Midland Highway that they deserve.

QUESTION:

Why wait until 2014 to start it?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, because it is important to get the proper planning done which means that we won’t see the kind of waste and mismanagement that you get when you rush money out the door prematurely.

WILL HODGMAN:

That’s why we’ve committed one million dollars in the forward estimates for the planning that’s required. There are obviously engineering elements of such a major infrastructure project that will need to be completed and then we can get on the job of building this highway. I should point out as well that our policy has always been stated that it does not intend to bypass either Campbell Town or Perth but for the remaining stretches, that 120-odd kilometres that are not dual carriageway, they will be under this commitment and with the assistance of this package announced today.

QUESTION:

How much planning has actually been done to determine the cost of a four-lane highway?

WILL HODGMAN:

Well we sought and received independent advice from experts, road construction companies, about the project and the cost we have factored into the estimates [inaudible] contingencies and we stand by those costings.

QUESTION:

So really it should be Mr Abbott’s photo that’s on the board over there, not yours Will, because you’re only putting in one million?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, the truth is that when you’re talking about a national highway, both the federal government and the state government need to be involved. In terms of funding, it should be the national government that provides the lion’s share of the funding and I will be very happy to work with the Tasmanian Government, hopefully with Will as the Premier, to ensure that this work gets done.

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, given the information that you have about the federal Budget, are you happy that you’d have the money to be able to put up that 400 million?

TONY ABBOTT:

Well, I’m confident that by 2014 we would have the budgetary situation under control. The important thing is to have a stronger economy and I’m very confident that the sorts of policies that we would put in place would produce a significantly more productive economy and that it would be entirely responsible of us to make this commitment over 10 years starting in 2014.

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, your entrance obviously wasn’t quite as dramatic as yesterday’s, but road safety is still an issue on this highway?

TONY ABBOTT:

Of course it is and one of the great things about a four lane dual carriageway is that it is inherently safer than a two lane road where you’ve got perilous overtaking exercises, where you’ve got oncoming traffic as a constant hazard, and one of the issues which is constantly being raised with me by people like Guy Barnett and Steve Titmus, the candidate for Bass, is the problem of infrastructure which is just not as safe as it ought to be, and you only have to look at the volume of traffic on this road, the number of cross streets and so on, to understand that it really does need an upgrade. It’s not just a question of being stronger for the economy, it’s also a question of saving lives on a road which is just substandard for a first world country going into the 21st Century.

QUESTION:

Mr Abbott, your event yesterday, did that persuade you to walk across the road here today rather than arrive in your car?

TONY ABBOTT:

Look, I do what my programme tells me and where my car goes, I go. I am in the car and I go where the car goes inevitably, but look the fact is that the roads in the current state of infrastructure are not as safe as they should be. If we want to try to minimise accidents, minimise the risk to life, the tragedy to families, we do need to upgrade these roads to a decent first world standard and that’s the problem – over the years state Labor governments have neglected this infrastructure. It’s important that we upgrade it and that’s the commitment that I’m making today.

QUESTION:

It’s a very busy road. Given that, was this the safest place to be holding a doorstop?

TONY ABBOTT:

It’s a perfectly good place and I think that it doesn’t matter where you go on a road like this there are potential hazards, but it’s important to make the point that we’re going to try to make this road as safe as we possibly can.

WILL HODGMAN:

Can I just in conclusion just touch on a matter that Nick was referring to and make this final observation. At the end of the day, Tasmanians want to know what our plans are for the future of this state and what our priorities are. We say unashamedly that Tasmania should have a dual carriageway Midland Highway, it should be four lanes. Now, I’m prepared to go to Canberra and discuss with my federal colleagues and also the Prime Minister about the need for this road, about the importance of it for Tasmania.

If David Bartlett won’t and if he’s happy to persuade Kevin Rudd that Tasmania does not need this, as he has done, well that’s a matter for him. But I will go to Canberra and fight for Tasmania to have a dual carriage Midland Highway delivered in this state within a reasonable time frame in a way that’s affordable because I believe that’s what Tasmania needs.

If David Bartlett’s not prepared to fight, that’s a matter for him, but we have seen Liberal and Labor governments working cooperatively to deliver this sort of road infrastructure in the northwest of Tasmania. The question remains, why can’t we have that between Hobart and Launceston, and the fact that David Bartlett’s too weak to go to Canberra and argue a case for Tasmania with a federal Labor government led by Kevin Rudd is a matter for him, but I won’t just stand by and allow Tasmania to accept second best.

QUESTION:

Would you be concerned if David Bartlett does go to Canberra and get money to start on the Midland Highway that Labor is proposing before 2014?

WILL HODGMAN:

Well, David Bartlett might well change his mind again as he is want to do, but I will continue to argue for this project for Tasmania. I consider it important. We’ve staked our case, we’ve told Tasmanians that if they want the real change to deliver a four lane Midland Highway, vote Liberal on March 20. If David Bartlett changes his mind again, which perhaps would not be surprising, then that’s a matter for him.

QUESTION:

Aren’t you concerned though that that four lane Midland Highway is not going to start really until the next election campaign?

WILL HODGMAN:

We are committing a government I lead to getting on with the job of building a four lane Midland Highway, stating a case very strongly telling Tasmanians that’s what we stand for. David Bartlett is arguing against such a thing. Tasmanians can make their own decision and their own choice on that basis.

TONY ABBOTT:

Thanks a lot.

[ends]