Federal Member for Groom, Garth Hamilton has slammed the lack of progress on the SEQ City Deal.
As part of the deal, Toowoomba was set to see the long-anticipated Railway Parklands come to fruition, with $25 million in joint funding from the Commonwealth, State and Local governments.
“This is a critical project for Toowoomba’s future and we all need to know – what is the delay and where is the money?” Mr Hamilton said.
“In July the Labor state and federal governments quietly released the so-called ‘implementation plan’, which in my view is not worth the glossy paper it is written on. It gives very little detail, except that we won’t see any work anytime soon,” Mr Hamilton said.
Mr Hamilton said the Voice obsessed Albanese and chaotic Palaszczuk governments were letting Queensland down by failing to progress $1.8 billion worth of projects.
“Frankly that is not good enough when we are in the grips of a housing crisis.
“As far as I am concerned, governments are wasting time instead of getting on with the job and unlocking housing and urban renewal in Toowoomba,” Mr Hamilton said.
“The Railway Parklands Project was supported by Toowoomba Regional Council and the Chamber of Commerce because it delivers much needed housing options in the CBD,” Mr Hamilton said.
South East Queensland, including the Toowoomba Region, is one of the fastest growing parts of Australia. The original Statement of Intent was signed on 15 March 2019 with specific projects and funding agreed on 21 March 2022.
Despite repeated Questions in Writing, the Albanese Government has refused to provide further detail on the progress of the SEQ City Deal.
You can read more about the lack of progress here South East Queensland (SEQ) City Deal | State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning
ENDS.
