Road funds for Qld in federal budget

The Turnbull government will match Labor's promise of $200 million to upgrade Queensland's Ipswich Motorway.





The commitment to widen a three kilometre section of the motorway was revealed in Tuesday's federal budget.

It will also include the construction of a new bridge over Oxley Creek to improve flood immunity.

A further $200 million will be provided in 2016/17 to widen a section of Brisbane's Gateway Motorway.

Queensland will also receive $95 million over four years for stage two of the Gold Coast light rail project.

But the federal budget didn't offer the $1 billion in public transport investment Queensland's Labor treasurer was hoping for.

Curtis Pitt said before the budget Queenslanders would feel "drastically short-changed" if NSW and Victoria received the lion's share of public transport funding.

He's accused the coalition government of blackmailing Queenslanders because they had voted against the state's assets being sold off.

"We're seeing blackmail because they are not taking into account the fact that Queenslanders have said at two elections they don't want their income generating assets sold," Mr Pitt said on Tuesday.

There was better news on the environment front, with the budget containing $171 million in previously flagged funding to help preserve the Great Barrier Reef.

The funding includes a $70 million injection for the Reef Trust, to invest in projects that boost water quality, as well as $101 million to support the Reef 2050 plan.


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Source: AAP


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