Toowoomba is a great inland city, well known for its temperate climate and its beautiful parks and gardens, with a growing economy and a population nearing 100,000. A major problem is that it sits on the Great Dividing Range, 730 metres above sea level and the Warrego Highway from Brisbane and up the range is totally inadequate. The Warrego Highway also runs through the middle of Toowoomba and every day thousands of large trucks pass along what are basically suburban streets on their way to points west and south, not to mention in the reverse direction.
The need for a new road up the range and a bypass to the north of the city was established some years ago. A route for a new road up and over the range has been identified and largely planned including the drilling of a preliminary tunnel under the peak of the range to reduce the incline of the climb up and down the hill. However, the cost of the new bypass is big biccies – currently $1.7 billion and rising. The need for this piece of national infrastructure to serve the agricultural districts on the Darling Downs and the rapidly developing energy provinces further west is a no brainer, but like any costly project, politics is a significant factor in any decision to proceed.
In the case of the Toowoomba bypass, the problem is the fact it’s located within the federal electorate of Groom, a long standing safe seat for the Liberal party and formerly for the Nationals when the seat was called Darling Downs. As happens with many safe seats, the party that ‘owns’ the seat has little motivation to spend much in the electorate and the opposing party, which knows it is unlikely to ever win the seat, makes promises in the knowledge that it probably will never have to deliver on them.
That’s just about where the Toowoomba bypass project lies at present. The sitting Liberal member, Ian Macfarlane, has promised to start the project if the Coalition win government but he has only committed less than half of the required funding. The Labor candidate has been equivocal about a start to the bypass but as it’s unlikely he could win the seat, that’s not a problem for him right now. The reality is that unless Groom becomes a marginal seat for the Liberals, the Toowoomba bypass just ain’t gonna happen anytime soon.
But that reality doesn’t stop the bypass project being a regular topic of discussion in the local media. The locals are fed up with the huge number of trucks rumbling through their Garden City and want action. Ian Macfarlane has been strongly criticised in the local media for not getting the bypass started when he was a minister in the previous Howard government. With the federal election underway, candidates are in the news setting out what they will do for the seat of Groom. Here’s today’s article from the Toowoomba Chronicle.
Bypass drives Groom candidates
Callum Johnson | 19th July 2010
A number of candidates for Groom have identified a second Range crossing as a major election issue.
TOOWOOMBA’S candidates for Groom have spoken out on the region’s big issues as August 21, the recently announced day of the general election, draws near.
A second Toowoomba Range Bypass features prominently once again, with both Liberal and Labor candidates promising it will go ahead if their party is elected.
Federal Member for Groom Ian Macfarlane said the Coalition had the funding for the bypass and if elected, would start construction as early as next year.
“We’re absolutely committed to it; it’s in our budget and we have the funds to go ahead with it in 2011,” Mr McFarlane said.
“Health and education are other issues I want to focus on in the Toowoomba region, as well as a commitment to keeping Cabarlah Barracks open.”
Australian Labor Party candidate for Groom Chris Meibusch said the Range crossing, Warrego Highway upgrade and regional airport were all issues he wanted to focus on for Toowoomba.
“My main issues for Toowoomba are health, the environment, infrastructure and WorkChoices,” Mr Meibusch said.
“For health, we want more doctors, nurses and allied professionals in the Toowoomba region.
“For environment, we want to protect our agricultural aquifers from (the mining of) coal seam gas.
“For infrastructure, I’m campaigning for sufficient funding for the Toowoomba Bypass, the Warrego Highway upgrade, the inland rail, a new regional airport and aged-care facilities.
“As for WorkChoices, whatever the name, never again.”
Greens candidate for Groom Frida Forsberg said protection of farmland in the Darling Downs was paramount.
“With Peter Garrett’s moratorium on coal seam gas mining, there has never been a better time to get Greens in the Senate,” she said.
“We want to see really good progress for Darling Downs farmers and stop the poisoning and mining of our farmland and the Great Artesian Basin.”
Peter Pyke, CEO of new party Republican Democrats, said he was looking for an “outstanding local citizen” to stand as a candidate for Groom.
Groom candidate for the Family First Party Rose Kirkwood said she would make her comments at a later date as yesterday she was, ironically enough, spending time with her family.
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