Hundreds of residents call for a decision over highway threatening homes
By Sonia Isaacs
RESIDENTS from the community opposition group, (Objection to Current Bruce Highway Western Alternative), are calling on Transport Minister Bart Mellish to match the LNP’s election promise to scrap the current proposed Moreton Motorway routes.
The controversial TMR proposed Stage 4 transport route was announced just weeks before Christmas.
Six months later, hundreds of residents in Elimbah, Moodlu, and Caboolture continue to have their lives ‘put on hold’.
The community group plans to take their ‘fight for fairness’ to the top by attending a Pumicestone Electorate community cabinet meeting on July 3, where they hope to convey their message directly to Transport Minister Bart Mellish.
This meeting follows on from an Elimbah Hall meeting organised two weeks prior by the community objection group.
The issue is rapidly emerging as a significant election concern, with the community’s growing frustration highlighting the need for immediate action and transparency from the government.
On June 17, at a meeting at Elimbah Hall, LNP candidate for Pumicestone, Ariana Doolan, along with Moreton Bay Councillor Tony Latter, promised to support the local community.
Ms Doolan echoed LNP leader David Crisafulli’s commitment to scrap the contentious route should the party win power at the October state election.
Elimbah resident Jason Smith said that after six months of being left in limbo, the community was disillusioned and disappointed. He said residents wanted to be treated with compassion and respect. He said the community was frustrated that despite hundreds of submissions rejecting the TMR proposed routes, and a parliamentary lodged petition of over 10,800 signatures calling for an alternative solution; they had been ignored.
“It’s a shame that when the overwhelming majority of a community, along with its user groups, provide meaningful feedback through submissions and parliamentary petitions to a sitting government, it is treated the way that it has been,” he said.
“Residents’ lives have been left utterly devastated for over six months, with no clear timeframes, alternative routes, or finalisation of the gazettal process provided by Minister Mellish and TMR.
“We just do not understand why the Minister does not direct his Department to address this matter.
“The burden this has put on our communities has been immense. We feel the impacts of this proposal have been underbaked and overlooked by our current sitting government.”
A Transport and Main Roads spokesperson said TMR has listened to community calls to consider alternative routes, including routes further west of the Elimbah township.
The spokesperson said initial investigations were well underway to understand the viability of a western route, but multiple factors needed to be balanced.
“These new investigations will take additional time and will be used to inform new project timelines, including when a preferred alignment is likely to be identified,” they said.
“Progressing these investigations is a priority for TMR so an update can be provided to the community.
“Until the new investigations have progressed further, the current TMR corridor options cannot be eliminated.”