$40 million in budget for later stages of game-changing transport project
By Sonia Isaacs
THE LNP has allocated $40 million in funding to accelerate planning for stages 2 and 3 of the gamechanging Wave transport project, as critics argue more needs to be done to ensure the ambitious project is completed by the promised 2032 Olympics deadline.
Last week’s State Budget revealed billions in funding for transport projects across the state, including $5.5 billion already allocated by the former Labor Government for Stage 1 of The Wave — heavy rail from Beerwah to Caloundra.
This includes $2.75 billion promised by the Commonwealth.
In a joint statement, Treasurer David Janetzki and Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said $40 million has been earmarked to fast-track stages 2 and 3 — heavy rail to Birtinya and a Brisbane Metro-style bus network to Maroochydore (pictured main).
Mr Mickelberg said the funding was a responsible investment ahead of meeting the Olympics deadline.
“We are delivering a record $42 billion in transport projects and programs across Queensland — more than ever before,” he said.
“Of that, $7.2 billion will be invested in the North Coast region over the next four years, including The Wave, the Mooloolah River Interchange upgrade, the Caloundra Congestion Busting Plan, and getting the Beerburrum to Nambour rail duplication back on track.”
But Shadow Transport Minister Bart Mellish said while the former Labor Government had secured $5.5 billion to construct heavy rail to Caloundra, there was now “zero dollars” clearly allocated to advance the next stages of the project.
“It’s pretty clear that this LNP budget doesn’t stack up when it comes to transport infrastructure on the Sunshine Coast,” he said.
“If this project doesn’t start by 2026, it cannot be completed in time for the Olympics,” Mr Mellish warned.
“The government’s slipping through on a lack of detail.”
Scrutiny of the 2025 Queensland Transport and Roads Investment Program (QTRIP) shows no explicit line item for the $40 million, listing The Wave (Stages 2 and 3) only under the “planning underway” category for projects valued up to $250 million.
Following enquiries from GC&M News, the Transport Minister’s office did not confirm whether this $5.6 billion budget figure included the previously secured allocation of $5.5 billion for Stage 1.
A spokesperson said that under the updated QTRIP framework, detailed project costs would be disclosed only after proper planning and competitive tendering – a shift the government says will prevent inflated costs and deliver better taxpayer value.
Mr Mickelberg rejected criticism over transparency and planning delays, saying the new approach would ensure projects were properly scoped before costs were locked in.
“Under Labor, inflated project costs were announced before proper planning or market testing — that’s not transparency, that’s waste,” he said.
“We are being up front with procurement and construction timeframes in QTRIP — something not done previously.”
Sunshine Coast Business Council Chair Sandy Zubrinich said the Minister was unambiguous regarding his and the State Government’s commitment to deliver The Wave by 2032, when he spoke to business leaders prior to the State Budget.
“These commitments to the Sunshine Coast transport projects have been made several times now by the Premier, Deputy Premier and the Minister for Transport and Main Roads, with funding allocated in the recent budget,” she said.
“SCBC has no concerns regarding the way transport funding is allocated in the budget, just that funding is available for the project to commence and future funding and delivery has been committed.”
sonia@gcnews.com.au