Roads contract means jobs for Mackay

FEBRUARY 12, 2016: Mackay company Vassallo Constructions has won the $3 million contract to construct an overtaking lane near Thomsetts Road, south of Proserpine, and this means jobs for Mackay workers.I want to congratulate this Mackay business run by Vic Vassallo, on winning the tender on this project which has been brought forward by a year by the Liberal National Coalition Government to provide work when it is desperately needed.Despite false claims by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that the project was part of Labor’s so-called ‘accelerated works program’ this project is not only fully funded by the Federal Coalition Government; we brought it forward by a year to support jobs in the region.The Premier was caught out pork-barrelling on this project, because she was desperate to show that her government was spending money somewhere other than Townsville, after the backlash over assistance measures for 237 Queensland Nickel workers.Meanwhile, thousands of workers all through north and central Queensland have suffered job losses over the past three years.Instead of telling porkies about what they are funding, the Queensland Labor Government should pull their finger out on the Mackay Ring Road.If they pour the necessary resources into their Transport and Main Roads Department to speed up the design process, we could get this show on the road and create 600 jobs.The Liberal National Government committed the funding for the Mackay Ring Road in 2014.I also secured a commitment from the Prime Minister to fast-track this project because of the desperate need for jobs in the region.But the wait for these jobs still continues because the State Labor Government will not boost resources to speed up the process.