Paula Weston

Australia Decides 2019: What the election outcomes mean for Logan

Australia Decides 2019: What the election outcomes mean for Logan

The Federal Election was held on Saturday 18 May and the Liberal/National Coalition has been returned as the government for this term of parliament.

Our local Members in the House of Representatives are:

ElectorateNamePartyStatus
FordeBert van ManenLiberal National Party of Queensland (LNP)Sitting Member returned (swing +2.84%*)
RankinJim ChalmersAustralian Labor PartySitting Member returned (swing -6.82%*)
WrightScott BuchholzLiberal National Party of QueenslandSitting Member returned (swing +3.05%*)
*swing based on first preference count

What we can expect

Before the election, the LNP made the following commitments for the City of Logan:

Project descriptionSpecific projectsFunding
Transport
Pacific Motorway (M1) upgrades for:
• Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill
• Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway

$374.5m
$500m
Loganlea train station car park expansion$15m
Beenleigh station car park expansion$15m
Upgrade Jellicoe St/Station Road intersection (Roads to Recovery Program)$1.442m
Upgrade Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd between Milne St to Tallagandra Rd, Beenleigh$5m
Upgrade Chambers Flat Rd between Park Ridge Rd to Derby Rd, Park Ridge$11.5m
Priestdale and Rochedale Road intersection (50% of the estimated project cost)$14m
Upgrade High Rd & Easterly St between Sabre St & Old Logan Village Rd, Waterford$2.5m
Education and research
Kimberley Park State School – build disability access to the oval and terracing $150,000
Eagleby State School – establishment of a children’s and wellbeing hub$500,000
Marsden State High School – upgrade the oval $415,000
Health
Urgent and Specialist Care Centre at the Logan Hospital (11 beds and 22 specialist consultation rooms to treat urgent but non-life-threatening illnesses)$33.4m
Community
CCTV sites in Jimboomba, Flagstone, Logan Village, Yarrabilba & Stockleigh$100,000
Upgrade the dressing room facilities at Logan Lightning FC$600,000

Logan City Council will continue to track whether these commitments are honoured over the next three years through the Fair Share 4 Logan website and social media accounts.

Finally, thank you

We asked Logan residents to ‘add your voice to ours’ in the weeks leading up to the election by sending an email to candidates from our website. We’re pleased to say that 1,170 emails were sent.

By electorate, 15% of the emails were sent to candidates in Rankin, 62% to candidates in Wright, and 22% to candidates in Forde.

By topic, 20% were about the Mt Lindesay Hwy, 12% were about the Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail, and 68% were about both issues combined.

To those of you who took the time to ask for Logan’s fair share, thank you.

We know Logan still can’t wait for this vital infrastructure to be provided for our growing city and we’ll continue to advocate for it on behalf of our 326,615 residents.

2019 Federal Election candidate scorecard and commitments list

2019 Federal Election candidate scorecard and funding commitments

Our campaign priorities

In the lead up to the 2019 Federal Election, the #FairShare4Logan campaign focused on securing funding commitments to fix the Mt Lindesay Highway and towards a business case for Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail from candidates in Rankin, Forde and Wright.

While some funding was received towards the Mt Lindesay Highway, more will be needed to deliver a comprehensive solution.

As both vital projects for Logan, Council will continue to advocate for funding for these priorities to both the Federal and State governments.

What commitments did local candidates make towards these two priorities?

Party/candidateMt Lindesay HwySalisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail
Australian Labor Party$30m committed towards upgrading the Mt Lindesay Highway
(section/project to be determined) 		No endorsed party commitments received
Liberal National Party$30m committed towards upgrading the Mt Lindesay Highway
(section/project to be determined)		No endorsed party commitments received
The GreensThe Greens have indicated supportThe Greens have indicated support (public transport a priority)
One NationNo endorsed party commitments receivedNo endorsed party commitments received
Katter’s Australian PartyNo endorsed party commitments received

Matthew Tomlinson (Candidate for Wright) has indicated support		No endorsed party commitments received

Matthew Tomlinson (Candidate for Wright) has indicated support
United Australia PartyNo endorsed party commitments received

Paul Creighton (Candidate for Forde) has indicated support		No endorsed party commitments received

Paul Creighton (Candidate for Forde) has indicated support
Conservative National PartyNo endorsed party commitments received

Les Innes (Candidate for Forde) has indicated support		No endorsed party commitments received

Les Innes (Candidate for Forde) has indicated support
Liberal DemocratsNo endorsed party commitments receivedNo endorsed party commitments received
Independent candidatesInnes Larkin (Candidate for Wright) has indicated support

No commitment from Yusuf Mohammad (Candidate for Rankin)
Innes Larkin (Candidate for Wright) has indicated support

No commitment from Yusuf Mohammad (Candidate for Rankin)

Other funding commitments for Logan

This list includes only commitments for costed/announced local projects (larger policy-level commitments from parties have not been included).

LNPALPProject descriptionFunding
Transport
YesYesPacific Motorway (M1) upgrades for:
• Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill
• Daisy Hill to Logan Motorway

$374.5m
$500m
NoYesRelocation of Loganlea Rail station to link with Cross River Rail$35m
YesNoLoganlea train station car park expansion$15m
YesYesBeenleigh station car park expansion$15m
YesNoUpgrade Jellicoe St/Station Road intersection (Roads to Recovery Program)$1.442m
YesNoUpgrade Beaudesert-Beenleigh Rd between Milne St to Tallagandra Rd, Beenleigh$5m
YesNoUpgrade Chambers Flat Rd between Park Ridge Rd to Derby Rd, Park Ridge$11.5m
YesYesPriestdale and Rochedale Road intersection (50% of the estimated project cost)$14m
YesNoUpgrade High Rd & Easterly St between Sabre St & Old Logan Village Rd, Waterford$2.5m
Education and research
YesNoKimberley Park State School – build disability access to the oval and terracing $150,000
NoYesShailer Park State High School – upgrades to library and student services hub$1m
NoYesEagleby State School – new multipurpose sports courts$250,000
YesNoEagleby State School – establishment of a children’s and wellbeing hub$500,000
NoYesMarsden State High School – upgrade the oval$465,000
YesNoMarsden State High School – upgrade the oval $415,000
NoYesPark Ridge State School – funding for a new playground$35,000
NoYesLoganholme State School – new Prep outdoor learning environment$50,000
NoYesLogan Village State School – new learning and play area$35,000
NoYesNew Regional Innovation Data Lab at Griffith University Logan campus $3m
NoYesLoganlea TAFE: Upgrade of health science, aged and disability training facilities $1.32m
NoYesNew Griffith Centre for Strong Foundations – a research, teaching and health service at the Logan campus focused on pregnancy, birth and first 2 years of life$5m
Health
YesYesUrgent and Specialist Care Centre at the Logan Hospital (11 beds and 22 specialist consultation rooms to treat urgent but non-life-threatening illnesses)$33.4m
NoYesExpansion to the Logan Hospital to build an extra floor and a new 32-bed ward$29.1m
Community
NoYesKingston Butter Factory outdoor stage$429,000
NoYesInquiry into Inland Rail projectTBC
NoYesImprovements to facilities at Hammel Park, Beenleigh$2.45m
NoYesUpgrade Waterford Demons Rugby League clubhouse – in particular new kitchen, office space, toilets, storage and improved facilities for female players$1.2m
YesNoCCTV sites in Jimboomba, Flagstone, Logan Village, Yarrabilba & Stockleigh$100,000
NoYesCreative HQ: fit out of youth space with recording studio, instruments & equipment$250,000
YesNoUpgrade the dressing room facilities at Logan Lightning FC$600,000
NoYesExpand resources at The Family Place, Woodridge$5,000
NoYesFunding for emergency relief organisations in Logan over 4 years. $118k – Multilink Community Services, $65k – Access Community Services, $93k – YFS, $15k – Twin Rivers Community Care and $108k – Eagleby Community Association$400,000
NoYesLogan City Netball Association – lighting for six extra courts to be used for night games$150,000

Logan pushes for Mt Lindesay Highway’s fair share

Logan pushes for Mt Lindesay Highway’s fair share

The Logan community is speaking up to get one of Queensland’s most dangerous roads fixed.

The Mt Lindesay Hwy supports approximately 40,000 vehicles daily, and this is expected to grow to almost 65,000 in just 12 years’ time.

City of Logan Acting Mayor Cherie Dalley said the highway needed to be recognised as a ‘road of national significance’ while priority funding was also urgently required to deliver a coordinated fix.

“Over the years, there has been a series of smaller funding announcements from the Queensland Government and Australian Government for the highway, but there is still no end-to-end solution,” she said.

Logan City Council’s #fairshare4logan campaign is urging the community to lobby candidates in the federal seats of Forde, Rankin and Wright to make commitments about the highway and the Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail.

“For us, there are two key factors that elevate Mt Lindesay Highway’s need for a proper solution,” Cr Dalley said.

“From a safety perspective, the RACQ says the stretch from Park Ridge to Beaudesert is one of the most dangerous in Queensland.

“There are numerous speed zones, so you will travel at speeds ranging from 60km/h to 100km/h, but drivers also have to deal with the frustration of navigating school zones with pedestrian crossings, multiple T-intersections, traffic lights, limited overtaking lanes and inconsistent signage, among other issues.

“That’s not good enough. People are just going about their business and deserve better. They don’t deserve to die, they don’t deserve to be seriously injured.”

The highway is also a crucial transport route for South-East Queensland’s economic growth, Cr Dalley said.

“It is a major connector to and from the Bromelton State Development Area and future North Maclean Industrial Area, which are both anticipated to become major employment nodes,” she said.

“It is the most important north/south link in the south western corridor of the region.

“Residents have been told that upgrades were going to happen for more than 20 years. It’s time for Logan to get its fair share; our population is booming.”

Cr Dalley urged residents to tell their local candidates and party leaders that the Mt Lindesay Hwy was a vital issue.

“Add your voice to ours. You can send an email to your local candidates, or you can follow us on Facebook and Twitter ,” she said.

Quick facts

  • The highway was the third worst road in Queensland in RACQ’s Unroadworthy Roads Survey 2018.
  • From 1 January 2010 to 30 September 2018 (eight years, eight months), on Mt Lindesay Hwy from Browns Plains Rd to the Queensland/New South Wales border, there were:
    • 535 crashes
    • 15 fatalities
    • 366 people hospitalised.
  • Safety issues are caused by traffic conditions not usually present on a highway including:
    • numerous speed zones along the length of the highway, ranging from 60km/h to 100km/h
    • bus stops, many of which are not sufficiently indented from the flow of traffic
    • a pedestrian crossing used by children to access Jimboomba State School
    • multiple T-intersections in close proximity to each-other, impacting on the flow of traffic
    • limited overtaking lanes
    • lack of off-road breakdown and enforcement bays
    • inconsistency in signage that is either insufficient, not installed correctly or not rationalised (too much signage making it confusing)
    • direct access from private residential properties onto the highway.

Call for people power to drive #fairshare4logan

Call for people power to drive #fairshare4logan

Logan City Council wants people power to help propel its push for a ‘fair share’ of infrastructure funding ahead of the May Federal election.

Acting Mayor Cherie Dalley has encouraged Logan residents to help hold candidates to account as Council today called for commitments on two critical projects.

The #fairshare4logan Federal election campaign is focused on the Mt Lindesay Highway and the proposed Salisbury-to-Beaudesert passenger rail service.

Cr Dalley said the campaign’s slogan ‘Logan can’t wait’ would draw attention to the impact of poor infrastructure delivery on lifestyle.

“As our city’s population grows, we know our residents and business owners are sick of waiting; they’re waiting in traffic for several hours a day, but they’re also waiting for our State and Federal governments to step up to the plate and deliver crucial infrastructure,” she said.

“In the case of the Mt Lindesay Highway, residents have been waiting for more than 20 years for upgrades to happen.

“Under #fairshare4logan, our community has the chance to tell the candidates in the Federal seats of Forde, Rankin and Wright that these issues are important to us, and we want them all to publicly commit to solutions.

“These projects are critical because the population in the south-west of Logan is booming.”

Cr Dalley said Greater Flagstone alone would be home to up to 120,000 people in coming decades, and other new communities were emerging in the south-western suburbs of Logan.

“This is not about politics: it’s about outcomes for our community,” she said.

“For our residents, it’s simple. We want you to tell your local candidate and party leaders that the Mt Lindesay Highway and passenger rail are important to you and your vote. Add your voice to ours.

“We look forward to tracking commitments from the candidates in our three Federal electorates and making those commitments a reality after the election in May.”

Send an email, or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Our wishlist for the 2019 Federal election

 

What Logan needs

What we’re asking for

Mt Lindesay Hwy

Recognition of Mt Lindesay Hwy as a road of national significance

Funding to help fix the highway

Construction funding for a comprehensive solution

Salisbury-to-Beaudesert passenger rail

Bring forward the business case to provide passenger rail services to communities in the growing south-west.

$6.5m for a business case

 

What the Federal Budget means for Logan

What the Federal Budget means for Logan

We’ve spent some time going through the papers from this week’s Federal Budget to see what’s been promised for Logan and our region.

Logan-specific projects:

Project

Funding announcement

Our thoughts

M1 upgrades between Daisy Hill and the Logan Motorway

$500 million

It’s unclear in which financial year this money will be allocated. Timing is also dependent on earlier stages of work being completed and progression of funding discussions with the Queensland Government.

Mt Lindesay Hwy

$30 million

It’s unclear in which financial year this money will be allocated.

Faster rail

An SEQ faster rail network was part of the Council of Mayors’ (SEQ) recently-released SEQ People Mass Movement Study proposing a commute time between SEQ’s cities in under 45 minutes (including peak times).

The Federal Government announced an initial $14.5million commitment to a National Faster Rail Agency to identify and support the development of fast rail connections, while also committing $40 million for detailed assessments of five fast rail corridors including Brisbane to the Gold Coast.

Inland rail

Delivery of Inland Rail by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) continues and is expected to be operational in 2025.

Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail

There may be future opportunities for funding through the Major Projects Business Case Fund or National Rail Program.

Mt Lindesay Highway

There may be future opportunities for funding through the Roads of Strategic Importance Initiative.

Find out more: https://www.budget.gov.au/

This Federal Election, we’ll be continuing to advocate for help to fix the Mt Lindesay Hwy and to fast-track the Salisbury to Beaudesert passenger rail service for Logan’s south-west. Stay tuned.

How long do you really spend travelling on Logan’s major roads?

How long do you really spend travelling on Logan's roAds?

It feels like we spend half our lives sitting in traffic. Did you know that RACQ publishes a report each month articulating exactly how much time we spend on Logan’s major roads?

The ‘Average Travel Speed Performance on Major State Corridors’ is available every month on the RACQ website and includes travel time statistics for major arterials in the South East Region, including the M1 and Mount Lindesay Highway.

For example, did you know that in November of 2018, the M1 (Pacific Motorway) between the Logan River and Paradise Road was the fifth slowest inbound trip in the region? The nine-kilometre stretch of Mount Lindesay Highway between the Park Ridge interchange and Browns Plains Road came in ninth (and jumps to sixth during the outbound rush hour).

It won’t surprise those of you who drive this stretch of Mount Lindesay Highway that the average inbound speed in November was only 47 kilometres per hour.

Find out more (including an easy to use map): https://www.racq.com.au/cars-and-driving/representing-queensland-drivers/road-surveys-and-assessments

Queensland Government reports on election commitments

Queensland Government reports on election commitments

During the 2017 Queensland Government Election, the ALP made a number of commitments to fund infrastructure in Logan – many elements of which were part of our Fair Share 4 Logan campaign. The Queensland Government has now released its report on delivery of those commitments. It’s attached here. This is a large document, so we recommend searching for key words including ‘Logan’, ‘Yarrabilba’ and ‘Mount Lindesay’.

Read the full report.

You can also find this document and the previous election commitment report here.

Outer suburbs left behind by lack of public transport access

Outer suburbs left behind by lack of public transport access

Growing communities on the outskirts of our major cities are being left behind by a lack of access to public transport, according to a new report from Infrastructure Australia, the nation’s independent infrastructure advisor.

The newest release in Infrastructure Australia’s Reform Series, Outer Urban Public Transport: Improving accessibility in lower-density areas, assesses the frequency and accessibility of public transport services in our major cities as we prepare for unprecedented population growth in coming years.

Infrastructure Australia Executive Director of Policy and Research, Peter Colacino said: “With the release of this new report, Outer Urban Public Transport, Infrastructure Australia is calling on state governments to improve the efficiency of existing transport networks and consider new models to service communities in the growing outer suburbs.

“While existing transport infrastructure serves inner city areas well, people living on the outskirts of our major cities are being disadvantaged by a lack of access to frequent public transport services. This impacts their ability to access jobs, education and other opportunities to improve their quality of life.

“Close to half the population of our five largest cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide – live in the outer suburbs, however our research shows that people living in these areas experience lower levels of service and accessibility to public transport, poor service frequencies and longer travel times compared to inner city residents.