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The Drive Between Sydney And Brisbane Will Soon Be Two And A Half Hours Quicker

It will change and save lives.
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The drive between Sydney and Brisbane will soon be two-and-a-half hours quicker and thousands of lives will be saved on the Pacific Highway in the decades ahead.

The rate of serious crashes on the Bruce Highway has already halved due to multi-billion dollar safety upgrades which are continuing today.

Thousands of trucks will be taken off the Newell Highway, once the biggest freight rail project in a generation is complete, and local councils are already delivering hundreds of new bridges and local road improvements every day of the year.

These projects are all part of the Federal Government's $75 billion infrastructure investment program. It's an investment that will change lives and save lives.

It changes lives by creating jobs during construction then reducing congestion and improving productivity so Australians spend less time stuck in traffic and more time with the people they love.

It saves lives by delivering the engineering solutions to improve the safety of roads or transferring more of the freight task to rail. Fewer interactions between light vehicles and heavy vehicles is a proven strategy to reduce road trauma.

The Turnbull-Joyce government will not be distracted from our task of delivering a safer, stronger, better Australia where everyone can get ahead.

But if you watch the metropolitan-based media coverage of Federal Parliament you could be forgiven for believing that Australia has ground to a halt and nothing is being talked about apart from same-sex marriage and the dual-citizenship saga.

Outside the Canberra bubble, nothing could be further from the truth.

Having just visited construction sites on the Pacific Highway, Bruce Highway and the historic inland rail project, I can state with confidence that this government is delivering the jobs and growth we promised in the election.

There are tens of thousands of Australians currently employed on projects either fully funded or partially funded by the Federal Government.

They are building the roads, railway lines, bridges, airports and ports that keep Australia moving and will deliver a long-term economic dividend.

When I meet with them, they are talking about how they are delivering innovative solutions to difficult engineering problems and how proud they are of the projects they are building. They aren't interested in whether Malcolm likes Tony or Albo is after Bill's job.

In an era of political discourse with a shallow and negative focus on personalities, it is inspiring to talk with positive Australians getting on with their own jobs of building for our future.

The Turnbull-Joyce government will not be distracted from our task of delivering a safer, stronger, better Australia where everyone can get ahead.

We will continue to fund infrastructure projects in our cities, regional centres and rural areas because we understand it makes a difference in the lives of all Australians.

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