General News
21 April, 2025
$245m bridge pledge by PM
LABOR has promised $245 million towards a new bridge over the Barron River on the Kennedy Highway at Kuranda.
It is part of Labor’s plan to upgrade key roads in Far North Queensland, including investing $7.2 billion for safety upgrades on the Bruce Highway, another $70m to seal and upgrade the Kennedy Developmental Road and $210m for the Kuranda Range Road.
The $245 million investment is a decision of the government and is fully budgeted for.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (above right), who visited the bridge last week, said “we are delivering $245m to upgrade the Barron River Bridge which will be a huge improvement for local residents, tourists and make it easier for freight to travel through”.
“This is on top of our other major investments to upgrade the Bruce Highway and Kennedy Developmental Road, as well as funding much needed social housing and community facility upgrades,” he said.
“This is good for the local community, good for local jobs and good for local businesses.”
ALP candidate for Leichhardt Matt Smith said Labor was “building the future of Far North Queensland by investing right across the board”.
“Whether it’s in roads like the Barron River Bridge or the Bruce Highway, in local infrastructure like the PCYC or the multicultural centre, or in health by delivering a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in both the north and south of Cairns,” he said.
“Labor is delivering on what the Far North needs because we’re listening to locals and we’re delivering.”
Mr Albanese also said a re-elected Labor Government would deliver $27.5m to CQUniversity for the construction of a health and engineering wing at the university’s Cairns campus. This facility would open in 2028 and will double nursing student capacity from 630 to 1260 to address predicted workforce shortages and expand facilities to accommodate growth in physiotherapy, occupational therapy and clinical exercise physiology, addressing projected workforce shortages.
Mr Albanese said it would mean more students could study closer to home and help close workforce shortages.
“We’re committed to strengthening Medicare, which is why we are also delivering another urgent care clinic in Cairns and also upgrading the current headspace centre to a headspace Plus,” he said.
Mr Smith said it was “incredible news for our community”.
“We know if you train local you stay local. Only Labor is delivering record investments in Medicare for Far North Queensland,” he said.
