Mayoral vote for transparency on Youngs Crossing consultation

Published 07 October 2020

Mayor Peter Flannery today took the unusual move of asking Council to release the preliminary data from the Youngs Crossing community consultation before formal Council consideration, following an overwhelming 4,353 survey responses.

The Mayor said the vote was about rebuilding trust with the Moreton Bay community.

“This enormous response rate reflects the anxiety our community feels about this project right now and I think there’s enough anxiety in the world right now with the pandemic - I don’t want locals having to wait until the New Year for an indication of what the engagement process has gleaned,” he said.

“The overall response rate showed 67% of respondents favoured Option 1.

“That endorsement was even higher amongst people who live in Petrie with 78.6% of people supporting Option 1.

“After walking the respective routes on a number of occasions with Petrie residents and visiting a number of homes I’ve seen firsthand how their homes and lifestyles would be impacted.

“It’s resoundingly clear that there’s a lot of community interest in this project and a lot of anxiety in the community about what will happen, so I want to thank Councillors for permitting the release of this information to reassure the community that they are being heard from the outset.

“I said at our Post Election Meeting on April 29 this year that I wanted to rebuild trust with our community, and I reminded Councillors at that time that while you can win elections, you can’t win trust.

“But as a region we need to discuss the cost implications of this project because the reality is Council simply doesn’t have the money to go it alone.

“Council has budgeted $40 million, but that will potentially only cover half the construction cost of a project that will could cost in excess of $60 million.

“While I want to acknowledge and thank the Federal Government for their $7.75 million contribution, that funding is tied to Option 1.

“We know both options will cost more than council has the funding for, which means we need a lot more from both the state and federal governments before we any shovels can hit the ground.

“Building this new bridge is critical for South East Queensland’s road and transport logistics to prevent the freak traffic congestion created on Gympie Road and the Bruce Highway, when Youngs Crossing floods.

“In fact Infrastructure Australia updated its priority list for 2020 in August to specifically include the need for more efficient transport corridors between Moreton Bay and Brisbane - like building Youngs Crossing Bridge.

“This will be one of the biggest road infrastructure projects Council has ever been responsible for delivering, as a critical link in the South East Queensland road network.

“I think the time is now for us to act in our community’s interests and we need the additional funding support from both the state and federal governments in order to deliver this project.

“With a state election currently underway and a federal election due as early as next year, I urge locals to make their voices heard.

“We need your help to get the right outcome here.”

Today’s vote does not pre-empt council’s decision on a preferred option.

Council will be briefed with more detailed information regarding community consultation, technical reports and funding required to deliver this project.

Council is expected to formally resolve its preferred option for the upgrade of Youngs Crossing Road in the coming months. 

Please visit moretonbay.qld.gov.au/youngs-crossing for more information about the project and next steps.