Community & Business
16 April, 2021
‘Blood will be spilt’: Katter
KENNEDY MP Bob Katter has issued a stern warning to Queensland Parliament declaring “blood will be spilt” if he does not receive a future grant to fast track the construction of a new 19km dual lane carriage highway that would directly link Mareeba and the wider Tablelands with Cairns.
By Michael Warren
KENNEDY MP Bob Katter has issued a stern warning to Queensland Parliament declaring “blood will be spilt” if he does not receive a future grant to fast track the construction of a new 19km dual lane carriage highway that would directly link Mareeba and the wider Tablelands with Cairns.
In a poignant message to decision makers down south, Katter told the 40-strong crowd of farmers, transport workers, truck drivers, and other interested locals at Centenary Park in Mareeba that the ambitious proposal must immediately go ahead.
“If this highway isn’t fast tracked for construction very soon there is going to be a lot of blood spilt,” he passionately told The Express.
“I happen to have a very strong position in Federal Parliament. At the moment you’ve got to get a design plan drawn up, and that takes time, I’ll give them that.
“But after that if I do not get a matching grant, I’m going to start getting very, very angry.
“How far I can go (to ensure I get the funding for the highway) I don’t know, but if they (Government) want to find out, they’ll find out.
“You want to fight, we’ll fight.”
Under Katter’s proposal the new inland road would start along the Kennedy Highway, pass near the Clohesy River and end in the vicinity of Redlynch Valley.
Mr Katter has claimed on many occasions a one-way car journey from Mareeba to Cairns on the new dual lane highway would take no longer than 30 minutes and reduce a regular trip between the two locations by a staggering 35-45 minutes.
Katter’s comments come just days after the Department of Transport and Main Roads allocated $1.6m for a study to investigate safety, capacity and efficiency improvements of travel routes between Cairns and the Tablelands.
“The purpose of the project is to review previous planning and determine the most appropriate focus for future planning activities,” Minister for Transport and Main Roads Mark Bailey MP explained in recent written correspondence to local residents.
“When the project is finalized TMR will have a better understanding of the best way to improve (road) access between Cairns and the Northern Tablelands.”
