Last week I received an update from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) about the reconstruction of Tamborine Mountain Road, locally known as the Goat Track. Extensive reconstruction works have been undertaken to repair the considerable damage caused by a landslip in late 2020 and significant slope stabilisation works have been completed since the reconstruction process began in July 2021.

A large catch fence is currently being installed on the slope, making the project site safe to commence work to repair the road.

Other recent project updates include:
- scaling of the upslope and cliff face 
- removing loose debris on the upslope and downslope
- anchoring large rocks
- installing rockfall controls

Upcoming project works will include: 
- road restoration works to the section of Tamborine Mountain Road that is currently closed

The site received over 812mm of rain in February 2022 – 723mm between 23 and 28 February alone. TMR advised that thorough assessments were conducted after the rain, and all considering, the site held up well. There was a minor slip on the rockface to an area that was under surveillance. Tamborine Mountain Road sustained pavement damage between the main site and Lahey Lookout, which impacted access to the worksite.

The Goat Track will remain closed until reconstruction works are complete and the road is safe to be reopened to traffic. I asked TMR for advice on when the scheduled reopening would be. Once I receive an update, I will be sure to let you know in this column and on my Facebook page. 

You deserve better from our health system.
These are the latest stats on the Queensland Health Crisis that show a system that’s hit the breaking point.

Across Queensland, ambulance ramping rates are at 38%. In places like Logan, Redlands and Ipswich, it’s at 50% or above. This means Queenslanders who arrive in ambulances sit on stretchers for longer than 30 minutes. When Labor was elected in 2015, ambulance ramping in Queensland was at 15%. It’s more than doubled in seven years.
There are problems once Queenslanders get into the ED too. More than a quarter of Queenslanders aren’t being seen on time when they enter emergency departments.

244,438 Queenslanders are now on the waitlist for the waitlist. This is the list just to get an appointment with a specialist. Once patients have done that, they’re sent to the back of the elective surgery queue and forced to wait again to undergo the procedure. These are Queenslanders like mothers waiting for a cancer screening, grandfathers with chronic hip pain, kids who need their vision fixed, fathers needing to see a psychiatrist. The list goes on.

Our hardworking health staff are doing all they can to hold our hospitals together. They need more support. They want to take back control on the frontline. They want better resources. They want data shared in real-time. They want to drive cultural change so an ambulance doesn’t have to wait at the end of a ramp. These are just some of the solutions the LNP have put forward to heal the Queensland Health Crisis. Rather than making excuses, the Premier must start listening and take some action.

These statistics must change. The LNP is going to keep highlighting them until all Queenslanders have a health system they can depend on.

If I can be of assistance for a state government matter you’re concerned about, do not hesitate to contact me by phone (toll-free) 1800 813 960, by email at scenicrim@parliament.qld.gov.au or by mail at PO Box 656 Beaudesert QLD 4285.