The Diamantina Development Road is in urgent need of upgrade works, and I have called on the Transport Minister to urgently commit to upgrade works, Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter has said.

The Diamantina Development Road is a critical road south of Mount Isa, carrying more than 2,600 cattle trailers every year which is also within the resource rich North West Minerals Province (NWMP). It is fast becoming a dangerous death trap due to increasing traffic on single lane sections on high shoulders and through narrow hill cuttings.

“We have the exciting development of Ardmore Phosphate mine, with millions of tonnes of ore ready to hit this road.

“It’s embarrassing to have such an important route servicing such an important region still with dangerous single lane sections, wedged between narrow cuttings” Mr. Katter said.

“Without adequate road infrastructure, investors are reconsidering their appetite to operate in the region, putting at risk job creation and our economic growth.

“The Diamantina Development Road is not a shortcut or alternate access route; it is a lifeline for the remote communities such as Dajarra it serves,” Mr. Katter said.

“It is utterly unacceptable that North West Queensland continues to lag behind Brisbane and the South East when it comes to our roads.

“The government itself says that the NWMP is estimated to be worth more than $500 billion.

“The only way that the government can build Brisbane’s $7 Billion Cross-River is from the royalties and profits from Queensland’s natural resources.

“The government must invest in the regions that pay for Brisbane’s spending sprees.

“I await the Minister’s response and will be sure that the pressure is on until we have a road network that is truly fit for purpose,” he said.

Photo: Traeger MP and KAP Leader, Robbie Katter on a dangerous single lane stretch of the Diamantina Development Road, south of Mount Isa.