Media Release

No more excuses - Katter demands Burke Developmental Rd sealed
KAP Leader and Federal Member for Kennedy Bob Katter is furious the State Government has abandoned their responsibilities after a flood of complaints from constituents, including from the Chillagoe Primary Health Centre and truck companies, concerned about the extremely poor and dangerous condition of the Burke Developmental Road .

Mr Katter has once again contacted the Minister for Main Roads to fight for constituents safety, saying his office has been receiving complaints for more than a decade, and the poor conditions have even resulted in an ambulance hitting a ditch a car had rolled in (pictured), and entire road trains dry-bogged in the bulldust – some that were delivering goods to communities.

“Once again, we have brought to the Minister’s attention the extremely poor condition of the Burke Developmental Road, particularly the stretches from Almaden to Chillagoe,” Mr Katter said.

“Our office has been constantly flooded with constituents raising concerns about the hazardous condition of this highway for over a decade.
“One of the complaints is from the Director of Nursing at the Chillagoe Primary Health Centre who is deeply concerned for the safety of the general public and for their staff and colleagues that are continuing to risk their lives to help people that have crashed on the road.

“There have been some horrific accidents over the past six months and we are worried it is only a matter of time before someone once again loses their life.
“The confronting images provided by the Chillagoe Primary Health Centre are a sobering example of how the State Government has abandoned their responsibilities to their Regional Far North Queensland constituents.

“We have asked the Minister to make it a priority to review the mere 7km the Government has committed to seal, and increase it to the full 15km that is currently unsealed and hazardous – before an accident results in someone paying the price with their life,” Mr Katter said.