General News
13 February, 2026
Road block anger
CAIRNS Labor MP Michael Healy is accusing the Queensland LNP government of walking back on its commitment to deliver the Cairns Western Arterial Road as part of Queensland’s 2032 Olympic legacy.
Despite being spruiked in the LNP’s glossy Olympic plan, he said the project was yet to be approved, funded or guaranteed after it was stripped of funding and timelines in the LNP’s first budget.
Mr Healy said the project had been pushed back into yet another business case review, further delaying the project.
“This is a classic example of Far North Queensland being told to wait while the south-east charges ahead,” he said.
“While Brisbane and the south-east get rail lines, stadiums, motorways and athlete villages locked in and under construction, the Cairns Western Arterial Road is back to the drawing board.
“If this road was in Brisbane, it wouldn’t be stuck in a business case, it would already be being built.”
He said the LNP was happy to include Cairns in its Olympic announcements but had now shafted the region.
The road has long been identified as critical infrastructure, easing congestion between the northern beaches, Redlynch and the city, improving freight efficiency, safety and economic productivity, well beyond the Olympic games themselves.
In a letter seen by CLN, Federal Transport Minister Catherine King said that the Queensland Government was “currently updating the project business case”.
“This work is expected to be completed in early 2026. The updated business case will confirm the scope, cost, benefits, risk and timeframes for the project,” she said.
“Once completed, the project will be reconsidered by the Australian and Queensland governments.”
A spokesman for Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said Mr Healy was incorrect “because this project was actually sent back to the drawing board in November 2023 after their (Labor’s) infrastructure investment pipeline review while he was an assistant minister. Since coming to office in October 2024, the Crisafulli government has been calmly and methodically progressing the Cairns Western Arterial Road project work to deliver this critical infrastructure for the Far North,” he said.
