Cameron Thompson - The Goodna Bypass

The Goodna Bypass

Thompson led a proposal to construct a bypass east of the city of Ipswich, known as the Goodna Bypass and connecting Dinmore to the Logan Motorway, in preference to a six-lane upgrade of the Ipswich Motorway.

In pursuit of the bypass, he encountered opposition from leaders within his own party including Queensland's state Liberal leader Dr Bruce Flegg and Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman. After a set of feasibility studies and options reports, the federal government announced funding for the A$2.3 billion Goodna Bypass. By July, the cost had increased to $2.8 billion.

As the 2007 election approached, Thompson campaigned almost solely on the Goodna Bypass, which Labor had said they would not build if they won government. However, a redistribution pushed Blair further into Ipswich. The new territory was significantly pro-Labor and cut Thompson's majority in half, from a relatively safe 11.2 percent to a marginal 5.7 percent--putting it just outside the range of seats Labor would need to take off the Coalition in order to win government. Together with a strong swing in Queensland towards the Labor Party, this resulted in Thompson's defeat by Labor candidate Shayne Neumann, with a two party preferred swing of 10.17%—significantly over the Queensland average swing of 7.53%.