LOCAL roads are the big winners from the State Government’s recent Budget, according to Member for Nicklin Neil Turner.

Mr Turner said roads, the Nambour Hospital, police and local schools have been specifically targeted to receive further funding.

He said that when the coalition was re-elected on June 13, it would move immediately to implement its Budget program.

"And Palmwoods and surrounding areas will be some of the major beneficiaries," he said.

Mr Turner said tenders for construction of the Keil Mountain road interchange would be called in September this year.

"I have been informed by Main Roads that modifications to the layout have been necessary to allow semi-trailers and large buses to safely negotiate the interchange," he said.

"This has been achieved by increasing the site of the roundabouts at either end of the overbridge, realigning the roundabout approaches and modifying the service road to the Christian Outreach College."

Mr Turner said that another project would be resurfacing of six kilometres of the Range section of the Woombye-Montville Road as part of the 1998-99 maintenance program.

"In the meantime, the maintenance to the safety standard set by the Department of Main Roads will be maintained," he said. "This resurfacing program will be well received by the many drivers who use this road," Mr Turner said.

He said that another big winner had been the Nambour hospital.

"I have just been informed that new signage is currently being developed to indicate the whereabouts of the new parking station at the hospital," he said.

Mr Turner said education had also benefited from the State Budget.

"Palmwoods and Woombye State Schools and Woombye Pre-School have already been identified to receive urgent maintenance," he said. "And the 1998-99 budget will deliver 487 more teachers to Queensland taking the three years total to 2375 where Labour could only manage 1753 teachers during its entire six years in office."

INDEPENDENT candidate for Nicklin Peter Wellington has vowed to tip the same bucket on the rorts and perks in State Parliament as he did in Local Government.

"Some politicians spend more time with their snouts in the trough than they do working," he said. "The major parties are squandering taxpayers’ money on self-promotion and ignoring the real issues which are jobs and funds for health and aged care."

He said his campaign was "back to basics" and since he had thrown his hat in the ring, he had been door knocking the electorate.

"I’ve worn out one pair of shoes and am almost through the second," he said. "But the response has been fantastic. I’ve been to places where they have never seen a politician before."

Mr Wellington said his rallying cry was "the people’s voice, not the party’s puppet."

He said he wanted to take up issues of real significance to local people.

"The people of Palmwoods and Woombye have been crying out for something to be done at the dangerous Keil Mountain intersection for years and still we haven’t seen anything," he said.

"It has been all talk and promises but no real action, and yet this is something that greatly affects all people of the area every day, and could even be considered a life threatening situation."

Mr Wellington is perhaps best known for his stand against councillor's salary increases and allowances for councillors representing council on instrumentalities such as the water board.

He donates part of his council salary to buy trees for residents of Maroochy Shire and donates his salary from the Caloundra Maroochy Water Board to the Baroon Pocket Fisheries Association.

A Maroochy Shire Councillor representing Nambour, Mr Wellington is also a solicitor and lives with his wife Jenny on their farm at Belli Park.

"It is vital that at this crucial time in Queensland political history that the people have a strong voice in State Parliament," he said. "I’m asking the people of Nicklin to entrust me with that responsibility."