Angus Taylor (Hume, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Not far from where I live in Goulburn is the Rocky Hill War Memorial and Museum. This iconic monument, inspired by the local community and built in the 1920s, stands above Australia's first inland city as a tribute to the locals who served during the First World War. The Goulburn Evening Penny Post reported, after the opening of Rocky Hill memorial in December 1925, that 'it was now generally admitted that this was the finest memorial in Australia'. Almost a century on, the coalition government is helping to ensure this special place remains a nationally significant site of respect and reflection. A $1.25 million grant from the coalition's Building Better Regions Fund will enable the Goulburn Mulwaree Council to upgrade the Rocky Hill War Memorial and Museum precinct.

This upgrade will have enormous benefits. It will improve accessibility for visitors and vehicles. There will be more space for exhibitions and educational activities. It will create jobs and opportunities for locals. The Rocky Hill museum has a fantastic history of volunteerism, with about 10 members of the local community regularly donating their time—Judy and Philip Fowler, Carol and Ken Olsen, Gwen Dries, Bob Saunders, Peter Redman, Ken Kenchington, Peter Winterton and Jenny Sullivan. The Building Better Regions Fund grant is recognition of their efforts, and I'm pleased that the upgrade will create at least five more opportunities for local people to become involved. We know community interest in war memorials has increased in recent years. We are seeing more young people take an active role in our commemorations, including the Anzac Day sunset service on Rocky Hill, which I have attended for the last two years. This upgrade will position the memorial precinct well for the future. I commend Mayor Bob Kirk and the team at the council for an excellent application.

This is just one example of how the coalition is investing in our regions, boosting local economies, creating jobs and building vibrant communities. There are many other recent examples in my electorate, including our $969,000 investment in the South-East New South Wales regional training hub, which will provide young doctors with the ability to work, study and live in Goulburn and its surrounds. The hub will create jobs for clinicians and professional staff. The investment is essential to the health workforce in regional areas.

I've met thousands of people over the past few months as part of my village visit schedule around the electorate. Whether they live in Grabben Gullen, Exeter, Boorowa, Bundanoon or Goulburn, there is a consistent message: they want a government that listens. They want a government that invests in regional communities, and that is exactly what we're doing.