Joanna Gash (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would first like to place on the record how honoured I am to have been elected for my sixth term in this Australian parliament. At the same time I am humbled and grateful for the confidence extended me by the constituents of Gilmore. There are still many stones left unturned, and I am not yet ready to leave those stones unaddressed. I was pleased to hear the Governor-General speak about the importance of regional Australia, because her comments are directed unequivocally to electorates such as the one I represent. The need for regional infrastructure investment cannot be overstated. Gilmore is a very important part of regional Australia and I will continue to work as a strong advocate to ensure that we receive our fair share. In doing so I have been criticised for crossing jurisdictional borders, but I make no apology for that. Failure on someone else’s part does not constitute an acceptance of the situation on my part.

The challenges were compounded by changes to the electorate boundaries which changed Gilmore from a 4.7 per cent Liberal seat to a notionally Labor seat. This was the third boundary change for me in Gilmore and it made this election contest my hardest yet. So, for the 1,000 people who manned the booths on my behalf, it was a supremely gratifying moment to hear Gilmore be the first seat reported on polling night and with a swing of 5.7 per cent to the Liberals. It was a case deja vu as Gilmore was the first seat announced as a win for the coalition in 1996.

I especially want to thank the constituents of Barrack Heights, Barrack Point, Shellharbour Village, Shell Cove, Flinders, Dunmore, Minnamurra and Kiama for their trust and support. When I doorknocked, many said they had not really had any contact with a Liberal member before. May I assure those residents I will not let them down.

Special mention must be made of my FEC team, John Bennett, Wes Hindmarsh, Liz Tooley, David Smith, Clive Brooks, Dennis Chugg and David Gray. Most have been with me since 1996. I am grateful to my former staff member, Julia Guy, who returned from England to assist me, and to my current staff who work so hard. Thanks also to my state colleague, Shelley Hancock, the member for South Coast, who will be facing her own election in March 2011.

I particularly want to thank the Calverley family, Tracey, Steve, Jan and Sheridan, from Kiama, who were so determined to assist and gave 110 per cent. I thank all of those who put up signs and corflutes on their properties. Our signs were on private properties, unlike those of my opponents, which were plastered on power poles and in public spaces in blatant defiance of the law. To Kellie Marsh and her team, to the Young Liberals of both the Shoalhaven and Wollongong and to my family—my daughters, granddaughters, sister and brother-in-law—thank you. And special thanks to Dorothy Barker, Pam Coles and Jan Hancock.

Gilmore had two Labor candidates. One was David Boyle, who Sussex Street selected but the local Labor Party branch rejected. There was a second candidate who to this day has still not had the good grace to concede defeat.

My gratitude goes to shadow minister Bronwyn Bishop—she is simply the best—to Julie Bishop, Joe Hockey, Stephen Ciobo, Greg Hunt and, of course, former Prime Minister John Howard and to Tony Abbott, who actually visited Gilmore twice to support my campaign. It is of interest to note that, when we took John Howard into hardcore Labor heartland in the north, it was a remarkable sight. There was not one protester nor one jibe against the Liberal Party. There was just genuine respect and warmth from the crowd at Shellharbour Square shopping centre. As the Illawarra Mercury reporter exclaimed, ‘I would not have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself.’

Gilmore struggles with the same challenges that other regional areas face such as low socioeconomic status,—Gilmore being in the top 50 most disadvantaged electorates in the country—a lack of transport, high unemployment, a lack of infrastructure, limited health and dental services, long medical waiting lists, growing numbers of people struggling with mental health issues, homelessness, cost of fuel in country areas compared to metropolitan and limited opportunities for our young people. I am pleased that the 43rd Parliament will have a greater and renewed focus on regional Australia to address these issues.

What actually transpires remains to be seen and I have not hesitated to let the Prime Minister know exactly what it is that we want. By confronting the infrastructure and transportation challenges that regional Australia faces we are putting all regional residents on an equal playing field to their metropolitan counterparts, especially as Gilmore has no train services past Bomaderry and relies solely on the Princes Highway. Upgrading infrastructure like the Princes Highway to be at least a dual carriageway in both directions would make accessing goods and services easier and safer for those in the outlying areas.

It would also stimulate opportunities in business and tourism for these areas—something that is sorely needed. For a long time, tourism has provided the backbone of the local economy, and present global circumstances do threaten that. We need the ability and the means to diversify our commercial and industrial product to generate low-skilled jobs and to inoculate our economy against economic fluctuations. An enhanced road transport system must be the necessary first step. It would create employment in the planning, building and post-construction phases.

I point to the Building the Education Revolution program as a case of how not to do it. It is a program that failed to use local skills and products, in many cases bringing little benefit to the local economy. Just last week, I heard of a case where the cement poured at a local school for a BER project is being ripped out to start again. Let us hope that they employ some locals this time to get the job right. While some schools did benefit from this program, their success was eclipsed by the many cases of overspending, over-engineering or simply spending when it was not wanted or needed.

The coalition made a total of 16 commitments to the electorate of Gilmore, which would have been delivered if we had been elected. They include: a $2.6 million Shoalhaven headspace sight, also promised by Labor—and I have to say that the government has just called for tenders for that project; a $1 million Kiama Harbour upgrade to assist them in marine tourism and recreational fishing, which is a huge drawcard for local tourism; a $35 million cancer care centre equipped with a linear accelerator, which was granted by both sides of politics and which was a win-win outcome for our community; $20 million for the Princes Highway, our major highway, which the Labor Party simply refused to commit any funding for; $10 million for the Shellharbour boat harbour marina to boost tourism and future development; and $1 million for CCTV cameras for the safety and security of our residents, especially local businesses, which are paying for the chronic lack of adequate police resources.

We promised $25 million for an Australian technical college, which would ideally have been in conjunction with Vincentia High School, which had been refused one of Labor’s trade training centres not once but three times. Last week, the government finally announced that Vincentia High School will now receive a trade training centre. We promised $1 million for Shoalhaven endoscopic services. We currently have a situation where people are waiting one to three years for a colonoscopy. We would have provided $1 million for Shoalhaven hospital emergency equipment to reduce our growing waiting list for all types of surgery; $500,000 for green army projects for Shellharbour, Kiama, Nowra and Ulladulla and to allow some of our not-so-young unemployed to assist in environmental projects; and $300,000 to make a solar town in Kangaroo Valley.

We promised $2 million for the Dunn and Lewis Bali memorial centre to commence stage 2. I acknowledge the Shoalhaven City Council and this government, who provided funding to finish stage 1 of the project after the initial $500,000 contribution of the Howard government. We would have given $2 million for a Point Perpendicular cliff walk at the Jervis Bay headland, which is a new, visionary and innovative project that would generate overseas tourism through the promotion of our natural wonders. We promised $1 million for a southern Shoalhaven boat harbour feasibility study. The Shoalhaven does not have a functional boat harbour for the many tourists who need such a facility. We would have given $1.5 million for the Shoalhaven basketball stadium upgrade. The growing popularity of this sport means it has reached the need for upgrades that will allow the local association to host major competitions. We would have given $350,000 to the Shoalhaven regional tourism office and all other regional tourism offices to entice more private operators and to increase opening hours.

All these projects were developed in conjunction with local stakeholders and went through rigorous processes to become the final official commitments. They are exciting, innovative and job-creating projects that I have since forwarded to this government for their consideration and to the Independents who helped form the government with their belief in regional Australia. It is important that our Prime Minister and the Minister for Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government are aware of such projects, mainly to avoid the need to reinvent the wheel and to work on them with Regional Development Australia bodies. I have specifically invited the new minister for regional development, Simon Crean, to come down and see for himself some of these projects and the other needs that we have in Gilmore. I am delighted that he has agreed to do so, particularly following the tragic accident we recently had on the Nowra Bridge. While the RTA are reviewing my nomination for black spot funding for the site, I also wrote to Mr Crean, highlighting the necessity for a third bridge crossing. This is just one of the matters I intend to discuss with Mr Crean during his visit.

Another minister who I hope will visit the electorate soon is health minister Nicola Roxon. One of only two commitments that the Labor Party made for Gilmore was a $7 million GP superclinic. While I am not one to knock back funding for our electorate, regardless of where it comes from, many of our local GPs have serious concerns about the proposal. I have had meetings with Ms Roxon’s office to highlight some of these concerns, pointing out that a one-stop shop would be difficult for people from all of Gilmore’s 149 far-flung towns and villages to access, due to the limited transport options that we have. I also pointed out that most of our major regional centres have private medical practices that would welcome the opportunity to expand and offer additional services, such as dental or after-hours consultations. I am looking forward to working with the Shoalhaven Division of General Practice to put in a tender for the funding that will achieve this outcome. The tender documents were last week made open for submissions.

Another issue that I will be focusing on in this term is homelessness. I recently held a meeting with all of the local providers in my electorate, which was briefly attended by the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Julie Bishop. It became very clear that emergency accommodation is in short supply in Gilmore, as are affordable rental properties. One idea put forward involved the government providing financial incentives for homeowners to house those transitioning from homelessness. It might work on a similar model to the Defence Housing scheme, whereby homeowners allow their properties to be used for a fixed rent, and their home is repainted and well kept by the government. This would have the added bonus of integrating individuals who need assistance into the community, as opposed to building high-density developments which have the reputation of promoting social instability. We have seen many examples of this locally in the last 12 months, with the state and federal Labor governments’ public housing stimulus projects. Large-scale developments are being built in Ulladulla, Worrigee, Nowra, Bomaderry, Gerringong and Barrack Heights, without the consent of council and without public consultation. The Gerringong development is even being built on a block zoned ‘commercial’, which resulted in enormous public and council opposition. To return to the original point, of low-cost housing: without financial incentives caution prevails, and private homeowners simply do not consider potential tenants who do not have the appropriate references, income and rental history. We certainly have a severe shortage of low-cost housing locally, resulting in more strain on public services. However, I recognise that our existing service providers do an incredible job with the little funding that they have.

I had the privilege of visiting CareSouth’s Nowra youth accommodation and was blown away by the great work that they do with our young people. They provide temporary housing, assistance with job seeking and education in essential life skills. I would love to see more of this in our community, but it was not until we sat down together with all the provider agencies that we discovered how little we have to address the growing demand. Jim da Silva City Farm is another great example. It provides long-term accommodation for men struggling in society, and is a joint venture of the St Vincent de Paul Society and the department of housing. The men are cared for, offered assistance and, most importantly, given the chance to improve themselves with volunteering opportunities, friendship and activities—in fact, I can assure you that they make great scones. I was privileged to have had them as my guests some years ago in Parliament House. There are people who have faced all sorts of disturbances in life that many of us cannot even begin to imagine, and they deserve a leg up.

Gilmore’s unemployment rate is chronically above the national average. I have spoken about this time and time again, as I have of the need to introduce opportunities for job creation. That means stimulating business investment, and that was the justification behind the upgrading of Main Road 92. Until the benefits of this road start to emerge, which they are slowly starting to do, we will still need to identify other ways of generating job opportunities. The Shoalhaven Jobs Drive, which was for the month of October, was designed to do just that. It created, in one month, 271 jobs. It is about connecting businesses that have job vacancies with people who want jobs. The idea came about through a discussion we had with our regional employment coordinator, Jane Robertson, several months ago. I am thrilled that the idea was taken up and acted upon. I have to say that this success was largely due to the nature of the Shoalhaven community, which is renowned for pulling together at times like this.

Even for those of us who are lucky enough to be working locally, the median weekly household income for Gilmore is barely two-thirds of the national average. Low-income households are finding the rising cost of living particularly tough right now, with soaring electricity prices and the lingering threat of a carbon tax.

It is no surprise that I get approached by a lot of pensioners and groups who want to know why they cannot get access to free health and dental services, the same as some of our asylum seekers get in detention centres, and have somewhere to live. What do I tell them? They can see with their own eyes how detainees get prompt medical attention, how their children get full schooling and how they are regularly fed, while many of our pensioners have to forgo meals just to pay the electricity bills. They are struggling to make ends meet, and as a result their health and quality of life are slowly but surely degrading. While many rail against detainees being locked in compounds, many of our pensioners are virtual prisoners in their own homes. It is important that we get this issue right to avoid further angst and feelings of resentment within the community and dividing our country even further. The government have not handled this issue well, and it is time they acknowledged this and took action.

On a more positive note, I would like to share with the House a few of the projects that I have been very proud to see completed in my time so far as the member for Gilmore. There is the Shoalhaven university campus, which I hope will, as it grows, inspire more and more students from our area to consider tertiary education. Currently only 30 per cent do, compared to 70 per cent in other areas. There is the Graduate School of Medicine, which aims to address the shortage of doctors in rural and regional Australia—and I am pleased to report that our first home-grown batch of doctors have graduated this year. There is the nursing school, and of course there is Main Road 92, which we celebrated the opening of a few weeks ago with an excited Nerriga community. All of these projects had the support of the Shoalhaven City Council, which we have always worked very well with over the years. I am proud to say that we have three very good councils in Gilmore: Shellharbour, Kiama and Shoalhaven. With each I enjoy a very good relationship.

I cannot finish without making a special mention of the contribution of our local defence bases at HMAS Albatross and HMAS Creswell. The Navy have been very supportive and enjoy an enviable reputation as a responsible corporate citizen. They get involved in all aspects of the community and are always there to lend a helping hand. I am fortunate to be in a position to represent our defence forces, both serving and retired. After leaving the forces, many continue to live in and participate in the community. Their expertise, compassion and energy drive many local community organisations.

We all want what is the best for this community, and I look forward to working with all levels of government again over this next term to continue to get the job done for Gilmore. I thank all in this chamber for their indulgence.

Debate (on motion by Mr Melham) adjourned.

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