Karen Andrews (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today on Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2010-2011 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2010-2011 and specifically to highlight the needs of the southern Gold Coast. There are a number of issues that I would like to speak about tonight, including the transport needs of the southern Gold Coast, tourism and the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, an iconic tourism attraction, wildlife sanctuary and animal hospital located at Currumbin in the south of the McPherson electorate.

I will start with the transport needs of the southern Gold Coast. Residents, business owners and visitors to the Gold Coast consistently express to me their concerns about the poor transport infrastructure on the Gold Coast and particularly on the southern Gold Coast, which is primarily the area from Merrimac in the north and Mudgeeraba in the north-west through to Coolangatta in the south. At Coolangatta, we have the Gold Coast Airport, which in January this year achieved 558,600 passenger movements, which was a new monthly record. Congratulations to the Gold Coast Airport. As well as setting a new monthly record, it is also the first time that the monthly passenger movements exceeded 500,000. The January 2011 passenger movement figure shows an increase of 20 per cent over the January 2010 figure and is 13 per cent above the previous record, which was set in the preceding month of December 2010. Of the total passenger movements, 478,500 were domestic passengers and more than 80,000 were international passengers, which was an increase of almost 22 per cent for domestic passengers and more than 13 per cent for international passengers, a significant achievement that demonstrates the growth and potential for future growth of the region.

Once passengers arrive by air at the airport, they are then faced with the task of finding a suitable method of transport from the airport to their accommodation, perhaps to a business meeting or basically wherever they are going. Whilst airport management assures me that current passenger transport needs and expectations are able to be met, my concerns are for the future and to make sure that proper planning takes place. Options for transport to and from the Gold Coast Airport are already somewhat limited and comprise various means of road transport. There are buses, including the Gold Coast tourist shuttle as well as local bus service providers offering an affordable means of transport, hire cars, taxis and private vehicles.

Access from the airport directly to the Gold Coast Highway is mostly efficient. However, potential delays can occur after that point as there is no direct access to the motorway either to the north or to the south of the airport. So it is just not possible to quickly move vehicles away once they leave the airport precinct. The Gold Coast Highway suffers from bottlenecks at the nearby suburb of Tugun to the north of the airport. The situation will only get worse when the new housing estate of Cobaki Lakes comes on line later this year and traffic accesses the Gold Coast Highway via Boyd street and Coolangatta Road in Tugun.

The section of the motorway that runs through my electorate of McPherson remains at four lanes—two lanes northbound and two lanes southbound. Bottlenecks occur at various points along the M1, notably at Mudgeeraba and Reedy Creek where consistently traffic is at a standstill, particularly during the peak morning and afternoon periods. With the population predicted to increase in South-East Queensland, traffic congestion will continue to worsen.

In 2007 both the Howard government and the then Labor opposition promised $455 million to upgrade the M1—the priority areas were identified as Nerang to Tugun—from four lanes to a six- to eight-lane motorway. Subsequent to the 2007 election, money was used for upgrades to the motorway to the north of Nerang. So it did not take place in the identified priority areas. The result is that the southern Gold Coast continues to wait for the much-needed upgrade of the motorway to take place.

It is also important to note in this context that the M1 serves a dual purpose—it provides motorway access to local residents and tourists and also forms part of the national road network, linking Brisbane and Sydney. The recent floods in Queensland have reinforced the need to build and maintain proper transport networks to allow the safe and prompt carriage of people and essential supplies during times of emergency. It is therefore essential that the M1 is upgraded, and this should be a government priority.

If we look at alternative means of transport, there are two options for us to consider. The first of these is heavy rail. Extension of the rail line to Coolangatta has been identified as a priority by the many businesses and individuals that I have spoken to in the last year or so. Heavy rail, servicing Brisbane to the Gold Coast, only goes as far south as Varsity Lakes and that station was opened just over 12 months ago. It took 11 years to lay 4.1 kilometres of track from Robina to Varsity Lakes, which is just one station. Commuters from the Gold Coast to Coomera, Beenleigh and Brisbane rely on trains for faster transport than the M1 can offer vehicular traffic. The peak-hour trains are regularly full after the first two to three stations and passengers have to stand. However, I am very confident that even a ‘standing room only’ train would be attractive to our residents on the southern Gold Coast who do not have access to any trains at all. Extension of the rail line to Coolangatta must become a priority, and it must be introduced in a timely manner. Based on the time of 11 years to build 4.1 kilometres of track between Robina and Varsity Lakes, it will take about 40 years for the line to reach Coolangatta, and that simply is not good enough.

A second transport option is light rail. I am aware that there is some support for this proposal from parts of the southern Gold Coast business community. Construction of stage 1 of the light rail project, which will run from Griffith University to Broadbeach and comprise 16 light rail stations, has commenced, with financial contributions from the three levels of government. Potential future stages for the light rail have been identified and are: the corridor north of stage 1, from Griffith University to Helensvale; the corridor south of stage 1, from Broadbeach to Burleigh Heads; and the corridor from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta. However, there have been no funding commitments for these further stages and no time lines for commencement or completion. My concern is that the final stage may well be from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta and that this is not envisaged in the foreseeable future.

In summary, on the issue of transport infrastructure, there are three critical projects for the southern Gold Coast: (1) upgrading the M1 south from Worongary to the border and beyond if necessary, (2) extending the heavy rail line from Varsity Lakes through to Coolangatta and (3) proper investigation and assessment of light rail options. These projects are essential, not only for our residents but also for our tourists.

Tourism is a major Gold Coast industry. As I have said previously in this place, the flow-on effect from tourism impacts on almost every other industry and business on the Gold Coast. Tourism is the largest export earner for Queensland after coal and contributes billions of dollars to the economy. Well over 100,000 people are employed in tourism businesses, with an additional 100,000-plus working in businesses supported by the money that flows from tourism.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

To continue, these include businesses such as the local newsagents, laundromats, restaurants and coffee shops and a whole range of small to medium enterprises. Directly impacted in recent months are accommodation providers, who have been adversely affected by the reduced number of tourists to Queensland as a result of the floods and Cyclone Yasi.

On the southern Gold Coast we have many apartment complexes, with resident managers, that offer serviced apartment accommodation. They are competing for the tourist dollar with the large establishments further north, such as the larger hotel chains, which are discounting room rates to boost occupancy. Whilst this is an understandable practice on their part, it is having a negative effect on local accommodation providers. This in turn impacts on local businesses, which are dependent on tourists.

We are implementing a ‘holiday locally’ program, where we are actively encouraging people to spend their leisure time on the Gold Coast. We have great beaches, a wonderful climate and many things to do. Why wouldn’t you want to holiday with us on the Gold Coast?

Without doubt tourism is vitally important to the Gold Coast and the industry now needs our support more than ever. The southern Gold Coast is home to one of Australia’s iconic tourist attractions, the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is doing it tough at the moment and is in need of our urgent support. The operating costs of the wildlife hospital alone are $600,000 per annum and rising, with up to 30 animals per day arriving at the hospital. I urge you to visit the sanctuary and enjoy all that it has to offer. For the more adventurous amongst us I encourage you to attempt the Green Challenge high ropes adventure course. I am proud to say that I have completed the green and red challenges, but I have reserved the black challenge for another day. I urge the government to support the sanctuary’s application for funding for the development of a regional gallery, cultural heritage and cellar door gateway, including the necessary extension of time to allow further funding from other sources to be finalised.

Finally, it is appropriate at this point to talk about the cost of living, because it has an impact on people and their leisure activities and spending patterns. I know that a lot of people and businesses are financially hurting at the moment. I hear it every day from the people in my electorate of McPherson, who talk to me constantly about the impact of rising prices on their day-to-day lives. Some are now very scared about future rises in prices for water and sewerage, which are already up by 29 per cent; electricity, which is already up by 34 per cent; and fuel, which is projected to rise by about 6c per litre if a carbon tax is introduced. They are concerned about their ability to pay for these most basic of needs. Cost of living is often raised by our pensioners, who can afford very little by way of an increase in cost of living. But it does not just affect our pensioners; it affects our entire community.

At the 2007 election, federal Labor promised to address cost-of-living pressures and reduce the cost of everyday expenditure. Labor promised to do something about groceries, fuel and banking but to date have done very little to fulfil the promises they made. With a budget deficit in excess of $40 billion this year and a budget deficit next year, this government is on track to deliver a burden of debt that will put upward pressure on interest rates and have a huge impact on families for years to come. Wasting money on poor projects, including the failed Home Insulation Program and the proposed National Broadband Network, increases debt and the deficit, and that exacerbates the problem.

This government is borrowing $100 million a day. In 4½ days this government will have borrowed the money that was budgeted for the upgrade of the M1, with the target area of Nerang to Tugun, and that is $455 million. It is a AAA rated borrower and is in competition for finance with ordinary Australians, pushing up costs. It is a simple and straightforward concept: when the debt is reduced, the costs on borrowings are reduced. This government needs to take urgent action now.

See this speech in context