Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Good morning, colleagues. Since we last met, I have had the great privilege of visiting many, many centres in my electorate to share in the announcement of funding and/or new facilities. For example, on 12 July, I went to Ridgley Primary School. They received $2.375 million for their award-winning multipurpose centre. On the same day I went to a southern Prospect specialist fibreglass manufacturer to celebrate the grant of $1.5 million for a major extension to their works. On 14 July, for the Personal Helpers and Mentors program, Mission Australia in Devonport were awarded $1.3 million to extend their fantastic service. On 15 July, I went to Romaine Park Primary with Minister Garrett to celebrate funding of $6.4 million from the federal government for the amalgam of Brooklyn, Acton and Upper Burnie primary schools—a fantastic new school at Romaine. On 19 July I was at Greenham's, the home of Cape Grim premium beef, who received $1.1 million for the extension of their abattoir. On 20 July, I went to Hivotech. Their grant was for $235,000. They are a specialist high-voltage testing service—a pioneering and world-leading tester of high-voltage materials. On 22 July I went to Boat Harbour Primary School. It is in the most magnificent setting, I reckon, anywhere in the world. It received $2.1 million. On 25 July Home and Community Care services received $564,000 to carry on their good work. And on 27 July, Anvers, the home of chocolate, was awarded a TQUAL grant of $100,000. On 2 August, I attended the opening at Stella Maris Primary School in Burnie for their extensions, for which they received $2.7 million. On 11 August, I went to Sacred Heart Primary School which had received $1.875 million for an award winning extension to their primary school.

Again, only recently, I was at the North West Regional Hospital, for the opening of patient accommodation, for which funding of $3 million had been granted, to help those people from outlying areas who need to come for services to the North West Regional Hospital. This will take a lot of the burden and pressure off patients and their families because they will not have to worry about accommodation. Most recently, I went to the magnificent Circular Head, in the far north-west of my region, where Greenham's have Cape Grim premium beef products, to Smithton Primary School, which had had a grant of $2.65 million. To see how the BER in particular has been extended in Tasmania is nothing short of fantastic, and every school I have been to regards this as one of the finest investments that this Commonwealth could have in education and infrastructure.

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