John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I say to the member for Solomon, the former speaker, that it was great to be in Darwin just last week. Today I rise to thank the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, and his cabinet colleagues for their careful consideration of the needs and aspirations of the Groom electorate in the recent federal budget. This is a budget that delivers, in terms of the service needs of our community, infrastructure requirements that will underpin our economic wherewithal, and the investments and policies so important to securing our future in an uncertain world. In Groom, as elsewhere throughout regional Australia, we know full well that, despite growth in recent years and the exciting opportunities we have before us, there are still those doing it tough. This budget recognises that reality and reflects the fact that, given strong growth in important global economies, there are better days ahead. It is a budget that is practical. Our government has put up a raft of savings proposals that, whilst responsible, have unfortunately not received support from the Senate. Whilst we have been pleased to get many savings measures through, in the interests of the Australian people we must now meet our future funding challenges in other ways as well.

The government's $75 billion infrastructure commitment over the next 10 years represents unprecedented support for regional Australia, the powerhouse of our nation. This is the largest infrastructure budget in our history, with funding for critical airport, road and rail infrastructure projects across the nation. I am tremendously excited by the $200 million Building Better Regions Fund and the over $200 million committed to regional infrastructure. These programs will provide significant opportunities for our region to seek funding support for various initiatives.

The story of enabling infrastructure in Groom is one to be celebrated. Construction of the $1.6 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing continues, with an allocation of $247.6 million in 2017-18. It has been fascinating to witness the installation of girders on the viaduct from the top of the range near Mount Kynoch, eastwards along the Blue Mountain Heights escarpment. This will be a magnificent feature for our city in the years to come, an engineering marvel in its own right. I am in awe of those involved in this construction which is underway along the entire 41-kilometre route from near Helidon in the east to near Southbrook in the west, connecting the Warrego, New England and Gore highways and bringing about, more importantly than anything else, enhanced safety for our local and visiting road users.

One of the biggest investments we have seen in regional Australia is our government's allocation of $8.4 billion for the Melbourne and Brisbane Inland Rail, a dedicated fast track by 2024 for freight trains to get products from farms and factories to shipping ports in Melbourne and Brisbane. This is a nation-building project. It will pass through Groom, providing significant business opportunities for local businesses and many, many jobs. This investment will continue to unlock opportunities on the Darling Downs by allowing faster, safer and more efficient movement of freight. It also will create those jobs rights throughout the route which are essential for our continued growth as a nation. That is particularly the case in regional Australia. Preliminary work is well underway, and the announcement in this budget shows that this government is fair dinkum about getting on with the job of building the inland rail, something Labor simply talked about doing for years. I am looking forward to commencement of activity in our region once the corridor across the Darling Downs is finalised by Minister Darren Chester.

Road funding for the Groom electorate is in excess of $366 million in the 2017-18 budget, including $6.5 million for Toowoomba Regional Council projects. The government continues to support councils such as Toowoomba's through a variety of funding programs, including the Black Spot Program and Roads to Recovery. The Black Spot Program delivers improvements to sections of dangerous roads that have a crash history. In Groom, $300,000 has been allocated for the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Wallace Street and Clairmont Street in Newtown. This project is jointly funded with the Toowoomba Regional Council, which will supply $100,000.

The Roads to Recovery program is committed to the construction, repair and upgrade of local roads. In Groom, projects to be completed in upcoming months include: $987,000 to install traffic lights at the intersection of Hogg Street and Tor Street; $600,000 to widen Jondaryan Mount Tyson Road; $525,000 to improve the intersection of Kingsthorpe Haden Road and Yalangur Kelvinhaugh Road; $920,000 to widen the Linthorpe Road at Pittsworth; $1.9 million to seal Pierces Creek Road at Emu Creek; $875,000 to construct Pierces Creek Road stage 2; $765,000 to realign the intersection of West Street and Drayton Road in Toowoomba; and $1.89 million to construct and seal a section of Wyreema Cambooya Road. Ongoing works supported in this budget include work on the Warrego Highway Toowoomba to Oakey duplication stage 2 project, which will continue with an allocation of $87.4 million in this budget, and the Warrego Highway Oakey to Dalby overtaking lanes project, which will continue with an allocation of $17.5 million in 2017-18, connecting the electorate of Maranoa to Groom. The government has also resumed the indexation of financial assistance grants to councils, which will result in an extra $836.5 million being provided over the forward estimates. I know that this will be welcome in Groom.

In the health budget, we in Groom welcome the fact that medical services for our community will be enhanced by significant bulk-billing incentives for our GPs. Last year almost 750,000 GP services in Groom were bulk-billed. That level will continue to grow, providing and ensuring affordability and convenience to those in our community who need it most. The 147 pharmacists in Groom will benefit from the government's agreement with the Pharmacy Guild to deliver medicines reform. In relation to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, the government is providing $1.2 billion to ensure cheaper access to vital medicines.

Together with this government's investment in rural doctor, nurse and allied health training, these features will be of great assistance to regional areas such as Groom and the Darling Downs. The fact that the government, unlike those opposite, is, once and for all, ensuring the NDIS will be fully funded will provide the confidence and peace of mind for the many individuals and families in Groom who need and deserve our support. I am pleased to note also the increased assistance to our veterans, given the importance of the Swartz Barracks at Oakey and the Borneo Barracks at Cabarlah to Groom.

My electorate is blessed with 73 primary and secondary schools, including state, Catholic and independent schools and a number of boarding institutions. Each one of those schools, large and small alike, will see an increase over the next 10 years. Our schools will see an estimated $1.9 billion in Commonwealth funding over the period 2018 to 2027. Each of our schools will receive its fair share of funding, based on need, with more transparency and with ties to reform to boost our education outcomes. That is particularly important, given the needs of our community, our industry and our young people. I am as proud of this investment as I am of the childcare initiatives that this government announced earlier in the year and the ongoing assistance from our government to the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba to provide opportunities for students from remote and underrepresented cohorts in tertiary education.

The good folk of Groom know that we must have a social security system that is there for those who really need support. The best form of social security is, of course, a job, and in this budget there remains a clear focus on job creation and training opportunities. There will be an increased focus on mutual obligation, where those on unemployment support are encouraged to participate genuinely in programs aimed at assisting them back into the workforce. I am very pleased also to see pension discount arrangements back in place for those who may have lost them with the advent of pension asset testing.

It is a known fact that small business is the employer of the majority of people in our community. That is the case nowhere more than Groom. This budget's continuing support for small business, through responsible and fair tax relief, so that it can invest more, grow more and employ more is indeed welcome in Groom, as is the extension of the small-business asset write-off provisions.

The government's recent announcement about the cessation of the 457 visa program is all about ensuring that Australian jobs are prioritised for Australians first. New foreign worker visa arrangements will still allow access to uniquely skilled workers as required, but the scene is clearly set for more Australians to be focused on Australian jobs.

Another welcome feature of this budget for Groom, given our population growth, employment and lifestyle opportunities, is that of housing affordability. The low-tax savings scheme, allowing intending first home buyers to accumulate savings through the superannuation environment, will see them saving quicker and owning their own home sooner. This, together with incentives for older people to downsize from larger homes and invest part of the proceeds in superannuation, is another key feature of our housing strategy.

As one who attended the launch of the Salvation Army appeal in Toowoomba last week, I must also mention that the increased investment in homelessness assistance, to be coordinated with the states, will be very welcome in Groom.

As part of the government's integrated response to the Oakey PFAS water contamination issue, I welcome the funding to assist the Toowoomba Regional Council in providing town water supplies to affected properties. Make no mistake, the challenge of addressing the impact of declining property values is something I continue to lobby our ministers about, including lobbying the Prime Minister and Senator James McGrath, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, just this very week, as we work towards a result.

The responsible nature of this budget is perhaps best exemplified by the fact that our government is not touching the Future Fund, put in place by a former coalition government in order that we might meet our future obligations. Australians are rightly fearful that a government formed by our political opponents might raid that fund to support reckless and unfunded expenditure in the future.

In summary, I am so proud that we have a budget that in Groom is focused on stronger growth for more and better paid jobs. As I have outlined, our many initiatives are aimed at securing the services that Groom residents want and continuing to tackle the cost of living, all the while ensuring that our government lives within its means, which is in the interests of all Australians and future generations.

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