Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I like the member for Fenner, and being a member of the class of 2010 that comes with some level of credence. What I find fascinating is that in the member for Fenner's contribution he articulated exactly what this government is doing. He referenced governments post World War II and their actions to produce full employment, to increase housing affordability. That's exactly what this budget delivered last night and that's exactly what this government has been delivering for the past 12 months, through a whole range of measures, whether it's JobKeeper or the HomeBuilder package. I know, in my electorate of Forde, with over 13½ thousand people employed in construction and manufacturing, that HomeBuilder has delivered tremendous support to our local tradespeople. We're doing some stuff around the home at the moment, and to get a tradesperson to come and even just quote on a job is nigh on impossible. This is a direct result of the policies of this government by ensuring that we have the supports in the economy to assist the economy through this coronavirus pandemic.

I was recently at Stoddard Group at Ormeau, and they also have a depot at Loganholme. They make steel frames for homes. As a result of the increased workflow and increased building activity flowing out of HomeBuilder, they have employed 40 new staff in their business. The job sites they supply have increased from some 30,000 to some 36,000. To meet this extra demand, they have invested some $1.5 million in six new metal roll forming machines. This investment was made much easier by government's extended instant asset write-off program.

Additionally, the member for Fenner also raised, in his contribution, investing for the future. I'm very pleased to tell this house, and to let the people of Forde know, that we are investing as a government for the future. Over $1 billion has been invested and is being invested in the years to come in upgrades to the M1 between the Gateway Motorway and the Logan Motorway to finish that last section of upgrades that has been overlooked for so long.

We have spent multimillion dollars on safety upgrades to Beaudesert-Beenleigh Road, to Beenleigh-Redland Bay Road and to Tamborine Oxford road. We're spending over a hundred million dollars on upgrades to exits 41, 45 and 49 at Yatala South, Ormeau and Pimpama. We're investing $65 million for the relocation of the Loganlea Train Station and also additional commuter car parking. In addition to that, in the budget, we announced another $178 million investment in the upgrade of the rail line between Kuraby and Beenleigh to ensure that, in time, we can have faster train services between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. That is a key section on that line where there are a number of tight curves that make it difficult or not safe to run a high-speed rail. There will be a $37.5 million investment in the next upgrade project on the Mount Lindesay Highway in the west of my electorate from Stoney Camp Road and Chambers Flat Road. Work on that is now well underway.

In addition, we've had significant direct investments to our local councils through the COVID support packages for upgrades to community facilities, roads and other infrastructure. I know that people, particularly the people in Bethania, will be delighted by the nearly $1 million investment in the intersection of Logan Street and Albert Street, which is a very dangerous intersection. It will become signalised as a result of the investment by the federal government in assisting Logan City Councils. In addition to that, there is support for trainees and apprentices. Some 705 apprentices have benefited from our Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements. We are investing in the future. I am proud of what this government is doing. It is securing the future of our economy and it is delivering for the electorate of Forde.

See this speech in context