House debates

Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Bills

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2021-2022, Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2021-2022, Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2021-2022; Second Reading

4:00 pm

Photo of Terry YoungTerry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

When a local community wants a new footpath, improvements to their local park, a road upgrade or improvements to local sporting facilities, they'll most likely to turn to their local council. But last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and jobs were at risk, it was clear that the federal government needed to play our part to keep people in those jobs. One of the ways we did this was through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program, announced last May. This program supports local councils to deliver priority local projects across Australia, including in my electorate of Longman. Not only does this fantastic program support jobs and help local economies weather the pandemic; it ensures that towns like Caboolture, Dakabin, Burpengary and Beachmere get local improvements that make them better places in which to live.

The great thing about this program is that there's no politics involved. It's just two levels of government—the council and the federal government—working together to get stuff done in the community. Due to its success and the clear benefits it has for local communities, the program has since been expanded not once, but twice, bringing the total investment across Australia to $2.5 billion. That $2.5 billion investment is the federal government saying, 'Yes, we understand the importance of grassroots improvements like new footpaths or roads and park upgrades to local people.' New playground equipment at the local park might not sound as impressive as a billion dollar highway upgrade or a new inland rail service, but, for the parents who bring their kids to the park on the weekend to spend some time with family outdoors, it's just as important.

In the first phase of the program, Moreton Bay Regional Council received $1.66 million to help fund four projects in Longman. A further 12 projects were funded in phase 2 of the program, with a federal government investment of around $5.3 million. Longman will also receive a share of $10 million allocated to Moreton Bay Regional Council in phase 3 of the program. Two of the four projects announced in phase 1 have already been completed, including a 3½-kilometre concrete footpath along Bigmor Drive at Elimbah, between Pumicestone and Mansfield roads. Mums and dads with prams and people with mobility issues will now find it easy to get to shops and parks, thanks to this new footpath. It also provides safe pedestrian access to the massive new commercial development next to the iconic Big Fish Tavern, anchored by a new Bunnings Warehouse, which, by the way, will employ hundreds of locals.

Central Lakes Park in Caboolture near Summerfields Drive received a big overhaul, with new playground equipment, barbecue facilities and landscaping. This was a project that locals had been asking for for around five years, and I was delighted to help the council get this one over the line. Not long after the work on this upgrade was completed, I attended a Neighbourhood Watch event at the park, and it was great to see so many locals out there enjoying the new facilities. Ultimately, that's what this investment is all about—making things better for locals and supporting local jobs during construction.

The two other projects from the first phase are well underway and should be completed within weeks. These include a new fauna crossing at Wamuran to help keep our local wildlife safer near the roads, and new LED sports field lighting at Bob Brock Park in Dakabin. These new lights will enable local sporting clubs, including my old soccer club, the mighty North Pine Gorillas, to train across all the fields at the park after dark. It will particularly make a big difference to the junior football teams, who now have a lot more room to train rather than being crammed into a small space. While these phase 1 projects are nearing completion, this week we are announcing the list of projects to receive funding under phase 2.

The $1 billion phase 2 extension of the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program was announced as part of the 2020-21 budget. We will provide Moreton Bay Regional Council with around $5.3 million for 12 fantastic projects in Longman that will again support local jobs and improve local communities. Perhaps the biggest project on the list is an overhaul of the Petersen Road sporting complex at Morayfield. We are contributing $1.5 million towards this $4 million project, which will help it get done much sooner than would otherwise be possible. This is a project I have been fighting to get funding for since last August, and I'm really pleased to see it get some love under this program. It will involve demolishing the old clubhouse and constructing a new clubhouse that will be shared by the more than 1,650 members of the Caboolture Rugby Union Club and the Caboolture Touch Association. The new building will also have offices, a kitchen and tiered seating for spectators.

This project has been in planning for some time, and I'm delighted that the federal government has been able to pitch in for this project through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. Other phase-2 projects include three new footpaths—one on Bribie Island Road at Ningi, another at Elkhorn Avenue at Bellara and a third on the D'Aguilar Highway between Scotts Lane and Mount Mee Road. The latter project, in particular, is much needed in that area and will ensure pedestrians, including schoolchildren, can get to where they're going much more safely. All three projects will improve pedestrian access for parents with prams or people with mobility issues.

Funding will also go towards the installation of a new playground at the Aird Street park, Sandstone Point, making this great little local park more enjoyable for local families. Carramar park in Dakabin will get $200,000 towards a new playground, barbecue facilities, pathways and landscaping. Nearby, in Alma Road, we are helping fund a new pedestrian refuge near the Woolworths development so locals can safely cross Alma Road, which can get really busy during peak times. We are also helping to fund netball courts at the Burpengary sports complex and a basketball court at Cash Street in D'Aguilar. The skate park at Sheep Station Creek in Morayfield will also be upgraded from a district facility to a major skate facility. The federal government is chipping in $1 million for this project—and I won't be getting involved on the skateboard for fear of breaking my neck! Once completed, it will be a great place for local kids, encouraging them to get outdoors with their scooters and skateboards and keep active. Finally, we are funding 50 per cent of a streetscape upgrade for Biggs Avenue in Beachmere and $400,000 towards improved pedestrian and cyclist access along Station Road in Burpengary. These projects will be of big benefit for local residents in Longman who live near or use these facilities and infrastructure.

I was also pleased to learn that, as part of the recently announced 2021-22 budget, Longman will share in another $10 million under the next phase of this program, which will be delivered to Moreton Bay council at the start of next year. The Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program is already delivering for locals and their communities, and it will continue delivering for sometime yet. So far it has delivered funding for 16 important local projects in my electorate, two of which have already been completed and two of which will be completed shortly. Work on the further 12 projects from phase 2 of the program will get underway between now and the end of the year, when funding for phase 3 of the program will become available to the council. This program and others, like those in the federal government's Stronger Communities Program or the Powering Communities Program, support real, grassroots, local projects. They deliver the improvements that our communities ask for, and that's what my job is all about—getting local projects delivered for the people of Longman.

Helping get people who want to work into a job is one of the most important roles of any Australian government. Our government doesn't just talk about getting people into work; we put in place the policies that help employers to thrive. When businesses are flourishing, they are more likely to invest in their businesses, create new job opportunities and employ new people. I'm aware that, in my electorate of Longman and in many other towns and cities around the country, employers are struggling to find staff who are willing and qualified to fill the roles they have available. Therefore, the Morrison government, in the 2021-22 budget, has allocated $6.4 billion to help people learn the skills that employers require to fill these positions. We are delivering more apprenticeships, building on successive reforms, investing in skills and providing further investment in free or low-fee training places.

Almost half of this $6.4 billion investment will go towards extending the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements program. This demand driven program is expected to support more than 170,000 new apprentices and trainees across the country. In Longman there are already around 1,300 apprentices and trainees working across a whole range of different roles, from carpentry to boilermaking and cooking to administration. This program works by paying businesses a 50 per cent wage subsidy over 12 months for new apprentices and trainees signed up by 31 March 2022. The subsidy is capped at $7,000 per quarter per apprentice and will lead to even more opportunities for young people—or even older people—who are looking to get into the workforce or embark on a different career. The extension of this program will deliver on our commitment to the building of a pipeline of skilled workers by further supporting growing businesses to take on new apprentices and trainees. This government is also delivering pathway services for 5,000 women to take on a non-traditional apprenticeship. On top of this program, we are committing a further $500 million to be matched by the state and territory governments to expand the JobTrainer fund by 163,000 places. We are also extending this program until the end of 2022. JobTrainer will support hundreds of local jobseekers, school leavers and young people by providing access to free or low-fee training places in areas of skills shortages. This could be training in digital skills or upskilling in critical industries like aged care. An extended and expanded JobTrainer fund will support new training places in Longman to provide jobseekers and young people with the skills they need to fill the job vacancies across Longman. JobTrainer is also delivering an additional 33,800 training places so that care workers can improve their qualifications.

Getting people into a job is such an important step towards making Longman a better place in which to live. There are also around 64,800 people in Longman who will enjoy tax relief this year, which reinforces one of our core beliefs in allowing people to keep more of what they earn. The coalition understands that money in the people's hands is far better than in any government's hands. I'm proud to be part of a government that manages the economy in a manner that gives us the ability to invest in the people in my community of Longman and the entire Australian population.

Comments

No comments