Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Motorsport is in Townsville's DNA. It doesn't matter whether you're a diehard Ford or Holden fan, you can't live in Townsville and not have motorsport impact your life in some way. It might be as simple the yearly Townsville 500 supercars closing the road on your commute to work. Or you might be one of the 145,000 people who attend the three-day event every year.

We're very fortunate in Townsville to have played host to the supercars for many years. This not-to-be missed part of our events calendar has been part of our city every year since 2009. Not even the COVID-19 pandemic could stop the event going ahead. In fact, it was only a positive. Queensland was one of the safest bets for organisers to host events because we didn't have the outbreaks, specifically in the north. This led to double-header events in both 2020 and 2021, with an extra round being held in both years on consecutive weekends.

The Reid Park circuit has become one of the country's most well-recognised and respected tracks. It's a favourite among the drivers. It's a hybrid track that has sections that are purpose-built for the event and sections that form part of our regular road network. It has been a happy hunting ground for the Triple Eight race team. Jamie Whincup has recorded 12 individual race wins at the track. Since about 2016 Shane van Gisbergen has been almost unstoppable, with 10 wins to his name. Some of these wins at Reid Park have been etched into motorsport history forever.

It's no wonder that motorsport is so important to the people of Townsville. It's a sport that brings people together and brings billions of dollars of economic benefit. It's not unheard of for every single motel and hotel in the town to be completely booked out for the weekend of the race. In fact, one year we built a tent city to accommodate the many people who came to town for the spectacle. That's why I'm very happy to support this motion today. We should be doing everything we can to support this sport.

And it's not just the professionals who we're recognising today. It's the grassroots; it's the mums, dads, sons and daughters who spend their weekend at tracks across the country, who are working on cars, motorbikes and carts. It's the ones who travel around in search of the win at racetracks and speedways in regional and rural locations, supporting those towns and cities as they go. It's people like Madison Dunston, a fantastic young woman from Townsville who's put her blood, sweat and tears into working her way to very high-level racing in support categories like the Aussie Racing Cars Championship in the Toyota 86 series. But Madi and her family aren't just focused on themselves; they're always giving back to the community. Her family runs a go-kart track, which also gives at-risk youth an opportunity to learn mechanic skills as part of a federally funded program.

Unfortunately, because we have a hybrid racetrack there has been a lack of dedicated facilities for motorsport in the community of Townsville. That's why I fought hard to support DriveIt, a grassroots campaign to build a purpose-built racetrack. Through DriveIt's hard work and advocacy we were able to secure $12 million under the former coalition government to build not just a 2.75-kilometre race circuit, but a driver education complex. I'm very happy to be able to report that just last week the bitumen was completed on the track. This means it won't be long until race meets can take place at the facility. This is a fantastic result, and I can't wait to see what it means for our city.

It won't just be a place for motorsport enthusiasts; it will put in practice their driving. The DriveIt team estimates an economic benefit to the region of around $35 million. At the same time DriveIt offers space for rollover recovery training, light and sirens, driver training for emergency services in a safe environment with plenty of room to move. It's an excellent example of how sport and its facilities can have a huge benefit beyond those who use it for events. I would like to convey my congratulations to Greg Putt and the whole DriveIt team for the amazing work they've done. Motorsport is a key part of our community, and I am very happy to support this motion.

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