Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to share with the House the privilege that it was to recently welcome the new Leader of the Liberal Party, Angus Taylor, and the new Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Senator Jane Hume, to my electorate of McPherson on the southern Gold Coast. Both visits occurred within the first 10 days of their election to these leadership roles. I believe that that says something important. It shows that the coalition does not take the southern Gold Coast for granted. It shows that the people of McPherson are being heard and that they do have strong representation in Canberra.

When the Leader of the Liberal Party visited McPherson, we started the day bright and early in true Burleigh fashion—a morning run along the beachfront. After the run, we grabbed coffee with an enthusiastic group of young supporters. Locals came up to us to wish Angus very well and share their views on the direction of the country and the issues that matter to them. Those conversations were thoughtful, and they were candid. People spoke about the rising cost of living, the pressures facing small businesses and their hopes for the future.

We visited Saul Wiseman and his impressive young team at Cadetshop in Burleigh, a fantastic local business that exemplifies the ingenuity of Australian manufacturing. Cadetshop has built a strong partnership with the Australian Defence Force, producing specialised equipment and items that support our cadets and ADF personnel. We also visited Aussie Chiller, another outstanding small business at Burleigh Heads. It was an opportunity to hear from Dan and Lauren about their remarkable story and how they've scaled up their family business to exporting their products from Burleigh to the world. But, like so many businesses across the country, they spoke about rising costs, workforce pressures and the need for policies that support and reward enterprise.

Our final stop was—my favourite—Blackboard cafe in Varsity Lakes, where we held a roundtable with young women and their families to discuss cost-of-living pressures and choice in child care. I thank Jen Fleming from Childcare Choice for helping to organise that roundtable. It was a valuable discussion. Families spoke openly about the need for policies that give them and, in particular, women choice and the opportunity to get ahead while balancing work and childcare commitments.

A few days later, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Senator Jane Hume, to McPherson as well. We began the day at one of my regular listening spots, the beautiful Tallebudgera Creek. As Senator Hume observed that morning, 'Even in paradise, it's clear that people are doing it tough.' People told us that the cost of everything has gone up—groceries, energy, insurance and housing—while their standard of living is going backwards. Senator Hume and I also attended a special event at the Coolangatta branch of the Queensland Country Women's Association—the heritage listing of their beautiful hall in Coolangatta. The hall has long been a centrepiece of community life, and it will now be an enduring home for the QCWA and the broader southern Gold Coast community. I'd like to congratulate President Karen Howell and the ladies of the QCWA, who continue to strengthen women and their families across our community through their tireless work.

We also visited Fin Design & Effects, where Andrea Hearn and the team showed us their world-class visual effects studio that is based in Burleigh. It was fascinating to see how films recognised across the globe, including Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Elvis, have had their visual effects created right there on the southern Gold Coast. To round out the visit, Senator Hume and I stopped in at Mr Consistent in Burleigh, where Jeremy Davidson and his team have built an impressive local business producing cocktail mixes now recognised across Australia and beyond. It's exactly the kind of entrepreneurial success that the Gold Coast is known for, creating jobs, supporting families and contributing to our local economy.

There is no doubt that, in the first 10 days of the new leadership team, we put McPherson firmly on the map. The visit sent a clear message: the coalition values the southern Gold Coast, and the people of McPherson have a strong voice in Canberra. I will continue to advocate strongly in this place and across the country on behalf of my community, standing up for our small businesses, for our families, for our young people and for the organisations that make the southern Gold Coast such a truly special place to call home.

See this speech in context