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

I rise tonight to speak about the future of enterprise and infrastructure on the Gold Coast. It was a pleasure recently to welcome Aaron Violi, the shadow minister for the digital economy, science, technology, innovation and cybersecurity to McPherson. His visit was a reminder that the southern Gold Coast is not only one of the most beautiful places in Australia it's also one of the most enterprising. At Macro Mike in Burleigh, we saw a local success story built from initiative. Mike Kellett could not find products that suited his needs so he created his own. That idea has grown into a well-known Burleigh business, delivering products across Australia and now around the world. It's exactly the kind of Australian enterprise we should be encouraging—people identifying a problem, backing their judgement, taking a risk and building something that creates jobs and opportunity.

We also visited GCIT, a local business operating at the front line of cybersecurity, managed IT, AI and automation. These are no longer abstract issues. They are central to how small businesses operate, how families protect their information and how our economy becomes more productive. If Australia is serious about lifting living standards, then we must be serious about the digital economy and about supporting businesses that are adopting new tools, new systems and new ways of working.

At the McPherson Breakfast Club, Aaron joined a packed group of local businesses and individuals for an open discussion on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and the recent federal budget. The questions were frank because the pressures are real. Small businesses are facing rising costs, labour shortages, tax pressures and regulation that too often make it harder to grow, employ and invest.

We also heard from a local distillery about the challenges of building a business in a highly regulated environment, including the burden of alcohol excise. These are not complaints from people seeking special treatment; they are the practical realities faced by people who are doing exactly what we ask Australians to do—work hard, take risks, employ locals and contribute to their communities. Governments should enable that effort, not stand in the way.

I also would like to speak about a project that is essential to the future of the southern Gold Coast, the heavy rail extension from Varsity Lakes to the Gold Coast Airport. I brought this to the attention of the federal infrastructure minister during my first week in parliament. The Gold Coast is growing, and the southern Gold Coast is feeling that growth every day. It is felt on our roads, in our suburbs, around our airport and across the communities that make our region so special. But if we are to protect that lifestyle that draws people to the Gold Coast then our infrastructure must keep pace.

The heavy rail extension is a logical, practical and necessary step. The Gold Coast public transport network will remain incomplete until Varsity Lakes is connected by heavy rail to Coolangatta and the Gold Coast Airport. A city of our scale, and growing at such a pace, with an airport of national importance should have direct rail connectivity to the airport. It's not a luxury; it's basic transport planning for a growing city.

This project would improve connectivity for roads and for locals travelling across the coast. It would support commuters travelling between the Gold Coast, Logan and Brisbane, and it would give visitors a better first impression of our city while reducing pressure on the M1 and local roads. It would also help ensure future growth is supported by proper transport infrastructure, rather than forcing more people into cars and then wondering why congestion gets worse.

This project will require more than goodwill. It will require the state government, the federal government and the City of Gold Coast council working in lockstep. It will require planning, preservation, funding and delivery discipline. And it cannot be allowed to sit indefinitely as a line on a map or an aspiration in a planning document.

The southern Gold Coast is desperate for effective public transport solutions. Heavy rail to the airport is one of the most important of those. The task now is to move from recognising the need to delivering the outcome. Our community deserves a transport network that matches the growth, the ambition and the importance of the Gold Coast. That means getting on with the job and making the heavy rail extension to the Gold Coast Airport a reality.

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