Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since the Baptist congregation at the Top of Town in Brisbane Street in Ipswich relocated some years ago to Brassall, the old Ipswich Baptist Church site, owned by the Ipswich City Council and situated next to the 24/7 McDonald's restaurant which was opened in December 2009, has remained dormant. The Ipswich City Council, with federal government funding of $1.5 million that I secured from the federal Labor government, is building a state-of-the-art performance space especially for organisations and working with young people in the Ipswich area. It is an important venue because the Top of Town in Brisbane Street, Ipswich, is home to some of the oldest and most historic buildings in Ipswich. It has been transformed into a place of coffeehouses and specialty shops, and there are great clothing stores and furniture stores as well.

This state-of-the-art performing space will be opened in September or October this year. The focus will be on the arts and performances by and for young people, and the council is open to ideas and suggestions from the local community.

A good thing about it is that it is being built by an Ipswich builder, TP Turner. I had a lot to do with that firm when I was a lawyer many years ago. The project has created about 80 additional jobs for local workers and injected more than $1 million a year into the area in the form of staff wages. It will be good for local traders in the Top of Town. It is a great initiative by this federal Labor government, and I am pleased to have delivered this money for the people of Ipswich.