Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Hear, hear! I support the project that the member for Higgins is working on with colleagues in the House. I have been really fortunate to participate in the announcement of some significant funding for my electorate. First and foremost was the $4.25 million for a wastewater filtration project at Burnie. What this is essentially going to do is allow for more industrial expansion in my region, particularly industry associated with dairy, which is absolutely exploding on the north-west coast of Tassie. Tasmanian dairy production up at Circular Head is expanding dramatically. Lion, in Burnie, is expanding by $142 million as well. We have also had upgrades at Fonterra at Wynyard. I congratulate Simon Crean, who is a great friend of our region, for allowing the federal government to be part and parcel of a community activity that is going to expand our economy.

And then there was the $500,000 grant awarded through the RDA process in Tasmania to the Central Coast Council for the Penguin sports precinct and particularly for the running track. I congratulate the Central Coast Council on what will ultimately be a $1.25 million project. I was also very pleased to be part of the sod-turning ceremony for the Devonport Aquatic Centre. The federal government and the state government are both investing $5 million in that centre. The local community is investing $4 million for what is a much needed indoor aquatic centre.

I would also like to congratulate, along with all my colleagues in Tasmania of all persuasions, the health minister, Tanya Plibersek, and the Prime Minister for the injection of a $320 million investment into the Tasmanian health system. We were disappointed with the budgetary decisions of the Tasmanian government in relation to health, particularly on the front line. The federal government, after consultation with members in Tasmania and with people on the ground by the health minister in particular, has provided $320 million over four years to try and tackle our very long surgery waiting lists. It will also go into a lot of community based Medicare Local initiatives to deal with palliative care, transitions from hospital into home care and also primary and preventive health. I congratulate the minister and this government. It is great and positive news for a fantastic region of Tasmania. (Time expired)