Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This year, 2014, was a good year for Gilmore. In fact, if you were to include our Defence announcements, Gilmore has delivered $3.74 billion of coalition government support in the 15 months since the election. While there has been the usual media short-term memory loss, wiping clean the fiscal blackboard of the previous, Labor government, we know that before the election the debt was supposed to be just over $18 billion—which was bad enough—but that in fact it had blown out by an additional $30 billion. We on the government benches are told that is our problem. The opposition wipe their hands of responsibility. That is a bit like a ditch digger using a shovel in the wrong place and then saying to the next team, 'That's not my problem; you're holding the shovel.' Thank goodness most Australians are not that gullible. They know that their electricity accounts are lower because we got rid of the carbon tax. They know it was the action of this government that stopped the business of people smuggling and the deaths at sea. Australians know that this meant we could hold our hands out in welcome to more than 2,000 refugees from the Iraqi-Syrian conflict.

We as a nation still have a lot to do, but my goodness there are great foundations already in place. As a candidate I was often told, 'We need a Snowy Mountains scheme.' Our program of $50 billion of infrastructure rollout is equal to eight Snowy Mountains schemes. We have not one but three free trade agreements, with Japan, Korea and China. Our agriculture, dairy, seafood, beef, wine, specialist manufacturing and service industries can prosper, grow and make money for Australians. This means more jobs and more opportunities. It will not happen overnight. Good outcomes depend on good planning and steady application. But it will happen, because the coalition is good with managing money—your money. We know that Mr and Mrs Taxpayer expect that.

Residents of Gilmore expect advocacy and delivery for local projects. In the last 12 months we have delivered significant funding: $2 million for the Dunn Lewis memorial centre and for youth development, training and community engagement; almost $20 million for further roads funding including Roads to Recovery and Black Spot funding; and $10 million for the next design phase of the Shoalhaven bridge crossing. Gilmore was nominated as a trial site for the new Work for the Dole program. We have four Green Army projects in place. We have confirmed funding for CCTV cameras for community security. We held community forums on NBN rollouts, advocated for additional mixed technology supply, and coordinated community meetings and surveys for extra mobile phone towers. I will continue to remind, negotiate, bargain and advocate for residents of Gilmore.

Let me finish on the note of wishing everyone health and happiness and also the ability to look at the world and share a different view. We are lucky to live in Australia, but we are not all lucky. We live in Australia, but we do not all live well. If there is a chance to make someone feel lucky over Christmas, then do so. Make a difference for them and see the world from a different view. All the very best to everyone in Parliament House.