Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

With the 2018 federal budget preparations in progress I wish to strongly advocate for a number of landmark regional projects which will benefit the residents of my electorate. Continued federal government investment on infrastructure projects will support economic development initiatives and business growth. Until a satisfactory resolution to the present inequitable distribution formula for the GST to Western Australia is reached through the current Productivity Commission review process the Commonwealth should alleviate the situation through interim infrastructure funding grants in the short term in the same way that, as part of a GST compensation package, $209 million in Commonwealth funding was used to federally fund the Mitchell Freeway extension north from Burns Beach Road to Hester Avenue, which was opened by the Prime Minster in August last year.

Major local projects that are top priorities for federal funding include the next stage of the extension of the Mitchell Freeway by a further six kilometres north to Romeo Road, at an estimated cost of $300 million. This will connect Joondalup as the regional CBD with the residential suburbs around Alkimos and will promote growth. In terms of regional public transport, the extension of the northern suburbs railway line by a further 13.8 kilometres from Butler to Yanchep will also connect the rapidly developing northern coastal suburbs with the city of Joondalup as a regional city. The total cost of the project, including train stations at Alkimos and Eglinton, will be approximately $520 million, with federal funding already designated for a significant proportion of this cost.

These projects will also significantly benefit residents in the neighbouring electorate of Pearce. I share a close cooperative working relationship with the member for Pearce to deliver infrastructure for our communities. The widening of the Mitchell Freeway southbound by adding an extra lane for 7.3 kilometres between Hodges Drive and Hepburn Avenue and 1.3 kilometres between Reid Highway and Erindale Road, at a cost of approximately $74 million, is essential to reduce traffic congestion caused by significant population growth in the northern suburbs.

In terms of health services, the next stage of the Joondalup Health Campus extension would benefit from $140 million in federal funding to meet the medical needs of an expanding regional population in one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Continued investment in leading-edge research and development at Edith Cowan University is essential to build the knowledge economy of the future.

The redevelopment of Boas Place in the Joondalup city centre will benefit under the federal government's City Deals program. City Deals is a new approach designed to bring together the three levels of government, the community and the private sector. The public-private partnership focuses on aligning planning, investment and governance to accelerate growth and job creation. It stimulates urban renewal and drives economic reforms to secure the future prosperity and livability of our cities. Large-scale projects, such as the Ocean Reef Marina redevelopment, could also benefit from this approach and kickstart the necessary private sector institutional investment capital which is required to progress the construction phase of the project once the planning and environmental approvals are in place. The city of Joondalup would derive significant benefit from additional Roads to Recovery and black spot funding to improve the safety of our local roads for residents, who have nominated through my community survey a number of local roads which require upgrading.

The upcoming federal budget is key to delivering the infrastructure necessary to serve the people of my electorate and beyond. I strongly make the case for interim infrastructure funding grants from the Commonwealth to alleviate the effects of the present inequitable distribution formula for the GST to Western Australia until a satisfactory resolution is reached through the current Productivity Commission review process.