Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A few weeks ago I met with Senior Sergeant Ashley Freyling, from the Caboolture Police-Citizens Youth Club—or PCYC, as it's more affectionately known—and Kel Clarke, from PCYC Queensland, to chat with them about a project very near and dear to my heart, as it is to theirs and to the community of Longman. For PCYC Caboolture to continue to deliver their youth development and crime prevention programs to the entire community, as well as their excellent gymnastics, boxing and martial arts programs, they are in great need of a new PCYC facility.

Our current facility is located on Toovey Street in Caboolture. Since 1982 it has delivered fun, safe and healthy sports and recreational activities to the entire community. The club offers a range of low-cost activities for all age groups, from toddlers to seniors, with a gymnastics program run by a team of qualified coaches. Youth and community programs are a key part of PCYC Caboolture, with Braking the Cycle and RUBY on offer. In short, PCYC Caboolture goes above and beyond, for all the families and their children who live in the Longman electorate, by building a safer and healthier community through youth development. I can remember dropping my own teenage kids off at these facilities for the Blue Light discos on a Friday night, and I can testify to how much they enjoyed them.

Today PCYC Caboolture has in excess of 500 kids doing gymnastics. They also have a popular boxing program, which is now at full capacity, not to mention an extremely popular martial arts program. When I spoke with Sergeant Freyling, he mentioned that PCYC Caboolture has become a very aged facility. They are outgrowing the space they've got and are bursting at the seams. A new facility is desperately needed so that the PCYC can continue their important work in the community. A new, central location in the heart of Caboolture, right next to our new, state-of-the-art Caboolture Police Station on King Street, would be absolutely fantastic for the whole community, not only for its members. It would also provide security for families, who would know that their kids, when they drop them off there, would be safe and secure. A more centralised area would also give PCYC Caboolture greater access to facilities, transport and—more importantly—young people and the community.

The need for a new facility for PCYC Caboolture has never been greater. That is why, last week, I started a petition urging locals to voice their support for a new PCYC in the community of Caboolture. One government alone cannot fund this whole project, so I'm imploring all levels of governments—the federal government, the state government and the local government—to get behind this project, which will cost around $13 million. We must work together to make this new PCYC Caboolture facility possible so that we can create a cohesive and connected community for the community of Longman and for the families who live, work and play in our community. They deserve it.