Vince Connelly (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a very amateur surfer and a father to three surf crazy kids, last week was a really exciting milestone for the future of surfing in Western Australia. Surfing WA successfully obtained a ground lease from the City of Stirling to enable delivery of a $4 million election commitment that I secured in 2019 so that they can build a brand new facility. I want to thank the team at Surfing WA, Mark, Mike, Graham and Justin, who went all out to consult closely with their local community and also to ensure that the building fits well within the natural environment—because, as surfers, we know how important it is to maintain out beautiful coastline. Surfing WA train around 33 young people in surfing and in water safety every single year, but they operate out of what is essentially a converted kiosk. So a new facility is a huge win.

Rarely is any new development supported unanimously and there are typically counter arguments. So I want to thank councillors for the Coastal Ward, Karen Caddy and Felicity Farrelly, for listening to their local communities, weighing up the pros and cons, and making a measured decision about what's in the best interests of the local community. I very much look forward to seeing a whole new generation of surfers, supported by this important Morrison government initiative and commitment within my electorate of Stirling.