Fiona Martin (Reid, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The past two years have been challenging for all of us. There have been frustrations on the road to recovery. Two years ago, Australia faced an uncertain future. I can still remember, clear as day, when the phone calls and emails from constituents and small-business owners in Reid were coming in. I recall the fear they expressed and their uncertainty about what was happening. None of us knew what was ahead of us, and each day, as the news rolled in during March, concerns only grew. I heard concerns from local business owners, who would tell me, sometimes close to tears, how they were going to have to let their entire workforce go because they couldn't afford to keep them on.

As a former small-business owner, I felt their pain. When you run a small business, your employees really do become like family, and small-business owners pour everything they have, often over many years, into making their businesses successful. Some may forget now, but, when the Treasurer and the Prime Minister announced JobKeeper, it wasn't just a lifeline for businesses; it was hope for a better tomorrow. It was hope they would recover and build back after the shock of this once-in-100-years pandemic. JobKeeper supported 9,800 businesses and 33,600 employees just in Reid. Those numbers truly matter. Behind each number is a business that got to keep going—a business that can today continue to grow and create more jobs.

Budget 2022 will continue to support small and family businesses in Reid, with lower taxes. You will always pay lower taxes under a Liberal government, and we will always back small and family businesses. In 2019, I stood for parliament to ensure a strong economy, more jobs, lower taxes and greater opportunities for working families. Despite the many challenges that have confronted us, we have kept our promises with all Australians.

I am proud that we have gotten on with the job of delivering locally in Reid. We have provided record funding for local roads and community infrastructure, like the M4-M5 Link Tunnels and Rozelle Interchange, as part of the WestConnex. We've made safety upgrades to Wentworth Road in Burwood. We've resurfaced McKinnon Avenue at Five Dock and Tennyson Road in Mortlake. Across the community, roads have been fixed and made safer.

We're also making our community an even better place to live, work and raise a family by improving our local parks and amenities, like the new Hudson Park amenities building in Strathfield. We are delivering sporting facilities for families, players and fans. The massive Concord Oval redevelopment will have a centre of excellence for athletes as well as brand-new facilities for the entire local community. We are backing local safety with practical support in public spaces. We've installed CCTV across Reid for community safety, including at Strathfield, Homebush and Homebush West town centres. We've funded security facilities for the Coptic Orthodox Church in Rhodes and the Auburn Gallipoli Mosque. Whether it's putting more money back into the pockets of taxpayers, building better roads, backing local businesses or ensuring safer communities, we have delivered in Reid. But there is still more work to be done to ensure our economy remains strong and that we continue to build a stronger, safer future.

On the ground in Reid, I am committed to continuing to work to make our community even better. Over the past two years, the pandemic and recurrent natural disasters have put significant pressures on our mental health system. As a registered psychologist with 20 years of experience and the chair of the Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Select Committee, I know that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of all Australians and I commend the government for their record work of improving and investing in our mental health system. Last year's budget saw a landmark $2.3 million investment in mental health and suicide prevention, and in this budget we build on that commitment with more headspace services, community-based treatment centres and digital mental-health support. We have done good work, but there is still work to be done to ease waiting times and increase the supply of specialised psychological services, particularly for our children.

The Reid community truly reflects the best of Australia. The past few years have been challenging, but we are strong together and we will build an even stronger future.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 11:32