Andrew Willcox (Dawson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Throughout my electorate of Dawson you are never far from the coast. For many of my constituents, their pilgrimage to the boat ramps and that secret fishing spot is the highlight of their week. With the increase of traffic on the Whitsunday waters, the demand for services of the Volunteer Marine Rescue Whitsunday has increased significantly. Even the most experienced boaties can find themselves in strife and last year alone the demand for this service was up by 30 per cent, putting pressure on the resources and on this volunteer organisation. It is vital that the Whitsunday VMR, consisting of 50 dedicated volunteers, led by Mal Priday and Roger Wodson, has the appropriate technology and facilities able to keep our boaties safe on the water.

During the 2022 federal election campaign, a federal funding commitment of $420,000 was made, thanks to the former coalition government. I call on the Labor Albanese government to commit to this. It is essential that the hardworking volunteers who watch out for our boaties have the services that they need. To the volunteers, I want to assure you that I will remain committed to supporting the expansion of the building and facilities of VMR Whitsunday, and I will fight to secure more federal government investment in regional Australia.