Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

September and October have been busy months in the mighty electorate of Robertson on the Central Coast. My office and I have hosted several mobile offices across the electorate. This is because not all constituents are able to get to my office located in West Gosford, whether this be due to work commitments, whether this be due to lack of transportation or other inhibiting factors. In turn, mobile offices provide an opportunity for constituents to come and meet me and to come and have a chat with me. They get to meet my team and discuss issues in their suburb close to their homes. Providing regular mobile offices across Robertson over the course of the year is also part of my commitment to ensure that my office is always accessible and always dependable. I intend to keep this commitment and aim to have a mobile office in every suburb of Robertson at least once during my term.

During September I was able to host a mobile office in Bensville. Residents spoke to me about a range of issues from the conditions of local roads, requests for assistance with federal government departments, or simply coming by to introduce themselves and have a bit of a chat. One of the overarching messages that invariably comes from hosting mobile offices is how appreciative residents are that their local federal member of parliament is hosting these regular mobile offices in suburbs across the electorate. Many have spoken to me about this being the first time in a long time, or the first time ever, that they have been able to meet with their federal member close to their home. It is flagrantly clear that mobile offices are an essential aspect of the democratic process and should not be overlooked.

Since my visit to Bensville, the Albanese government has delivered its first budget. In this budget, commitments made during the 2022 federal election have been honoured. I'm proud to report that we have successfully secured $40 million to upgrade 60 of the Central Coast's worst local roads. The Central Coast region suffers from some of the worst local road conditions in the country. Compounding this issue—this has been the wettest year on record and constant rainfall is causing havoc on our local road infrastructure. I know that this funding provided by the Albanese Labor government will ensure Central Coast road repair can commence and we can repair a score of damaged roads, in turn reducing the likelihood of damage to car suspension and wheels inflicted from gaping potholes and guaranteeing smoother drives across the entire Central Coast region—visiting some of our great attractions, some of our beautiful beaches, ensuring that residents can get to work.

In October my team and I hosted a mobile office in the beachside suburb of Copacabana—arguably one of the best beaches on the Central Coast, with a large proportion of environmentally conscious residents. About 50 residents responded to my invitation and, again, a range of issues were discussed. One key takeaway from this mobile office was the Albanese government's plan to roll out 400 community batteries across Australia. In the recent budget I was pleased to report that our commitment to establish a community battery in Narara has been confirmed. Across Robertson residents are now requesting community batteries in other suburbs and Copacabana is no exception. It is obvious that Australians are quickly understanding the benefits of renewable energy and the effect they can have in relation to lowering cost-of-living pressures and reducing our carbon footprint. I will be making representations to the Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, and will highlight the large volume of interest community batteries are having across our glorious electorate.

Again during October my team and I visited Empire Bay to host one of our mobile offices. Key messages from this mobile office were the state of local roads, in particular Rickard Road, and the campaign to save the historic Empire Bay boatshed. The member for Gosford, Liesl Tesch, and I will be making urgent representations to the New South Wales government and the Minister for Environment and Heritage about options to protect the Empire Bay boatshed from demolition and to restore the boatshed for future generations.

My team and I have appreciated the opportunity of hosting regular monthly mobile offices and have enjoyed meeting with so many community focused and passionate people across the Central Coast. We look forward to a busy couple of months ahead of the end of the year and Christmas. This month alone we have three mobile offices scheduled, in Saratoga, coastal suburbs of Hardys Bay, Wagstaffe, Pretty Beach, Kilcare and Kilcare Heights, as well as Wamberal and Terrigal. Accessible, dependable, and that's my commitment to Robertson.