Leon Rebello (McPherson, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The past several weeks have been an incredibly busy time for the southern Gold Coast, and I would like to take a moment to put a very special achievement on the record. Recently, our community gathered to celebrate 100 years of our much loved Tugun Surf Life Saving Club. For a century, generations of volunteers have braved the surf and the seasons to keep our coastline and our community safe. It was an honour to join them in celebrating an extraordinary history and in recognising some of the dedicated club members who have built the organisation into what it is today. As we look to the next 100 years, I have every confidence that Tugun Surf Life Saving Club will continue its proud legacy of service and contribution to our community.

Just as our surf lifesavers give their time and energy to protect the community, our local educators and researchers are working tirelessly to prepare the next generation, but too often their efforts are made harder by government. I recently met with the Vice-Chancellor Tyrone Carlin from Southern Cross University, which is in my electorate, to discuss the challenges facing higher education in Australia. Professor Carlin's message was clear: universities are being weighed down by red tape at the very time we should be empowering them to grow, innovate and compete. This is not just a university problem; it's a national problem. When we make it harder for our institutions to attract students, researchers and investment, we put Australia at risk of falling further behind in skills, technology and discovery.

This is a sentiment I hear consistently from my community, from small businesses dealing with rising costs and red tape, from tradies in the building industry with skill shortages and mounting compliance costs and from community groups who want to do more but are held back by endless paperwork. Labor's addiction to red tape is stifling our potential instead of fostering innovation and supporting growth. This Labor government is tying down the very people and industries that drive our prosperity. But the strength of our community is found not only on our beaches, in our businesses and at our campuses but also in the everyday places where people come together.

This weekend at the Gold Coast Show I saw firsthand the talent, the camaraderie and the joy of our community. It's events like these that remind me what matters most on the Gold Coast: people pitching in, creating opportunities and looking out for each other. In this parliament, our responsibility is to match that effort, to support volunteers, to remove the barriers that hold back productivity and to keep investing in the life of our community. The next century doesn't need more bureaucracy. It demands stronger communities, greater innovation and higher productivity, with service surpassing that of the last.