Arthur Sinodinos (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Central Coast region within my state of New South Wales. Just one hour's drive north of Sydney with an approximate population of 312,000, it attracts a mix of residents, with older people opting for a sea change retirement and young families searching for affordable housing and a coastal lifestyle for their families. Despite this, the people of the Central Coast continue to endure adverse economic conditions relative to many other parts of Australia.

The Central Coast Research Foundation's March quarter 2012 update highlighted the following economic trends. Unemployment was at 6.9 per cent, against the seasonally adjusted national average of 5.2 per cent, in March 2012. The participation rate was 58.6 per cent, against a seasonally adjusted national average of 65.4 per cent, an indication that people of the Central Coast do not have confidence in finding work. Only 26 per cent of Central Coast businesses are reporting good profitability over the March quarter, while only 34 per cent of Central Coast businesses are reporting good trading conditions over the same quarter. That is two in three businesses saying the local economy is in trouble. The figures are significantly worse than 12 months ago. To add to this pain, only 15 per cent of businesses expect to increase employment levels in the coming year.

Of particular concern on the Central Coast is youth unemployment. It is unacceptably high. According to the latest ABS statistics, the local unemployment rate for 15- to 19-year-olds looking for both full-time and part-time jobs is 18.8 per cent against a national average of 16.3 per cent. Of particular concern is the even higher rate of 33.1 per cent for those seeking only full-time employment, against a national average of 23.3 per cent. In recent times, the full-time unemployment rate for 15- to 19-year-olds on the Central Coast has exceeded 40 per cent. Last week, I spoke in this chamber about the importance of hope and putting hope back on the national agenda. There is nothing that saps the hopes, dreams and aspirations of young people more than the lack of opportunity. Youth unemployment in the range of 30 to 40 per cent is not only an economic statistic, it has a very human dimension. As noted by Aristotle in The Art of Rhetoric, young people:

… are ambitious, but even more keen to win … and for the most part they live in hope; for hope is of the future and remembrance of the past, and for the young the future is long and the past is short; for on one's first day one can remember nothing but hope for everything.

Last week I spoke about the need for hope to be restored, particularly in a climate of declining confidence among Australians about their economic circumstances. Given the relatively adverse economic conditions faced by people on the Central Coast, specifically our young people, we in this place should be taking action to ensure that a culture of despair, and the social consequences that go with it, does not take hold on the Central Coast.

In considering these matters, the question before the people of the Central Coast is whether they are satisfied with the economic conditions that they have experienced not only in recent months but also in recent years. Is there a better alternative? Since 2007, the Central Coast has been represented by the Australian Labor Party. Mr Thomson has represented the electorate of Dobell for all of that time and Ms O'Neill has represented the electorate of Robertson since the last election, taking over from Belinda Neal. I will not cover in this speech the less than pleasant affairs of Mr Thomson and Ms Neal that have hit the headlines in recent years. Suffice to say that the Central Coast has not had the best political representation possible. With respect to Mr Thomson, his ongoing difficulties continue to hamper his ability to provide the best representation to the people of Dobell. On the policy front, the question to be asked is what policy victories and results have the members for Robertson and Dobell initiated or supported to improve the economic conditions for the people within their electorates. The numbers to date say they have achieved little, if anything. Let me now look to the future. I will start with the carbon tax, which commences this Sunday. Both Mr Thomson and Ms O'Neill are enthusiastic supporters of it. You could say that they are Julia Gillard's representatives in the seats of Dobell and Robertson rather than the representatives of those seats in the federal parliament. The carbon tax has been well publicised in terms of its adverse impact on families and businesses through cost-of-living increases. The main form of this increase will be a rise in electricity prices, which, in New South Wales, is expected to increase by 18 per cent this Sunday, of which the carbon tax is about half. Given that, according to the Central Coast Research Foundation, up to 75 per cent of Central Coast businesses are not experiencing good profitability conditions, the commencement of the carbon tax this Sunday will be an additional hit on the cost of doing business, which will adversely impact the employment prospects of Central Coast workers and the viability of some Central Coast businesses. This is coming from businesses on the coast.

Another policy area to consider for the future is transport and roads. According to the Central Coast Research Foundation, 63.8 per cent of Central Coast residents indicated that traffic congestion was an issue impacting on them. Bodies such as the New South Wales Business Chamber have long advocated the building of the F3 to M2 missing link to reduce the congestion and inordinate delays afflicting commuters travelling to and from Sydney.

In 2006, the former member for Robertson and the then Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, the Hon. Jim Lloyd, made a commitment of $150 million to get the project started and a further $1.5 billion in 2007. In response to this commitment, both the former and current members of the seat of Robertson made a commitment of $150 million in both 2007 and 2010 respectively to get this project started. However, rather than delivering on this commitment, the government, as stated by the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport on 30 May, has allocated only $25 million for a special purpose vehicle to undertake a study into financing options of the M5 East and the F3 to M2. Meanwhile the people of the Central Coast wait and wait and the traffic congestion and queues get longer every day.

I am committed to action on this issue. Recently, I joined up with the Missing Link Action Network, which is a group of coalition federal and state members of parliament who are fighting for the prioritisation of the F3-M2 Link. These are two examples—the carbon tax and transport and roads—where the current Labor members are failing the people of the Central Coast.

Let me conclude by talking about something very hopeful to do with the Central Coast, something that gives me optimism for the future—and that is the remarkable Karise Eden, who is from the Central Coast and who won The Voicerecently. Her journey represents a powerful analogy, or a powerful path forwards, for kids everywhere, not just those on the Central Coast. It has been well publicised that Karise worked at an adult shop on the Central Coast. She has previously said that she accepted the role after sending her CV to several prospective employers. Like many teenagers on the Central Coast struggling to find employment, Karise took the job, stating that 'beggars can't be choosers'. During the competition, Karise was described by her coach, Seal, as having the voice of a generation. Karise is now holding the top three songs on the ARIA chart—a feat only ever achieved by the Beatles in 1964.

Her extraordinary journey forces us to ask: if the voice of a generation has been hiding in an adult shop on the Central Coast, what other talent is hiding among Central Coast teenagers? Australia's next Olympic champion? Australia's next innovator? Australia's next Nobel laureate? Perhaps even a future prime minister? Are we ever going to find out? Karise was lucky that she had a television competition to demonstrate her talent, but what about all the other young people on the Central Coast? What is their outlet?

Last week, I suggested that the role of government in part is to best equip individuals to succeed in the global economy. I will finish with the following question: what has this government, specifically through the members for Robertson and Dobell, done to give the youth of the Central Coast hope and opportunity and to promote the talent hiding away within their electorates? Given the record of this government and the current hardship being experienced by the people of the Central Coast, I think these electors have good reason to seek an alternative government at the next election.

My role in the period ahead is to represent all parts of New South Wales, but I believe the people of the Central Coast, a region I often used to visit in my youth, deserve a break. I will be looking to put together an action plan for how we can promote real jobs and opportunities on the Central Coast, with particular focus on its young people.