Gary Gray (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Western and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I noted that, in his initial observations, the minister spoke of Australia’s infrastructure deficit, and nowhere does this become more apparent than in Northern Australia. I am thinking particularly of the Kimberley region of Northern Australia and specifically the East Kimberley, for which this budget contains substantial spending measures to address infrastructure shortfalls in education and health, in economic infrastructure and, importantly, in community infrastructure.

The $195 million which the government has committed to the East Kimberley will fund, amongst other things, a brand-new swimming pool in Wyndham. The original swimming pool was built in the mid-1960s as part of the celebration of a great result by Australia at the Tokyo Olympics. The then Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, engaged in a rapid program of encouraging communities to develop their own swimming pools. They did that out at Wyndham and they got a great pool. But, unfortunately, it is now 40-odd years old. So this infrastructure package attends to fixing community infrastructure such as that pool.

Importantly, out there in the East Kimberley, where there are 8,000 people, housing shortages and accommodation problems—in particular for Indigenous people but for the broader community as well—are at absolutely critical levels. There is an average of nearly eight people per dwelling in the East Kimberley. That has caused accommodation crises and, in many areas, a lack of not just shelter but also personal security for young families and, in particular, young kids in the East Kimberley. The $195 million that we will expend—much of it through this budget—will build 50 new houses in the Kununurra area itself, and then another 50 new houses in surrounding local communities. Already, 23 of the houses in Kununurra are in the process of construction, with many more out of Wyndham currently in the process of construction.

At the Wyndham hospital—with the great cooperation of the Western Australian state government, the Barnett government, which, as part of its election strategy, determined that it would invest in the development of Ord Stage 2—the Australian government, through Prime Minister Rudd, agreed to provide social and community infrastructure. And so the $195 million mirrors, in many ways, the $220 million which the state government will spend bringing Ord Stage 2 into production.

The cooperation with the state government of Western Australia in developing this agenda has been complete. So the $50 million that will be invested in hospitals and health includes emergency accommodation for patients; accommodation for all medical specialists, nurses and doctors; and, importantly, a massive new renovation of the hospital at Kununurra. As an important part of that there are new renal dialysis facilities but also a greater capacity for that hospital to deal with the increased population in Kununurra.

There is $65 million that will build a brand new high school—but more than simply a new high school. The high school will contain technical training facilities and also teacher training facilities. The need to help train teachers to work in that environment becomes apparent when you live in Perth for any period of time and watch education in northern Western Australia. Through the excellent work of principal Matt Wren and through the support of the Western Australian state government minister, Liz Constable, we will put into that high school a dedicated teacher training facility supported by the state government. Teachers will be accommodated in the housing that I have just mentioned and they will develop teacher-training techniques to help make them better teachers in a tough part of Australia, but in a community that does need the support of our government and the support of the Western Australian government.

When the minister began his conversation about Australia’s infrastructure deficit, he filled it out by discussion of the roads, bridges and rail infrastructure that is needed. When you turn your attention to northern Australia, the deep investment that is required in social and economic infrastructure is apparent to anyone who cares. For too long in the Kimberley and throughout northern Australia we have seen inadequate investment in our communities. They are productive communities that have real futures, and in the East Kimberley they have a future that is linked to a horticulture development that will not only generate jobs for locals, including Indigenous people but also, importantly, generate a whole new future for that region.

It is a wonderful thing to look at from my perspective as a parliamentary secretary—(Time expired)

See this speech in context