Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am sure I will get a much more proactive hearing from him than I have had so far from the federal minister. Not only did Labor's candidate at the last election ignore this project but it has been ignored in this year's budget as well.

I will now deal with the financial support for building a performing arts centre at the Urangan State High School. This was missing from the budget despite the fact that I had former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese briefed onsite on this project. The facility would be stage 1 of a planned sporting and cultural complex for the school and it would be an asset for students from across the region, as well as the community at large. And let me say that these are some of the most talented kids I have seen in my life. Their music, dance and acting is exceptional. I ask why we have to have these schools of excellence only in the capital cities? Why wouldn't we have one in a place like Hervey Bay and why wouldn't we have one at Urangan High School? An amount of $3 million or $4 million for something like this, with a Commonwealth contribution, is not a big ask when you see the sort of money that was wasted on some of the assembly halls in the BER scheme. But the real sticking point around the region is the government's failure to fund upgrades to the Bruce Highway, and that was the big failure during the recent floods. Under Labor our nation's finances are in such poor shape that the Gillard government's 2011-12 budget was not even able to provide any new money for the Bruce Highway. The only announcements of any significance were reinstatements of previously deferred projects. Even at the local level the government has failed to invest in vital road upgrades that are needed by the sorts of communities I represent.

At the last election, the coalition recognised the need to improve the road network around Hervey Bay. This is one of Australia's fastest growing communities, where infrastructure gets ahead of the ability of the council to pay. It is a typical example of where state and federal governments need to give some assistance. Ten million dollars was on the table from the coalition for three important road projects. Once again, Labor failed to match that commitment. Completing River Heads Road and Old Toogoom Road as well as building the Urraween to Boundary Road extension—that is, the fourth corridor through Hervey Bay—are priorities for the local community. The Fraser Coast Regional Council has them factored into its 10-year capital program. A rapidly growing community like Hervey Bay faces unique infrastructure pressures. Those problems have to be fixed if we are going to improve the efficiency and safety of local roads and ease the burden on ratepayers. I want to see those road upgrades funded as soon as possible. It is extremely disappointing to see those communities missing out under this government

On a happier note, I do thank the Minister for Health and Ageing, Nicola Roxon, for providing $47 million for the expansion of the St Stephen's Hospital at Hervey Bay. The government have been well aware of my calls for this project to be funded. I am pleased that they have come on board by providing funding under round 3 of the Health and Hospitals Fund program. It was a very generous grant.

Hervey Bay's distinct demographic profile made it a strong candidate for funding The city and its surrounds are inhabited mainly by older residents and younger families, which means there is a greater demand for medical and hospital services than is experienced in other regional centres. The lack of a comprehensive private hospital facility in the city has added to the strain on the region's existing public health services. So the new inpatient facility in Hervey Bay will not only ease the pressure on the public hospital, which at times has occupancies of over 100 per cent, but also provide easier access to high-quality care and choice for people throughout the region.

So I acknowledge the benefits of this support, but I temper my praise by pointing out to the minister that the government is still pursuing its agenda to slash private health insurance. One way or another, 53,000 people in the Hinkler electorate will be hurt under this plan. The realities of life dictate that if you hit millions of Australians with increased premiums many of those people will dump their insurance, leaving the remaining policyholders with much higher premiums. Of course, the people who have abandoned private health insurance have to rely on the public system, so the dog will continue to chase its tail. The overstretched state hospital regime is slowly crawling out of its difficulties, but Hervey Bay will go back into them again. It really is a sad reflection on the government and its lack of foresight.

Many of those in my electorate who do the right thing by contributing extra money to cover their own health needs—and I include among these pensioners and others who earn less than $50,000 a year, some of them self-funded retirees—are the ones who will really suffer. Along with the middle income earners losing their rebates, the even more vulnerable lower income Australians will suffer through higher premiums. They are the ones who will suffer under this government's lack of planning. Let us not kid ourselves, as the government often does, that somehow only the rich will be affected. All—and I stress all—subscribers, and the private health insurance industry itself, will be affected.

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