David Gillespie (Lyne, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to first place on record a welcome to two school groups from the Lyne electorate: Hastings Public School visited this week, and had a very enjoyable stay and educational experience, and last week we had a visit from St Columba Anglican School—two very highly regarded schools in Port Macquarie.

We also had a visit to the electorate from the Deputy Prime Minister a fortnight ago, when we were very pleased to announce federal funds for the University of the Third Age, and funds of $2.8 million for the Port Macquarie Indoor Stadium expansion. We were pleased to hear that Port Macquarie-Hastings Council now has the construction certificate ready; all the federal funds are in place; the state funds are in place; and the whole community is looking forward to getting that project rolling.

With the Deputy Prime Minister in town, we highlighted the huge wins for roads in the electorate of Lyne. As you know, Acting Deputy Speaker, in this budget we have allocated another $200 million available across Australia to the federal Black Spot program. We have also allocated $350 million in extra funding to the Roads to Recovery program. We also have the $300-million Bridge to Renewal Program in this budget. In the electorate of Lyne, which has over 1,000 kilometres of dirt road in the Hastings-Port Macquarie Council area and a similar mileage of roads that need work in the Greater Taree City Council area, I have encouraged both of those councils to apply to the Roads to Recovery program and to the Black Spot program for funding.

We were also very pleased in this budget to have $8 million being released for The Buckets Way upgrade this year, a subsequent $8 million in next year's forward estimates for this project. The Buckets Way would have to be the most repaired patchwork of road in the electorate. It is the road that links Gloucester and the south-west of the electorate to the industrial area of Taree. If we can get that road fixed, it will improve travel times, and reduce damage to cars and to wheels—if I have had one person complain about a broken wheel due to potholes, I have had 10—the state of disrepair of this road is unbelievable.

The big winner is the Pacific Highway, with $1.129 billion for an upgrade from the Oxley Highway north up to Kempsey. There will be 1,000 direct jobs and all those indirect jobs. This budget will be a great boost for the Lyne electorate, particularly the roads budget.

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