Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The North Lakes and Mango Hill area in my electorate of Petrie is a beautiful part of the world, and I would like to touch on a few of the projects I have been working on with locals in this area. But first: congratulations to everyone who took part in the Lakes College Fun Run on Sunday. The Lakes College does a fantastic job in putting this on every year, and it is great to see thousands of locals and visitors getting their running shoes on and doing some morning exercise. The course took us around the amazing scenes of Lake Eden. And I would like to mention here our local Green Army projects at the North Lakes reserve and Brackish Lagoon that are helping keep our area beautiful and thriving with native wildlife.

North Lakes and the surrounding suburbs are some of the fastest growing communities in Australia. The region is booming, and this is great for our local families, small businesses and jobs. But of course, with this development, we have seen an increase in congestion on the main arteries leading into and out of the area. Speaking with locals earlier this year, we identified Boundary Road as a traffic hot spot. I launched a petition calling on the state government to help fund an upgrade to this road and, thanks to everyone who threw their support behind the project, we should see the construction of a new Boundary Road overpass begin early next year. We are also seeing great progress on the $583 million federal contribution towards the Moreton Bay Rail Link, with two stations at Mango Hill, one at Rothwell and a fourth at Kippa-Ring well under way. This rail extension will provide enormous economic and social benefits. The first major link from Brisbane to Moreton Bay was Anzac Avenue, which was constructed just after the First World War and brought tremendous business, work and tourism opportunities to the area. The Moreton Bay Rail Link will build on these opportunities.

I would lastly like to touch on the coalition government's approximately nine per cent boost to health and education this financial year alone. North Lakes, Mango Hill and Griffin are home to many young families, and as parents we want the very best education for our kids. Already schools like North Lakes State College, Mango Hill State School and Bounty Boulevard State School have benefited from this increased funding. A good health system is equally important, considering that our population is growing and the number of Australians in the over-65 age group is projected to double in the next 30 years. Development and population growth in areas like North Lakes and Mango Hill mean that we have to be proactive in building the roads and infrastructure of the 21st century. We are building these roads, we are reducing taxes and the cost of living for families, and we are getting the budget back on track, because that is what this government is all about. (Time expired)

See this speech in context