Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The budget will be delivered tomorrow. I am sure it will be a budget about the economy, growth and jobs, and I am sure the Treasurer will deliver a fine budget that will put the economy on the right direction.

We already have had some great news for Western Australia and for my electorate of Swan. If anyone knows anyone from Western Australia, they would know that we always talk about the imbalance of the GST return that comes through to Western Australia. The federal government has already announced that in the budget it will allocate a special payment of $490 million to Western Australia to compensate our state for its low GST share. It has also decided that that $490 million will be a payment that will be allocated to the Forrestfield-Airport Link in my electorate of Swan. This is fantastic news not only for Western Australia but also for my constituents, particularly those living in Belmont, Redcliffe and High Wycombe, which are low-SES areas.

The Forrestfield-Airport Link is a new rail line. It is an underground rail line that will connect Forrestfield with the CBD. It will see three new train stations created at Redcliffe, at the airport and at Forrestfield, all of which are in the electorate of Swan. I have been fighting for this fair share of the GST for Western Australia and for this major investment in public transport in my electorate of Swan, particularly for the residents of High Wycombe and Belmont. There has been much talk about the benefits of this rail line to airport passengers, but the new rail link will be a major public transport asset for my constituents. It will connect the people of High Wycombe to the CBD in 20 minutes and achieve many of the objectives the Prime Minister has been talking about in relation to public transport and cities.

Following a redistribution, High Wycombe became a new part of the electorate of Swan. I met some of the locals at a meet and greet I organised at Casa Mia Coffee Lounge on Foxton Boulevard last Tuesday—and thanks to Joe for hosting that. Some of the issues raised included a new incinerator at Hazelmere, which could affect some of the constituents in High Wycombe; public transport, particularly timetables and availability for the local area, something that I will be raising with the Premier in Western Australia; and local infrastructure—footpaths and things like that—so people can access public transport and the new train line that will be coming in.

I thank everyone who attended that meet and greet last Tuesday. I also look forward to the budget being announced tomorrow. I am sure that many on this side of the chamber will greet it with enthusiasm. We will also greet the relevance that it will have for the rest of Australia.

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