John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise happily to support this motion in relation to the National Stronger Regions Fund and its success under our government to date. The government's focus on regions through this fund and what will now be the Building Better Regions Fund is an excellent example of the fact that the Turnbull government is so focused on regions throughout Australia. It is these regions, certainly in my case in the state of Queensland, in my electorate of Groom based around the significant regional centre of Toowoomba, that will underpin the economic prosperity of our country going forward.

I refer to recent comments by our Deputy Prime Minister by way of example, when Barnaby Joyce made public comments and suggestions encouraging people to consider their future careers and family lives in regional parts of the country. He named a couple of centres in his own electorate, as he would do as a good local member, such as Tamworth and Armidale, and I am pleased that he also mentioned Toowoomba, my home city, the second-largest inland city in this country behind our national capital, Canberra. Opportunities abound, and I am so pleased that our government has focused on supporting them in regional areas such as mine.

The governments that we have seen around this country at a state level, from our side of politics, have equally seen the benefit and the need to support regional development. I can mention the Western Australian government and the former Queensland LNP government, which focused very much on region development funds and regional development initiatives that drive innovation, jobs and family improvement in regional areas. Therefore I am pleased to see a continuation of this effort by our government under the Building Better Regions fund. It will refocus the remaining funding under the National Stronger Regions Program to better meet the needs of regional and remote communities. By refocusing that funding it will create jobs and drive economic growth in regional Australia and develop those kinds of regional communities that people will want to stay in or continue to come back to.

The fund is outlined under two streams. The infrastructure project stream will support projects that involve construction of new infrastructure or upgrade existing infrastructure that provides economic and social benefit to regional and remote areas. A minimum grant amount of $20,000 through to a maximum of $10 million will provide significant impetus for such projects throughout our country. The Community Investments Stream will fund community development activities including, but not just limited to, new or expanded local events, strategic regional plans, and leadership and capability building exercises. A minimum grant of $5,000 in this case through to a maximum of $10 million will, again, support those initiatives that we are so keen on seeing rolled out right across our country.

I attended a community briefing session on the Building Better Regions Fund in my own electorate just recently. It was one of the most well-attended briefings across the country, I am told; it was fully subscribed. There were a number of local government bodies there, businesses, charities, not-for-profit organisations: a tremendously broad range of interest. I am personally keen on promoting, as a local member, two major projects in my region that, if successful, would bring employment, would continue to build economic resilience in our community and they would continue to allow Toowoomba to build on the latest wave of infrastructure, both publicly and privately funded. I refer to LifeFlight, previously known as CareFlight, that essential regional health support service provided in the air by helicopters through to our local hospitals. I refer also to the tech park being proposed: a $62 million proposal promoted by the Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise organisation and FK Gardner. They want to drive data centres and other innovations that will bring new high-value jobs to our region for now and into the future; therefore, driving innovation behind agriculture, construction and other initiatives right throughout our region.

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