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

In political terms, the federal budget is a bit like Christmas for communities. A lot of thought goes into putting together a list of things we think will make our communities' lives better. We research, we gather input and, when we are happy with the list, we start to lobby—not Santa but ministers, of course. Last night the budget delivered in spades for Australians, particularly for the people of Petrie. I do not have time to mention everything, but along with funding for veterans' support and domestic violence, secured funding for the NDIS and community grants, there are a couple that I want to highlight in particular.

There is $120 million to upgrade the Deception Bay Road overpass. I have been lobbying for this for a couple of years. It is very much needed in our fast-growing community of Moreton Bay, which has a bigger population than Tasmania. We have also given the Bruce a boost. Finally the Bruce Highway is getting a boost. There is also $100 million made available to the Moreton region university campus, which comes in addition to the $35 million already provided and gets the project off the ground. This is a big win for local people. The locals are thrilled. The mayor even said that the announcement brought a tear to his eye. Combined with the announced boost to early learning and a cash injection of $369 million to local schools in Petrie over the next 10 years, this is great for communities and families throughout Petrie. (Time expired)

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