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

It is great to be here today. Infrastructure, schools, jobs, support for the vulnerable and relief from the rising costs of living are all key priorities that received a boost in the 2017 federal budget. Just days after handing down the budget the Treasurer, Scott Morrison, the member for Cook, was in the electorate of Petrie to hear feedback on how it would benefit local people. The Treasurer outlined major road improvements. There is $650 million that will assist those living in Petrie, Longman, Lilley, Dickson, Fairfax and Fisher in particular—all in Queensland—allowing people to move more freely around the region. The investment will boost business efficiency, making businesses more productive, as they will not be stuck in traffic and they will not be paying wages while people are sitting at red lights. It will also make it a more logical base and usher residents around more safely.

We are boosting the Bruce. I go back to 2014, when the former member for Longman and I started a campaign to boost the Bruce Highway. We wanted to see improvements on the Bruce Highway. In some ways, in relation to infrastructure in this budget, the member for Longman is probably the biggest winner nationwide. It is a Labor seat now, but there is now a plan for six lanes to go all the way to Caloundra. At the moment the six lanes stop at Caboolture. They will go all the way to Caloundra, which will make a big difference to Petrie, Longman and the Sunshine Coast seats of Fisher and Fairfax. People in my electorate who are travelling north for holidays or going to the Sunshine Coast will benefit from a six-lane highway all the way to Caloundra, and people travelling from the Sunshine Coast down to Brisbane will also benefit.

Longman and Petrie will also benefit from the $120 million in funding that was allocated in the 2017 budget to upgrade the Deception Bay overpass. The Deception Bay overpass is a small two-lane bridge that will become a six-lane overpass with turning lanes. This will be great for the people of Deception Bay, who have been neglected by Labor state and federal governments for years. I am glad that the coalition has been able to secure this for Deception Bay, but I have asked the state member for Murrumba to make sure the state government can contribute 20 per cent to these vital projects in the Queensland budget when it is handed down in a few weeks time.

All schools in my electorate will also benefit from this budget. I spoke on the education bill the other day. I was not able to get through the advantages for all schools. But every school—whether they are Catholic, independent or state—will see an increase in education funding, which is great. As federal members, we spend a lot of time in schools. I know I certainly do. Whether it is talking to students about different issues, presenting flags, talking about leadership or encouraging students to do their very best, we all spend a lot of time in schools.

The other day I was mentioning in the House of Representatives how the bill will benefit each school. I got up to Redcliffe State High School, a great high school on the peninsula in my electorate of Petrie. They will receive next year alone an additional $189,500 from the Commonwealth. There will also be additional state funding that will go to Redcliffe State High. There will be an extra $189,500 next year, and that is why I will be voting, along with my coalition colleagues, for the education bill—to benefit my electorate. Scarborough State School, a primary school—P to 6—in my electorate, will receive an additional $91,800 next year alone, taking their federal government contribution alone to $1,883,600 next year. And there is 80 per cent extra funding coming on top of that from the state government. So that is good news for Scarborough and good news for Redcliffe high.

Southern Cross Catholic College will receive an additional $538,000 next year alone. They have three or four campuses. They have a lot of students. They will receive an additional $538,000 next year alone, taking the federal government contribution to over $15 million for Southern Cross Catholic College. So this is a big win for them. That is why I will be voting for this bill, if only those opposite would also vote for it. If they do not and it does not get up, I will have a lot of stuff to campaign on. That is not a problem in relation to that.

St Paul's School, an independent school in the southern end of my electorate, next year alone will receive $314,400 extra. This is not a 10-year target I am talking about. This is just next year. The Lakes College at North Lakes, an independent school with just a small number of students—just 677 students from P to 12—will receive another $197,700. That is a great local school. I have had lot to do with them and been out there a lot. I have been to their fun run. They do a great fun run through North Lakes.

Woody Point Special School is a great little school at Woody Point. I lived just around the corner from them for five years. They have only 79 students. Obviously the children there are those with a disability. The staff there do a great job—the teachers as well as the admin staff. They will have a $33,700 increase next year from the federal government alone, which will take the federal contribution to $691,600 next year. Over the 10-year period, Woody Point Special School will receive over $2 million in additional funding on what they were forecast to receive. Somehow those opposite say that is a cut. I cannot get my head around it. But I will be voting for the education bill, and I am very pleased that it is in the budget. Schools have had a big win.

We also had a big win in the Moreton Bay region. With funding for increased preschool places combined with an investment in the Moreton region university, our young people will have access to education that basically allows them a cradle-to-career pathway close to home. Not only are we increasing funding for preschool and, from 1 July 2018, seeing big increases in child care, P to 12 in schools right around the nation and the 40 schools in my area; we have managed to secure $100 million plus low-interest loans for the University of the Sunshine Coast as well to build the first decent university in the seat of Dickson that will benefit Dickson, Petrie and Longman and all the students who live in the Moreton Bay region. At the moment, for many students it is 'out of sight, out of mind'. They will be able to live close to home and be able to see that university, which will offer all sorts of different subjects, and that is great news. We have been able to secure that, so that is really good news.

In the budget, in relation to university, I say this to the people of my electorate: at the moment the federal government pays 60 per cent of all costs upfront in relation to university. Every student that goes to university pays 40 per cent. They can pay that 40 per cent upfront or they can HECS it, as we know. That means that, whether they are disadvantaged or come from a poor family—and plenty do in my electorate—there is no reason why a student cannot go to university. The taxpayer pays 60 per cent up front and 40 per cent is from the student. They will not have to repay it, under our reforms, until they earn over $42,000 a year. At the moment it is $54,000 a year. We are reducing it to $42,000 to try and get a small contribution back and to start to repay that government loan. It is $6 a week or something, so it is very small.

We hear often from those opposite that higher education funding is going up and somehow it is terrible, and people will not be able to go to uni. But let me say this: if the federal government is paying 60 per cent, or whether it is 55 per cent contribution, in total why would we want to increase the cost of university—when we are using taxpayers' dollars for over half of the contribution for every course?

There is also great news in this budget for young people and for seniors in particular. For seniors there is $5.5 billion over the next two years for the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which is helping Australians to continue living in their own homes longer. We are guaranteeing Medicare. Let us remember the 2016 election. I know the member for Leichhardt and the Speaker will remember this: remember Labor said we were going to privatise Medicare? That was 341 days ago that they said that we were going to privatise Medicare.

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