Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I appreciate the opportunity to speak today in support of the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2019-2020 and the associated appropriation bills. In my electorate of Braddon, people are working hard. We have nearly 10,000 small businesses, a lot of them mum-and-dad businesses. We have thousands of equally exceptional people who get up every morning and go to work, with the expectation, quite rightly, that the government won't get in the way and will provide opportunities. During the election campaign, I spent a lot of time talking with these people. We chatted, and they told me about what was important to them. No matter where they lived—whether it was on the west coast, King Island, Burnie, Smithton, Devonport or Wynyard—what was important to the hardworking people of Braddon was things like providing for their families, having the opportunity to make their lives better and having the expectation that, if they work hard, they can achieve goals and achieve dreams. They spoke to me about accessing the health services that they need, the education requirements that they so desperately need, being able to travel around their region safely and keeping the cost-of-living pressures down.

I agree with all these things, because they are all important to me as well. The best way for government to help the people of Braddon—it's all about economic management. It has been shown over decades that a coalition government can responsibly provide the services that people in my electorate expect, because only a coalition government can manage finances. The people in my electorate get it. If they have to be responsible and balance their own personal budgets, they expect the government to be responsible enough to do the same. It's simple.

It was this government who restored the budget to balance. After years of Labor deficits, we handed down the first budget surplus in over 12 years. That is a significant turnaround in our nation's finances. We also reduced taxes, so the working people of Braddon could keep more of what they earn for them and their families. They have more in their pockets to deal with the rising cost of living. Nearly 40,000 taxpayers in Braddon will benefit from tax relief in 2018-19 as a result of the government's enhanced personal income tax plan, with just over 16,000 receiving the full tax offset of $1,080.

I'm passionate about education. I want every person in my electorate to be able to access the type of education that's right for them, right for their time and for their lifetime. Whether it's at primary school, high school, university, TAFE or on-the-job training, everybody should have access to education when they need it. It doesn't matter whether you're eight, 28 or 80. It doesn't matter whether you live in the city or the bush. I know and my electorate knows the only way that governments can responsibly increase funding to education is if there is more money in the bank. Because the budget is now in surplus, we can now increase funding to all 49 schools in Braddon. That's a 49 per cent increase to all of Braddon's public schools over the next decade. But that is just the start of the good news. Earlier this month, the west coast regional study hub was opened, thanks to the Morrison government's commitment of $2.5 million. This will give those who want to live on the west coast greater choice and access to educational opportunities. It will allow them to study courses they want without having to move away from home, which often comes at a significant cost both financially and socially. If students want to stay with their family and friends, then they should be able to do that. That's why this is such an important investment. This Friday, I will be attending Marist Regional College in Burnie to open the new learning areas for grade 9 and 10 students thanks to an $830,000 fund from the Morrison government. A local schools community fund of almost $200,000 was recently announced. This wonderful initiative is for schools to fund small projects. I remind them that applications are now open, and they should get them in.

Having money in the bank means that we can afford to invest in health services. That is important to the people of Braddon. Funding of public hospital services in Tasmania has increased by 45 per cent since we came to office, from $294 million to $425 million. This government continues to commit to the PBS, providing affordable access to new medicines as they have become available. Since 2013, the Morrison government has listed over 2,000 new or amended items on the PBS. This represents an average of around 31 listings per month or one each day at an average cost of around $10.6 billion. I meet people everyday in my electorate. Time and time again they stop me and tell me their story about how some new drug that has been listed on the PBS is making their life that much better. Some of them tell me that the only reason a loved one is alive today is because some new drug has been listed on the PBS. The government is also providing record funding for the health system, including Medicare. In 2019-20 we will invest a record $104 billion in health. That is up from $75 billion seven years ago.

As I mentioned, reducing the cost of living is extremely important in my electorate of Braddon, so it's great news to everybody to hear that the Morrison Liberal-National government has a plan to achieve that. We're delivering a multimillion dollar injection into our region as well as thousands of jobs. What I'm talking about here are the Battery of the Nation project and Project Marinus. Tasmania's potential as Australia's newest renewable energy powerhouse is now recognised right across the nation. We have what the rest of the nation really needs—low-cost, reliable, clean energy—and we have plans to deliver that energy to the rest of Australia. We will do this through the second Bass Strait interconnector, Project Marinus. This will allow Tasmania to expand the amount of renewable energy provided to the national grid system, and enhance greater investment in other renewable technologies, such as our $250 million Granville Harbour wind development, which is currently under construction on our west coast.

The Morrison government has committed $56 million to fast-track Project Marinus, and that's important to the people in my electorate of Braddon. Marinus will enable more than 400 megawatts of existing dispatchable reliable generation to be transmitted to Victoria, power currently unavailable due to a limited Basslink interconnector capacity. This is good news for Victorians as well, because 400 megawatts is enough to power up to 400,000 homes. Subject to development of the business case and funding arrangements, it's expected that Marinus link will be able to supply electricity to the mainland from 2025. The construction of Marinus is expected to generate between 500 and 1,000 construction jobs in my region.

The Morrison government is also committed to working with the Tasmanian government to underwrite the first phase of Tasmania's Battery of the Nation project. The government is also providing $2.5 million to support Hydro Tasmania identifying a suitable Battery of the Nation project site. This represents the single biggest economic opportunity for our state. Importantly, for those that live on the north-west and west coasts, the three short-listed sites are in our backyard. By the end of next year we should know about the final site, and it's hoped that it will progress to being shovel-ready by 2021. Pumped hydro can deliver 24/7, round-the-clock, renewable, reliable power, and the Battery of the Nation is expected to deliver up to 2,500 megawatts of reliable renewable hydropower to Tasmania and Victoria, including 16 gigawatt hours of storage. Projects like Marinus, Battery of the Nation and Snowy 2.0 reinforce the investment that has already been made in renewable power across Australia, and it provides reliability that doesn't come at the cost of driving prices up and compromising energy security.

The Morrison government's $100 billion transport infrastructure investment across Australia is important. When my constituents are driving around the electorate of Braddon, they're not belting along a freeway, and we don't spend much time in traffic jams. However, this investment will ensure that everybody in my area can get home safely on country roads as well as town ones. This investment in our area will improve travel time, reliability and it will also make sure that our national highway, the Bass Highway, is safe for all road users. The Cooee to Wynyard planning study is a great example of how the federal Liberal government is keeping its promise to Braddon. We said we'd pay for a study into the challenges on this stressed part of the highway to be undertaken, and the study has now been done; it's completed. During the election campaign, the Prime Minister visited Braddon and made a further commitment of $40 million to deliver the recommended improvements that were identified during that report, and I look forward to the Tasmanian Department of State Growth developing this program of work over the next few months.

The government's commitment of $60 million to upgrade 112 kilometres of the Bass Highway, between Wynyard and Marrawah, is another example of how vital works are progressing in our region. The works are wide ranging. They will include road widening, overtaking lanes, intersection improvements, road reconstruction and general road safety measures. Specifically, some of the projects identified include the Bass Highway through Brittons Swamp, south-west of Smithton, which is affected by significant undulations caused by road users, including school buses, agricultural vehicles and trucks. Sections of that highway will be rebuilt and strengthened. A new passing opportunity will be constructed between Wynyard and Smithton, as well as constructing courtesy stopping bays for slower traffic and agricultural traffic along our roads. And where the Bass Highway has been widened in the past at Rocky Cape, it is now dangerously close to a busy community facility. Rather than diverting the highway at that point, funds will be provided to rebuild this facility. Safer access will be provided for the Boat Harbour school, including a right turn facility on the Bass Highway. That's good news for those kids crossing the road. Engagement with the Waratah-Wynyard Council and Circular Head Council is important to ensure that these projects are conducted in a mutual, cohesive way along the 112-kilometre section of the Bass Highway between Wynyard and Marrawah.

As a heavy vehicle operator and as an agricultural contractor I've driven many of the roads in Braddon and I understand the difficulties that the precarious nature of our windy agricultural country roads provides to all road users. I also understand the amount of school traffic and tourist traffic that utilises our roads. It is important that these two road user types can work harmoniously and safely. This can only be done if we've got a good, safe, well planned road network. We can only provide that network if we've got funds in the bank. This is another classic example why, if we want something done, there's only one place to turn and that is a strong Liberal-National Coalition.

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