Terry Young (Longman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise in support of these bills, Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020. These bills are fundamental to our country, to the people of Australia and to our future, because when we invest in Australia we are investing in the people who live and work here. We are helping vital projects get off the ground through funding; rewarding aspirations and goals; creating resilience; supporting our local schools, hospitals and businesses; boosting our strong economy; helping Aussies get access to life-saving medicines and treatments; building roads and infrastructure; protecting our environment; helping jobseekers find work; and providing support when national disasters threaten our communities and those who live in them. Investing in our country is something we must continue to do so Australia can continue to grow and our future as a great nation in set in stone.

Last week we held the Moreton Bay Jobs Fair in Morayfield in the electorate of Longman, which I am proud to represent. The fair was free to all who came along and proved to be a shining beacon of hope for many jobseekers who just wanted the chance to meet with employers, develop their interview skills, share their hopes for their careers, improve their skills, improve their resumes and talk about the different career opportunities on offer. We are talking about people who may have struggled to find work for days, weeks and even years. They were hungry for jobs. They wanted to work and they wanted to provide for their families. All they needed was support, motivation and confidence.

The Moreton Bay Jobs Fair gave them that confidence, motivation and support. You had to be there to see it and believe it. And let me tell you: to see all those jobseekers and employers in one room was incredible. Not only did we provide ample opportunity for many people who want to work but we helped employers who were hiring on the day come together to find the skilled workers they needed in order to build a stronger and more confident workforce.

On the day, we saw 1,966 attendees come through the door at the Morayfield Sport & Events Centre, with 40 exhibitors and 737 jobs on offer. Due to the coalition government's investment, because of the funds they spent on making this job fair happen, we've opened up a pathway to part-time or full-time work for many people. People who two weeks ago were at their wits end and thought they would ever find a job now have more hope because the Morrison government knew what they needed, believed in them and provided this for them.

People can often find it hard to get their foot in the door when it comes to employment, and many have lost motivation after getting rejected over and over again for jobs. Sometimes all it takes is tweaking your resume or brushing up on your interview skills. It was great to see people feeling more confident as the Moreton Bay Jobs Fair showcased hundreds of diverse employment opportunities in the region from local businesses and apprenticeships, traineeships and service providers.

We saw people of all ages come in, many dressed in their very best, to speak directly to employers hiring on the day about jobs available and to employment service providers, who can assist them in finding and obtaining work. There were also free workshops and information sessions that offered practical tips on resumes and interviews. There was the opportunity to hear from local employers about what they were looking for in an employee. There were sessions on job search techniques, along with advice on transferring their skills.

I would like to thank the Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator Michaelia Cash, for spending time with me last week while talking to local businessowners across the electorate of Longman and being there for the Moreton Bay Jobs Fair. Thank you to the Morrison government for investing funding, time and labour into making this jobs fair happen. Now more people are getting up in the morning and lacing up their boots and heading to work or have the motivation they need to keep going on their journey to achieving their dream career.

That is why these bills are important, as they request legislative authority for top-up appropriations to fund expenditure on activities that require additional funding or on new activities agreed to by the government since the introduction of the 2019-20 appropriation bills in July 2019. These bills also provide funding for the government's response to the recent bushfires. The bills ensure there is sufficient preparation to cover estimate variations related to existing programs—for instance, changes in costs for demand-driven programs. Passage of the bills will ensure continuity of government programs, commencement of new activities agreed by the government since July 2019, and the Commonwealth's ability to meet its obligations for 2019-20 as they fall due.

Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2019-2020 proposes appropriations of approximately $3.3 billion. Of this amount, major elements include: $948 million to the Department of Home Affairs, mainly to continue implementing the government's border protection policies and to support people impacted by the recent bushfires; and $592 million to the Department of Social Services, due to higher than expected participant client numbers being supported by the Disability Employment Services program and for the recent bushfire response package with additional emergency relief and financial counselling for affected communities, which provides $50 million in 2019-20 for communities affected by the recent bushfire emergency. The appropriations proposed under this bill also include: $488 million to the Department of Defence, including $88 million for the Australian Defence Force's contribution to the bushfire response through Operation Bushfire Assist and foreign exchange supplementation due to movement in exchange rates under no-win, no-loss funding arrangements; $287 million to Services Australia to support individuals, families and communities to achieve greater self-sufficiency; and $170 million for the Department of Health, including $70 million to support access to medicines and medical treatments, $68 million in departmental funding to support the delivery of government programs, and $30 million towards mental health, Indigenous health and preventative health activities. There is also $66 million for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, which includes funds for wildlife and habitat recovery in response to the recent bushfire emergency, busting congestion in the environmental assessment process, responding to African swine fever and strengthening the Australian Antarctic Program.

Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2019-2020 proposes appropriations of approximately $2.2 billion. Of this amount, major elements include: additional loan drawdowns in 2019-20, due to a revised drawdown schedule for NBN Co, which cost $1.2 million; additional equity injections in 2019-20, due to a revised schedule for equity injections for the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the Western Sydney Airport, of $176 million; $166 million for the Australian government drought response, resilience and preparedness plan; and $235 million for loans through the Regional Investment Corporation to farms and small businesses affected by drought conditions.

Last year the Morrison government announced that the electorate of Longman had received a funding boost of $4.5 million through the Roads to Recovery program. This funding is part of the $139 million that the Australian government announced would be delivered to 310 local government authorities nationwide for safer and better-maintained roads. This funding is great news for the community of Longman and will ensure that our local council, the Moreton Bay Regional Council, can progress a number of high-priority projects using local knowledge to deliver safer and better roads for our community. The electorate of Longman has received $1.5 million in funding for Aerodrome Road in Caboolture and to upgrade the T-intersection at Lear Jet Drive with traffic signal control including pedestrian crossings, as well as $2 million for McKean Street in Caboolture and $1 million for Pates Road at Wamuran. The Australian government has committed an additional $100 million per year to the Roads to Recovery program from 2019-20 as part of the local and state government road safety package announced in the 2019-20 budget. The Australian government is also contributing $530 million to upgrade the Bruce Highway from four lanes to six lanes between the Caboolture Bribie Island Road turn-off and the Steve Irwin Way exit, which will improve safety and reliability, increase highway capacity, reduce travel times and congestion, and raise the highway at flood-prone locations. This project is to be commenced this year. This is on top of the $120 million that we've also contributed to the New Settlement Road overpass, which is a duplication of the Boundary Road overpass—it has begun with surveyors, and we'll see workmen there this year as well. This project will alleviate major congestion issues and will mean commuters spend less time in their vehicles and more time at home, which can only be a good thing for the health of our community. This is what the Morrison government is all about: better and safer local roads for the people of Longman.

Investing in our country also means investing in our communities, helping projects get off the ground and supporting our local schools and community organisations. If it weren't for the investment and funding by the coalition government, many local, community and environment projects wouldn't see the light of day. So far, we have granted $423,530 to local organisations and schools through the Stronger Communities Program, the Communities Environment Program and the Local Schools Community Fund. We have also got many applications coming in for other government grants, so I've no doubt that this list will grow.

I'm proud to be part of a government that, to date, has delivered much-needed funds to the following organisations: $11,000 for the Pumicestone State School's Parents and Citizens Association, $8,000 for Bribie Respite and Support Services, $6,000 for the Caboolture Senior Citizens Centre, $4½ thousand for the St Michael's College Parents and Friends Association, $7½ thousand for the Creche and Kindergarten Association, $4,200 for the Caboolture Bridge Club, $4,200 for Beachmere District Men's Shed, $3½ thousand for St Vincent de Paul, $11½ thousand for Volunteer Marine Rescue Bribie Island, $10,000 for Spiders Boxing Club, $11,250 for Caboolture Junior Rugby League, $3½ thousand for the Vietnam Veterans Association, $4,000 for Woodford Agricultural, Pastoral & Industrial Association, $11,250 for Caboolture Branch Little Athletics Centre, $6,000 for Bribie Island Road Saddle Club, $2½ thousand for Endeavour Foundation, $10,000 for Banksia Beach Primary P&C Association, $7½ thousand for Beachmere Junior Rugby League and $12½ thousand for Woodford Golf Club. That's through the Stronger Communities Program.

Then we've got the Communities Environment Program, with funds going to the following organisations: $20,000 for OzFish, $16,000 for Conservation Volunteers Australia, $5,130 for Bribie Island Environmental Protection Association, $16,500 for Burpengary State School, $16,000 for Woodfordia, $16½ thousand for Moreton Bay Birali Steiner School, $16,000 for the Caboolture Region Environmental Education Centre and $10,878 for Carmichael College.

Lastly, through the Local Schools Community Fund, we've provided the following: $20,000 for Northpine Christian College, $14,775 for St Peter's Catholic Primary School, $20,000 for Elimbah State School, $20,000 for Dakabin State High School, $20,000 for St Paul's Lutheran Primary School and Kindergarten in Caboolture, $20,000 for Caboolture Montessori School, $11,305 for Australian Christian College, $14,430 for Jinibara State School, $20,000 for Caboolture Special School, $19,490 for Horizons College and $20,000 for Alta-1 College.

It's an enormous list, and I'm so proud that we've been able to provide these grants. This is why it's important that we're able to continue to invest in Australia in the future. With that being said, I commend this bill to the House.

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