Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

During my campaign for the seat of Paterson in 2016, the Turnbull government talked a big game. They tried to show up and tell the newly redistributed areas of Neath, Weston, Abermain, Kurri Kurri, Beresfield, Thornton and Tarro that they mattered and that the coalition would deliver for our region. They suggested that a coalition government would make good on election commitments, building local infrastructure, delivering jobs and growth. That was their slogan. Fortunately the people of the electorate of Paterson, which spans from Neath to Nelson Bay, and which I am proud to represent, know that sometimes salt can look a little bit like sugar. That's why they backed me instead. They backed me to be their local voice in parliament, and I am still to this day completely humbled and proud to do that job for them.

When elected, I made a promise to my community that I would always be a strong local voice for them, that I would fight not just for the communities of my electorate of Paterson but for my home, the Hunter region. Every day, I try to do that here in parliament. My electorate knew that they needed a local to hold the coalition to account. Over the years, like me, they've watched the Turnbull-Morrison government to see if they would make good on their promises. Alas, they have not. As a newly minted MP, I remained optimistic that the Liberals might deliver on some of the vital issues and the infrastructure that my community desperately needed. I even took a bipartisan approach and approached ministers and worked with them to ensure that they understood the needs and the priorities of my electorate. But, sadly, despite my best efforts, the needs of our community seem to be falling on deaf ears.

At every election, the coalition gets out and promises to deliver on local and national issues affecting my community. They said they wouldn't cut the ABC or freeze Medicare rebates, but they did. They claimed they'd create jobs and turn the economy around, but they haven't. Once re-elected, be it Turnbull or Morrison, they fail to deliver anything but a sense of disappointment in my community. We know they've failed to deliver regional jobs. This budget has clearly demonstrated they don't back local projects and they're not the financial masterminds they make out to be. Even when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, they turn their backs. Just remember that aged care is a Commonwealth responsibility. That means it is the responsibility of Scott Morrison and this federal coalition government, right now, here today. There is no buck-passing to the states on aged care, but that's what they try and do.

The coalition government betrayed the trust of my region in 2016 and betrayed it again after the 2019 election. They fought hammer and tongs against a reasonable outcome for the residents of Williamtown. They butchered our NBN, and they cut Medicare rebates. Then they changed the modelling to push more GPs out of the regions and into the cities, when we so desperately need them. Do you know that you can't recruit a GP at the moment for Nelson Bay, an area that is going to receive hundreds and thousands of tourists over the coming months? It is just diabolical. This government have underfunded My Aged Care, creating a historic backlog. They've restricted Commonwealth supported places, resulting in fewer people being able to live in their own homes. So much for that the great slogan they had, 'Ageing well at home'! The other component of this is: are they happy to let people's homes fall down around them, while they encourage and assist them to live in those homes, when people can't get decent packages to maintain their homes? It is wrong.

Over the seven years that this government have had control of the treasury purse strings, they've made a terrible mess of the NDIS, they've cut funding to the Auditor-General, the one body that can try and keep track of where the money is going and what they're doing with it, and they've blown out the budget. The government have let power prices rise. National debt has hit staggering new heights. They've delivered us sports rorts and shonky water deals.

In my second term in this place, sadly the Morrison government hasn't made good on the investments for my community or for regional Australia. Last year, during the election, I was proud to commit to 50 new full-time jobs for Centrelink across my electorate. They would have improved service delivery and created many local jobs. They would have helped with the queues we saw as a result of the pandemic and the government being so tardy with its signalling to the Australian people that they were going to get the support that they needed in their darkest hour. It wasn't until we dragged them to Centrelink and said, 'These people are going to need support,' that the government finally came good with its various 'Seeker' and 'Keeper' packages. I also committed $23.6 million in additional funding for all schools across my electorate. Under this government, schools are being left behind, with maintenance backlogs absolutely blowing out. At a time when our children have missed going to school, we should be putting more money into the schools so that we can catch the kids up on what they've missed during COVID and the lockdowns.

A personal project that I've been really proud to advocate for—it's a big one, and I know we need it desperately—is the M1 Pacific Motorway extension to Raymond Terrace. If ever there was a project that needed to be done, it is this one. This government have promised to fund the M1, but they haven't been able to work with their state colleagues in New South Wales to make the project a priority or a reality. They've been dithering around, planning it. They just need to get in and get it done. We've seen delays to the planning. As recently as today, the latest news on the RMS website features an outdated article about the revised concept design from June 2017! We're now almost in November 2020. What is going on? This project is one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the Hunter region, and it just needs to be built. The jobs it would create and the boost it would create for our region are not lost on anyone, yet this government can't work with their own state colleagues to get it done. It's not good enough that the people in my electorate might not see this vital project delivered for, potentially, another 10 years. It might be five years before they even get a shovel in the ground. It is truly outrageous. The Deputy Prime Minister, Michael McCormack, needs to pick up the phone to his state colleague and tell them to get on with the job. I just don't understand why he hasn't. He says he's for regions, but I'm not seeing evidence of that.

We know that the M1 extension will deliver jobs, boost industry and provide extensive economic investment for our local Hunter economy. This is the last choke point between Sydney and Brisbane for freight. Many local commuters trying to get to work know the pain and frustration of being stuck at Tarro. Many holiday makers know the frustration of trying to get over the Hexham Bridge. This is such a ridiculous situation that hasn't been fixed. This section of the Pacific Highway is one of the most heavily used road corridors for freight in New South Wales. It's critical to the transport of freight between Sydney and Brisbane, as I've said, and also between the west of our state and the port of Newcastle via the New England Highway.

The road between Black Hill and Raymond Terrace is a vital commuter corridor. An average of 22,000 vehicles utilise it during the morning and afternoon peaks. According to Infrastructure Australia data, peak traffic is expected to increase by 36 per cent in the next 10 years. Much of this road is 60 kilometres an hour, but many commuters sit on 23 kilometres an hour during peak periods, as the road becomes congested. And that is if somebody doesn't have a nose-to-tail accident or there isn't a concertina nose-to-tail accident involving half a dozen vehicles. Then your morning or afternoon is completely shot. You drive up the M1 from Sydney and when you hit a set of traffic lights you turn right, go over an overpass and down around the bend. It's worse than a game of snakes and ladders. Honestly, it should be fixed.

At Christmas 2019 constituents took to my Facebook page. In some cases they reported that they had been delayed for hours. Imagine that you've packed the car, got the kids in finally, grabbed the family pet, got the caravan or trailer hooked up and then there is a traffic nightmare and for over an hour you move only 19.7 kilometres. It's simply laughable. In some cases is actually traumatic for people, particularly when the weather peaks at between 45 and 48 degrees and you are sitting in the car with the kids, the dog and an elderly parent, friend or relative. You think, 'How long are we going to be here for?' Whilst we can make light of it, it is actually a serious concern.

I want the parents and families of my electorate and the holiday makers from Sydney to know that I want a clear run on the M1. They should tell their local member that too. Write to them or give them a ring and say: 'We want a clear run on the M1. Get Hexham fixed.' That's what we all need to be doing. Labor understands your pain.

Labor was happy to welcome the government's commitment to fund the M1 extension. We treated it with bipartisan love. We said: 'They've put the money forward. So will we. We want to get this done.' It always should be bipartisan when it's a piece of vital infrastructure like this. Again the government wants to play politics with bricks and mortar, roads, pools and dams. Cut the politics. Build the road. Let's just get this done. Labor promised $1.6 billion to deliver the M1 extension, and this government just talks about it. The most recent budget was yet another let-down for my electorate and the Hunter region more generally.

The Morrison government failed to deliver the funding necessary to upgrade the Newcastle Airport runway. I have to say that this is a bitter disappointment. The code E civilian runway upgrade will be a game changer for our region. It's expected to generate more than 4,000 jobs. This government talks a big game on this, but it has ignored this critical project. I made representations to the minister, outlining the value of the project.

This is the bit where anyone hearing this will shake their head in disbelief. The runway is actually owned by the Defence Force, so by the taxpayers of Australia. Every 15 years the runway at Newcastle Airport needs to be upgraded and maintained. That's a good thing. We want it to be safe and robust. We have that opportunity next year. They're going to dig up a portion of the runway and fix it. Whilst they're digging it up, they just need to put a bit of extra concrete in—admittedly, it has to be structurally engineered and is not just a bit of extra concrete. It's going to cost $60 million to get it done well, but in the scheme of things it's not a lot of money. Whilst they're digging it up let's make it stronger so that wider-bodied aircraft can land more routinely at Newcastle Airport. It will create 4,000 jobs, it will allow businesses to expand, and it will allow freight to move between Newcastle and South-East Asia.

This is the lowest-hanging fruit of them all, yet this government is too lazy to pick it. I implore the Deputy Prime Minister to get on with this project. The upgrade will directly connect the Hunter and northern New South Wales to the rest of the world. I note that the member for Lyne is in the chair at the moment and I thank him for his support on this project. He knows the value of this project, too. We have been trying to get this through the government's head. They just need to do it. I say to the member for Lyne, we need to crack on with this and make sure that we don't miss the deadline of March next year. If we miss this deadline, if they dig up this runway and do not make it stronger, it will be criminal and it will be on this government's head. It needs to be done. The benefits of the project aren't limited to local geography. It will be of benefit to multiple industries across our region.

The Hunter Region is one of the fastest-growing in the country, with a collective population of more than 1 million people. We have a globally recognised university that currently has over 40,000 students. Our port is the largest coal port in the world and one of the largest export ports in the Southern Hemisphere. Our region boasts a range of vibrant industries: defence, agriculture, fisheries, trade, manufacturing and many more. Because of all of these factors, is it any wonder that the Hunter is so well placed to embrace the next phase of global connectivity? The Newcastle runway is owned and operated by the federal government. We need to get in and get this project done, and this government needs to give the Hunter Region a proper shot at true prosperity.

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