Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Like many on the Sunshine Coast, I was disappointed to learn recently that the government will not be able to find funding for the upgrades to the Sunshine Coast Stadium in the coming federal budget. However, this does not mean that the Sunshine Coast is not going to see federal funding for this project moving forward, and I am absolutely committed to trying to get funding for it.

Since my election in 2016, the Morrison government has delivered more federal government support for the Sunshine Coast than ever before. This includes more than $3.5 billion in funding for Bruce Highway upgrades between the coast and Brisbane as well as long-awaited upgrades to the North Coast rail line, which are now underway. We've seen millions of dollars for local healthcare projects like the Thompson Institute, Wishlist and the Butterfly Foundation, Australia's first residential eating disorder facility, and millions more for new sporting infrastructure like the Kawana high-performance sporting hub.

Now that the federal government has been forced to invest more than $251 billion in support for the economy nationwide because of the economic and health crisis caused by COVID-19, there are unfortunately competing priorities on the budget. However, I do not take no for an answer. To me, 'no' just means 'not now'. I've made it clear to the Deputy Prime Minister that I will advocate strongly with him for funding for the Sunshine Coast Stadium at every opportunity in the months to come.

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