Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support these appropriation bills, in their original form, which make provision for the moneys required to be appropriated from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure on new activities agreed to by the government since the introduction of the 2020-21 supply bills in October of last year. Mindful of the needs of our fellow Australians as our nation emerges from the COVID-19 global pandemic, these appropriations are intended to facilitate the recovery phase of our economy. Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2020-2021 proposes expenditure of approximately $2.5 billion, while Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2020-2021 proposes spending of approximately $141.3 million.

Our focus as a Liberal-National coalition government has been to act swiftly, first and foremost to safeguard the health and wellbeing of Australians in our communities by implementing a vaccination program as we set about rebuilding our national economy by restoring jobs, promoting confidence and reopening borders. To achieve this, an appropriation of $701.2 million is made to the Department of Health, which includes $539.1 million for the COVID-19 vaccination rollout during the remainder of 2020-21. The vaccination of the Australian population is an essential health measure which will serve to contain the pandemic and allow life to return to some degree of normality. No vaccine is 100 per cent effective, nor absolutely guaranteed to be free from adverse side effects. However, mass vaccination of our population is arguably, scientifically and medically, the best option available to bring the global pandemic under control.

Vaccination, although highly recommended on medical grounds will not be compulsory for conscientious objectors. I am pleased to say that the vaccinations have already commenced for elderly residents of aged-care centres in a number of suburbs within my electorate in a bid to protect the most vulnerable cohort in our community. The rollout will be gradually expanded to include other groups, in order of need and based on health advice, to mitigate the potential risk of exposure to an infection such as that faced by frontline workers. Plans are being made to broaden the network of vaccination centres across the electorate to make access more widely available, including at Joondalup hospital.

The federal government has delivered on its $158 million commitment to expand Joondalup hospital to a total capacity of 1,020 beds to alleviate the long waiting times and record levels of ambulance ramping currently being experienced at the emergency department. Multiplex has been awarded the early contractor tender for construction works due to start later this year. Meanwhile, the Department of Health has reached an agreement with Ramsay Health Care on the key terms that will form the basis of Ramsay's contract extension to operate the Joondalup health campus for at least another 15 years from 2028, with an option for an additional five-year renewal. The contract extension will include the contemporary funding model and performance management regime, implemented from 2025, to enable Ramsay Health Care to plan future investments in its private services with confidence beyond the current expiration in 2028.

Population growth in the northern coastal suburbs is placing greater demands on Joondalup hospital. Even the planned superclinic at Yanchep will not be sufficient in coming years to meet the growing demands caused by residential growth in the northern coastal suburbs. Visionary forward planning is required for another major hospital based in the Yanchep region to meet the future healthcare needs of a rapidly-growing community. I call upon the WA state government to start the planning design and funding for a major hospital around the Alkimos and Yanchep area now, based on the population projections, to take pressure off Joondalup hospital.

Moving on: the bill provides $408 million to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications for programs to support the economic recovery from COVID-19 by improving transport access and supporting regional development. I strongly support the City of Wanneroo in its advocacy for the road funding necessary to unlock the economic development potential of the Neerabup Industrial Area. The local economy of Joondalup is, to a large extent, reliant on access to the vast commercial and industrial areas in neighbouring Wanneroo.

There is a compelling requirement to upgrade both Flynn Drive and Neaves Road without further delay, providing an efficient east-west link between the industrial estate, the Mitchell Freeway and the productive regions of our state to the Perth to Darwin National Highway. An efficient road network will also better connect Neerabup with future economic and employment estates proposed at Nowergup and Pinjar. The extension of Lukin Drive from the Mitchell Freeway to Wanneroo Road, a distance of 800 metres, will connect the coastal suburbs with Nowergup, providing improved access to employment, the transportation of building materials from the quarries and an alternative emergency access route in the event of bushfires.

A key regional project which needs to be brought forward is the Whiteman to Yanchep highway. This will benefit the adjoining electorates of Cowan and Pearce. I repeat my previous calls for the government to bring forward the construction of the highway. The Whiteman to Yanchep highway will connect to Flynn Drive and Neaves Road. The construction of this missing link will complete an important east-west freight corridor. Further to the south, the Whiteman to Yanchep highway will connect with Gnangara Road, improving access for businesses based in the existing Landsdale, Wangara and Enterprise Park industrial estates. The connection of Whitfords Avenue to a realigned Gnangara Road is a priority project which I have been long advocating for as essential to promoting economic development by linking the Wangara commercial and industrial area with the residential areas of my electorate. The WA Liberal opposition made a $10 million election commitment towards progressing this project. I call upon the McGowan Labor government to match this commitment.

Another regional infrastructure project, which I have been advocating strongly for, is the grade separation of the Reid Highway and Erindale Road intersection. This will benefit residents in the neighbouring electorates of Moore, Stirling and Cowan. An estimated $80 million will be required for the construction of a flyover bridge, which will minimise traffic congestion at this busy intersection, allowing free-flowing traffic access from the coast to the Balcatta and Malaga industrial areas and to Perth Airport and beyond via the Reid Highway and Northlink.

The Department of Education, Skills and Employment has been allocated $237.5 million for various programs, including additional funding for the Transition to Work and jobactive programs. Assisting Australians to return to the workforce remains a main priority for the government. Young Australians in their prime are disproportionately represented in the unemployment figures, so our government is taking action to increase workforce participation amongst young Australians aged between 16 to 35, providing incentives for businesses to recruit additional employees. These measures will benefit young people in my electorate as they transition to opportunities in the workforce.

Continued investment in the Joondalup Learning Precinct is critical to develop the skilled workforce of the future, through university courses and vocational education and training. Federal funding of $245 million has been allocated to the Edith Cowan University over the forward estimates to establish a new campus specialising in creative industries, business and technology courses. The new satellite campus, which will be based in Perth's CBD, is scheduled to open in 2025 at a total cost of $695 million. For residents of my electorate, it means a wider range of courses to choose from and having access to a broader selection of learning facilities and educational resources to equip them for future careers in the workforce.

We need a bold futuristic vision for our city. I have a vision that the city of Joondalup will develop into a centre of excellence for innovation, technology, research and development. Our educational institutions, such as the Edith Cowan University, will collaborate with industry to promote the commercialisation of intellectual property. Our city has the potential to evolve into a digital hub, supporting software development, cybersecurity and advanced information technology. We have the highly educated and skilled workforce necessary to attract advanced industries into the heart of Joondalup, such as the specialist medical services, medical research, technology and diagnostic imaging. Attracting both government funding and private sector investment is essential to realising this vision.

Federal and state governments can also give Joondalup a boost through decentralisation by relocating government departments and agencies to Joondalup. I have been working closely with the City of Joondalup's economic development unit and the Joondalup Business Association to engage with stakeholders through a series of workshops to develop a destination marketing strategy to attract more visitors to our region.

There are currently more than 1,000 vacant sites within the City of Joondalup. Measures designed to initiate the construction of homes and commercial buildings, such as the federal housing grants, have boosted our local economy. Local tradespersons and building contractors based in my electorate have gained work through a combination of greenfields development in new subdivisions and urban renewal.

To aid Australians stranded overseas during the COVID-19 pandemic, an allocation of $199.4 million has been made to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The government is aware that thousands of Australians are seeking assistance to return home from overseas. However, it is essential that they go through proper quarantine to prevent the transmission of infection internationally. The weekly caps on hotel quarantine places imposed by the states have created a considerable waiting list. To improve security at our border Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2020-2012 provides $45.1 million to the Department of Home Affairs to support the development of a secure digital platform for the collection and management of incoming passenger information.

Providing humanitarian assistance to our neighbouring countries to boost their vaccination rates will also help to ensure that international travel may resume soon. The provision of $62.1 million has been made to support COVID-19 vaccine access in the Pacific and South-East Asia to ensure that our neighbours in less developed countries have adequate access to vaccination. Having reopened the international borders our focus must turn to diversifying our international trading relationships with a range of emerging economies in South-East Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, developing new markets so that our nation does not become overly reliant on a single market for our exports.

An allocation of $253.3 million has been provided to the Department of Defence, which includes additional funding for defence operations, including the deployment of Australian Defence Force personnel to staff checkpoints and quarantine hotels as part of Operation COVID-19 Assist. The bill provides $142.1 million to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources to improve our domestic fuel security, which is critical to our national security.

In concluding, I commend these appropriation bills. The legislation enables the provision of improved services, facilities and amenities for the benefit of my local community.

See this speech in context