Angie Bell (Moncrieff, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I say two words to the member for Ballarat about wasteful governments. It starts with 'pink' and ends with 'batts'. That's my retort when it comes to wasteful government, and that's what we saw last time Labor was in power in our great country. If Labor were in government now, they would have spent $6 billion on getting Australians to do what they were already going to do, which is be fully vaccinated.

It gives me great pleasure to rise and talk about these appropriation bills, to talk about what's happened in my community and on the Gold Coast in terms of government spending. Gold Coasters know that infrastructure is so important to the future of our community, with the South-East Queensland Olympics coming our way, thanks to the federal government being able to deliver that for South-East Queensland. The Gold Coast will host hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world in our beautiful city for the 2032 Olympic Games. So, of course, transport infrastructure is very, very important on the Gold Coast.

The Morrison government has a $110 billion infrastructure agenda over 10 years, and that is a considerable amount of investment across our great country. I want to talk about what's happening on the Gold Coast, specifically in my electorate of Moncrieff. The light rail from Broadbeach—Pacific Fair, for those watching—to Burleigh will now be extended from Burleigh Heads all the way to Brisbane. There's an intersection with heavy rail. Gold Coasters will be able to get on the light rail at Burleigh and go all the way through to Brisbane, which I think is very, very important for our connectivity. Certainly it's important for those who live, work and play on the Gold Coast. The Morrison government has announced additional funding of $126.6 million for the Gold Coast light rail—Minister Fletcher was in my electorate a few months ago announcing that—to make sure that we can deliver for Gold Coasters. That funding was essentially for the Queensland Labor government's cost blowout, which I will highlight to the member for Ballarat as well in terms of blowouts. That money is basically because the Queensland government haven't got around to signing up contractors for that particular six-kilometre stretch of light rail. Consequently, for the good people of the Gold Coast, taxpayers, it is costing more money, thanks to the Queensland government deciding when that will start, which always tends to somehow magically fit in with their election cycle. But it is good news for the Gold Coast that it is able to continue with that light rail. Stage 3 brings us to $395.6 million total investment from the federal government, in partnership with the state government and local council as well, to deliver the Gold Coast light rail for the constituents in Moncrieff.

Another major infrastructure project on the Gold Coast is the Coomera Connector. We have all been on the M1 going to or coming back from Brisbane. Just the other day, when my stepson came home, it took him two hours to get from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, thanks to the congestion on the M1. While we are expanding areas of the M1, all the way down through the electorate of McPherson as well—and I acknowledge the work that Minister Karen Andrews, the member for McPherson, has done for the widening of the M1 heading towards the Gold Coast airport—there is also now the Coomera Connector. I was with Minister Robert, the member for Fadden, just a few weeks ago when we announced an additional $316.1 million in infrastructure to assist Gold Coasters to get home sooner and safer, and, as the former Deputy Prime Minister would say, to avoid 'sitting in traffic and looking at bumper stickers'; I think those were his words at the time.

So no more excuses, please, from the Queensland government, in terms of delivering infrastructure for Gold Coasters. They've now got the money from the federal government. They can now put the shovels in the ground and turn some sod. Let's see that work commence.

This funding actually brings the Commonwealth government's investment in the Coomera Connector, which goes from Coomera into my electorate of Moncrieff to Nerang, to a total of $1.07 billion. It's a significant infrastructure investment in South-East Queensland, and this commitment that the Morrison government has made to South-East Queensland will make a big difference for the upcoming Olympic Games.

Tourism, of course, is very, very important to the Gold Coast. It's our primary industry. It was worth about $5 billion before COVID hit, according to federal government figures. We've been hit quite hard on the Gold Coast, and our federal government, the Morrison government, delivered a $1.2 billion tourism package, including 800,000 half-price domestic airfares. We're coming to the very end of that at the moment on the Gold Coast, so those last airfares are coming through now to help our local economy. Also $10 million from the regional tourism fund was delivered for tourism and is currently being acquitted through Destination Gold Coast, our tourism peak body. I congratulate Patricia O'Callaghan, for the work that she's done for Destination Gold Coast, and the new chair, Adrienne Readings, as well.

In terms of small business, Moncrieff has a very high concentration of small businesses—probably about double most other electorates around the country. We've got over 30,000 small businesses. The Morrison government delivered $300 million for small and family businesses, to support those businesses that have been in distress. That was on top of JobKeeper and other measures. The headline in the local paper, the Gold Coast Bulletin, was 'Feds answer SOS from Gold Coast business', and I think that just says it all. It says that our community understands that it was the federal government that kept the doors open on the Gold Coast through this pandemic, and it's the federal government continuing to keep all of the doors open on the Gold Coast for our very important business community and our small businesses across the Gold Coast but particularly in Moncrieff. As part of that, there was also a $70 million hardship program for Gold Coast businesses, which particularly helped those businesses on the border—again, in the member for McPherson's electorate—see their way through to where we're at now, with the borders having reopened.

Also we were able to deliver for our only community sporting club in Nerang. I'm very pleased that we delivered the Building Better Regions funding of $596,650—smaller amounts, as the member for Ballarat was outlining; much bigger amounts, before. But, in Moncrieff, certainly, it was $596,650, and I can say to you that Steve Condren, the manager of the Nerang Community Bowls Club, was in tears when I called him for his upgrade for his club, and the good people of Nerang will now have a much bigger clubhouse that belongs to the community. That's taxpayers' money that has gone back directly to the community, and I'm very pleased for the good people of Nerang that they'll have that. To Rob, Bob, Pete, Lyn, Rose, Luchica and Maurice out at the Nerang Community Bowls Club: it was a great pleasure to work with you—and to Regional Development Australia Gold Coast, who helped them with their application.

Regional Development Australia is an outstanding organisation. The member for Ballarat said we didn't have a regional plan. Well, I think Regional Development Australia branches and committees all over the country would take offence to that remark, because they are doing a wonderful job in our regions to help develop our communities, our infrastructure and all of those worthy projects out there in the community.

It's pretty good to talk about infrastructure, tourism and the small-business community, but there are also the arts in Moncrieff, and we know that the arts have been doing it very, very tough. As many in this place know, I'm a great supporter of the arts, having come from the arts myself. We've been able to deliver about $1.65 million, I think, during this term. Most recently, we've been able to deliver some money to Home of the Arts. I commend the City of Gold Coast for the work they've done with our new art gallery. It is a beautiful thing. It is an extra experience for tourists from all over Australia and, indeed, all over the world, who will be able to go and experience arts and culture on the Gold Coast and see how much it has gone ahead and how much it has grown up over the last decade or so.

We were able to deliver $27½ thousand directly to Home of the Arts, just in the last few months, for Friday night live sessions on the small outdoor stage on the grass. They are really going to help local musicians and local artists with their income, and they will entertain locals. I'm really looking forward to going to one of those sessions. We also delivered, for the development of a touring show called Lost in Palm Springs, $75,407 to Home of the Arts. That, again, will help them to make sure the arts are buoyed through this difficult period.

Minister Fletcher has been in my electorate quite a few times, as he does have quite a few portfolio areas, and we welcome him every time he comes. I took him through Home of the Arts, and we saw the beautiful statue of Iris. It's an incredible statue, a winged angel—a beautiful piece of art—and I encourage all Australians to pop in to HOTA and see that exhibition.

The minister has a couple of areas. He's got urban infrastructure and cities and he's also got arts and communication in his portfolio. We've been working very closely with him for his RISE Fund—the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand Fund—and we saw $200,000 go to Blues on Broadbeach, which was a fantastic festival. Congratulations to Major Events Gold Coast on putting on that show, a COVID-safe event. Much of the funding went to ensuring it was a COVID-safe event. It was very successful, and it was an event that the city needed. Broadbeach needed it at the time that it was delivered, and it helped very many small-business owners and families across my electorate to keep going at a very difficult time.

I've also got a very long list—I'm going to run out of time—of smaller amounts of funding for the arts that are certainly worthy of mentioning in this place. There was $450,000 for the beach fest, which was another event. Events on the Gold Coast are so important to the local economy and local jobs, and these smaller amounts really have helped. Kicks Entertainment received $498,402 for the Spilt Milk festival tour, delivering world-class productions for regional Queensland, the ACT and Victoria. We helped them to develop their show and take it on tour. Everybody NOW received RISE funding of $300,000 for a two-year program for South-East Queensland that engaged audiences and artists in participatory performance making—so drama there. Nautic Giants received $100,000 for an inclusive, contemporary and sustainable music festival with a focus on local talent—so important—youth opportunities, innovative environmental technologies and social accountability. And, of course, there were those other two amounts that I mentioned—the $27½ thousand and $75,407—as well for Visions of Australia and the Lost in Palm Springs exhibition.

I'll finish by saying hello to all of those at the Royal Queensland Art Society's Gold Coast branch, in Broadbeach, which I visited last week just before we came to Canberra. They received a very small grant, $3,000, for the installation of lights to improve the visual appeal of the gallery. I'm pleased to say that I purchased two small paintings and they now hang in my office here in Parliament House. Thank you to my beautiful community, and hello to all of those across the arts sector in the electorate of Moncrieff.

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