Henry Pike (Bowman, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

The islands of Moreton Bay are one of Australia's hidden gems, but for far too long they've been so well hidden that they have missed out on funding from all levels of government. When the Labor government excluded the islands from eligibility for their Growing Regions Program, I and other community leaders wrote to the infrastructure minister to voice our concern. In her response, the minister mistook uninhabited islands in the member for Fadden's electorate for the Southern Moreton Bay Islands in my electorate. To help educate the minister about our islands, our community sent over 500 postcards to her office to show her exactly where they are.

But, after dismissing the pleas of my community, it has now been revealed that the Labor government has underspent the Growing Regions funds by $93.4 million. One-third of the program's funds have been left unspent, while 400 project applications were turned down. We have so many important projects on the bay islands that could tick every box for Growing Regions funds except for the fact that the minister refuses to recognise them as a regional location. It is absurd that projects in Surfers Paradise or Noosa can claim regional funding while projects on the Southern Moreton Bay Islands, which are considered in the fourth percentile of the SEIFA index of social disadvantage, are unable to access the investment.

I ask minister to reconsider. Come out to the islands with me and see them for yourself. If the minister needs to find a way to spend this $93.4 million shortfall, there are plenty of projects.

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