Fiona Phillips (Gilmore, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

From new surf clubs to improvements to local showgrounds and playgrounds and major roadworks, community projects are boosting livability, improving roads and supporting local jobs in my electorate of Gilmore. Almost five years on from the Black Summer bushfires, and with several floods, storms and a global pandemic thrown in, the shell-shocked communities of the New South Wales South Coast are yet to fully recover. By investing in community infrastructure in these regions, the Albanese government is boosting morale, giving local communities the confidence to rebuild and, importantly, providing devastated villages with things to enhance the lifestyle of residents and visitors.

The township of Lake Conjola was absolutely devastated by the 2019-20 New Year's Eve bushfire. While homes are slowly being rebuilt, there remains a feeling of sadness as residents go about their lives still surrounded by the charred reminders of that horrible day. Providing the Conjola Park community with funding for a new regional boat ramp, a new jetty and floating fishing pontoon and a new playground for local children who lived through the trauma of that day has been life changing. Local families can launch their boats and kayaks, dip a line in and connect with their neighbours at the new barbecue and playground. It's just fantastic. I'm also pleased to see work underway on the $1.56 million improvements to the Lake Conjola fire station and the brand new $3.48 million purpose-built fire shed soon to be built at neighbouring Manyana. It's so wonderful that this government is providing infrastructure in the regions where it is needed and where it really is making a difference.

At the southern end of my electorate, I'm thrilled that the new $2.9 million Mogo Local Aboriginal Land Council building will open its doors, marking another milestone in the town's social and economic recovery and providing a space for community and cultural connection. I have to say that seeing the huge smiles on the faces of the local children the day I cut the ribbon to open their amazing new playground at the Malua Bay Beach Reserve was absolutely priceless. Families took refuge on this beach during the fires, so to see such a wonderful, inclusive facility rise from the ashes was just delightful. Watching young kids using the climbing gym and flying fox and shooting some hoops with the local teenagers made me feel so proud that I played a part in making this community dream a reality. We've just opened a new canteen and amenities block at the Moruya Showground, and hundreds of mountain bike enthusiasts from around the country are flocking to the South Coast to enjoy the Wild Wombat and Cosmic Thunder at the new Mogo Trails.

It's really great to see work almost complete on the Gerringong Surf Club's new clubhouse, a $5.5 million election commitment I made and delivered to 300-plus members. I'm proud to have secured $800,000 in federal funding for the Ulladulla Milton Lions Club's Jindelara respite cottage, which will provide respite care and independent living opportunities for people with a disability. In September there were smiles aplenty when the Yumaro Nursery and Garden Centre's Sanctuary of Support was opened in Ulladulla, an important employment and learning hub that is changing the lives of people with a disability.

At Jervis Bay, the jewel in Shoalhaven's crown, the sensational $2.5 million mangrove boardwalk, meandering over crystal-clear waters, is proving a big hit at Huskisson. I'm really thrilled when I look at the projects this government has helped get off the ground and I've delivered and how many community groups have benefited. I understand the needs of my communities and I am committed to achieving them.

This government continues to help local councils with cost pressures on existing projects to ensure they can be delivered. The Far North Collector Road is one such project. Fully funded by the federal government and built by Shoalhaven City Council, the $35 million road could not have been completed without an additional $2.4 million provided in the 2024 budget. Like in all regional areas, roads are at the top of the agenda, and I'm so proud to have delivered more than $1 billion in funding for roads in the Shoalhaven, including an additional $25.1 million to ensure the completion of the new Nowra Bridge and $100 million for the Jervis Bay intersection flyover.

The wheels are turning on the Nowra bypass, with $97 million I've delivered, and after four decades $752 million is finally getting the Milton Ulladulla bypass moving. I'm proud to have delivered billions of dollars in infrastructure projects in my electorate of Gilmore throughout the local government areas of Kiama, Shoalhaven and the Eurobodalla.

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