Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I want to commend the member for Forde for that contribution. Like him, my community has gone through the same situation with bulk-billing. It was 84 per cent in 2019. In 2023, it was 73 per cent, under the Albanese Labor government. I'll talk more about that, but it's a great example of the spin of those opposite, when the facts and the data don't actually match. It's a little bit awkward for those opposite. They don't like to talk about it, but the numbers are there, and it's the reality. These appropriation bills, Appropriation Bill (No. 3) 2024-2025, Appropriation Bill (No. 4) 2024-2025 and Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 2) 2024-2025, are important, because they bring together government spending, and we always need to make sure that that is appropriate and well targeted.

We've had some wins in my community, which is great, and we celebrate those when we can. The Don Road Recreation Reserve is one of the busiest reserves in the Yarra Ranges, within my community. It's used by over 10,000 locals. I've been working alongside Healesville locals and the Healesville Football Club to advocate for an upgrade to the pavilion. Recently, I had the shadow minister for sport, Anne Ruston, visit, catch up with the committee, tour the facilities and have a look at what needed to be upgraded, as we've seen a great growth in female and women's sport, but we need the facilities to match that.

It's clear that the Don Road Recreation Reserve is long overdue for an upgrade, as Healesville's population grows, and women's participation grows as well. I'm proud that over $5.7 million in funding was secured through the Yarra Ranges Council as part of the Thriving Suburbs Program to build a new multipurpose pavilion and associated amenities. I know the football club at a senior level and also the junior football club are now working together with the soccer club to make sure that the whole pavilion, the whole facility, and that reserve can be fit-for-purpose for all those clubs. The upgrade will allow current and future generations to continue enjoying the benefits of sport.

There are many other clubs in my community, like the Lilydale Football Club, Lilydale Cricket Club, Mooroolbark Football Club, Mooroolbark Cricket Club, Belgrave Football Club, Belgrave Cricket Club, Yarra Glen, Coldstream and the Wesburn Junior Football Club, where I was on Sunday for their family day. I'm talking to all these clubs about the need for new facilities. The need is large in our community. Having this funding for Healesville means there is another club that we can deliver for, so that we can continue to work through the needs in the community, because sport is really part of the core fabric of our community. It's what binds many people together and gives them that sense of purpose in how they communicate and how they spend time with each other.

As a great example of that, I was lucky enough to visit an event on Friday night to catch up with a good friend of mine Allan Pearce and his wife, Paula, to celebrate their commitment of over 20 years to the Healesville Cricket Club, as they move to Gippsland for their next adventure. We shared stories, and the part of that evening that was so special was, unfortunately, reminiscing about it being 16 years on from Black Saturday and the impact of it on our community. There were many past players there who I'd played with and hadn't seen for a long time. We came together, and it was like we were back at the club. That's what sport does. It builds a connection that is stronger than anything, and we need to celebrate and make sure that those clubs have the facilities they deserve.

Lillydale Lake was also able to get an upgrade for improvements of over $1.5 million, again through the Thriving Suburbs Program. It's one of the busiest local destinations in the Yarra Ranges. The upgrades will allow families, walkers, runners and children to continue to enjoy our beautiful local environment at Lillydale Lake and will bring more tourists into our community. The upgrades will deliver enhanced and activated parklands, as well as improved local access, including pathways, car parking, recreation and fitness facilities for local residents and families as well as tourists. I continue to look forward to working with the Yarra Ranges Council on that project as it gets delivered.

There is no doubt that one of the biggest issues, if not the biggest issue, that's raised with me when it comes to underinvestment in my community is roads. Whether you're in the suburbs dealing with traffic congestion, dodging potholes on the Warburton Highway or the Melba Highway, or driving on unsealed roads in the Dandenongs and across the Yarra Valley and the Upper Yarra, it is clear that our road network needs improvement and additional investment. I've been advocating for better local roads, including for our local roads to be sealed, to end the days of dust, potholes and dangerous driving conditions.

Now, one of the first things that the Albanese Labor government did when they came to power was to cut funding from our local road sealing program. This was a program that was committed to by the former Liberal government. It was being delivered on time and on budget, in collaboration with the Yarra Ranges Council. The Albanese Labor government, when in opposition, committed to the program; there is a press release from the Prime Minister himself talking about how important this program was to improve safety in my community. Yet he cut that funding, and that cut impacted over 450 local roads that were due to be sealed. Again, as I have for 2½ years, I call on the Albanese government to honour their word, to honour the commitment that they made to provide funding to our community so that we can continue sealing local roads.

When I'm out doorknocking, talking to locals, particularly in Mooroolbark but also in Mount Evelyn and Lilydale, one of the biggest issues raised with me is the single-lane underpass at Hull Road and Mooroolbark Road. The underpass has been a bottleneck since I was a kid. I remember, when I was growing up in Yarra Glen and my uncle lived in Mooroolbark, that we had to go down Victoria Road, which then becomes Mooroolbark Road, and go through the underpass to get onto Hull Road, and I vividly remember the conversations my parents had about the frustration of being stuck at that intersection. That was over 30 years ago, and in that time the traffic has got worse. More people have moved into our community, which is a wonderful thing. We've had the development of Kinley, which has just started; there are more houses coming in—4,000 houses, 8,000 residents, right at that intersection. So it's crucial that we upgrade it, so that our community can get home sooner and safer. I will continue to fight for that upgrade. I want to thank all those in the community who have added their voice to my petition and our campaign for this upgrade, which is so sorely needed.

Health care is a fundamental right for all Australians. Despite what those opposite say, the facts are that, under a coalition government in 2019, in my community, bulk-billing was at 84.3 per cent. In 2023, under the Albanese Labor government, it had dropped to 73.2 per cent. Not only is bulk-billing down, but, due to the peri-urban and regional nature of my community, families are finding it harder to see a GP and the cost of visiting the doctor has skyrocketed in the last three years. GP bulk-billing rates have collapsed not only in my community but also across the country. From 88 per cent they've now fallen to 77 per cent. Community members are now paying record high out-of-pocket costs to see a doctor under Labor's cost-of-living crisis.

Our nation is also facing a shortage of GPs. The coalition has a plan to build our GP workforce by incentivising junior doctors to become GPs, particularly in regional and rural communities like mine. The Liberals will deliver quality health care, including doubling mental health sessions back to 20, after Labor cut this vital Medicare subsidised mental health support despite a report recommending that it stays. My community needs that support more than ever. The last census showed that the community of Casey unfortunately overindexed on those with mental health challenges relative to Victoria and the nation. I will prioritise quality health care, something that all Australians and all residents in Casey deserve.

The reason health care is so hard and roads can't be funded is the cost-of-living crisis that we are seeing under the Albanese Labor government. Data published last week by the ABC showed what I and many in my community know—that they're under pressure. Mortgage stress is at 42.3 per cent and rental stress is at 74.7 per cent in my community. Everyone in my community is hurting. There is no-one that is doing better today than they were when the Albanese Labor government came to power in 2022. We sit here in question time and hear the hubris from the Minister for Health and Aged Care, the Prime Minister and the Treasurer about how Australians have never had it better, how great it is and how lucky they are. But Australians are struggling, with a 21-month per-capita recession. Everyone is going backwards, despite the Prime Minister promising to reduce energy bills by $275 and despite promising to reduce mortgages. Mortgages have gone up 12 times. Interest rates have gone up 12 times under this Prime Minister. There is not one Australian, not one member of Casey, that is doing better today.

Another crucial issue that impacts my community every day, but particularly in emergencies, is telecommunications. We know how important reliable communications networks are for our community in the Dandenongs, in the Yarra Valley and in the Upper Yarra in particular. The coalition has a proud history of increasing local telecommunication capabilities, having delivered towers in East Warburton, Steels Creek, Mcmahons Creek, Mount Evelyn, Reefton and two in Chum Creek, all under the Mobile Black Spot Program. There was also funding for Kalorama, but unfortunately an appropriate location could not be secured. We also funded towers for Silvan and Menzies Creek under the Peri-Urban Mobile Program, with those locations being secured. I'm working with the telecommunications providers to make sure we can get those locations and get those towers up and running as soon as possible. So it was disappointing to learn in the 2024 May budget that Labor plans to axe the Mobile Black Spot Program and Peri-Urban Mobile Program, with no funding for mobile programs from 2027-28.

As I said in my first speech, we must invest in technology to provide reliable access for the safety of our citizens. A working phone line can be the difference between life and death. I will continue fighting for our fair share of telecommunications infrastructure to keep our community connected—every day but also in emergencies. In our community, communications are crucial. When you're living in the Dandenongs or the Upper Yarra, it is not 20 metres to your neighbour; it is kilometres. Local residents need that. I want to pay tribute to Belinda Young and the team at the Mums of the Hills in the Dandenong Ranges, who have done great work advocating for communications upgrades in the Dandenongs and all across Casey. They know how important it is, particularly for stay-at-home mums, who are looking after children and need to be able to call for support if something goes wrong. I want to thank Belinda for her continued advocacy, and I look forward to continuing to work with her to make sure that our residents can get the communications that we need.

But, unfortunately, we have seen under this government the spin about how great we have it as a country, but the reality is everyone is going backwards. Under this government, we've seen 27,000 small businesses go under. There have been no solutions to the challenges that small businesses face in my community or many communities across the country. We have seen, through these challenges, the failures of this government for the last three years. For the Australian people and for the members, residents and communities of Casey, if it's been this bad for this long under this government, imagine the damage they will do if they get another three years to send this country further and further into trouble.

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