Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Blair is one of the fastest-growing regions in the country. That's why the Albanese Labor government has been rolling out support for infrastructure in health services, housing, and community and sporting facilities. Firstly, we committed $138.5 million to upgrade the busy Mount Crosby Road interchange, duplicating the interchange, and $42.5 million for the Bremer River Bridge strengthening on the Warrego Highway.

We announced $20 million towards planning vital upgrades along the Cunningham Highway, including the Amberley intersection. This is on top of the $12.5 million of funding for the next stage of the Ipswich Motorway upgrade, $3.4 million of funding the Ipswich to Springfield rail line business case, and the $20 million of funding for the Brisbane Valley Highway safety upgrades under the South-East Queensland City Deal.

I've always fought for better health services for our community. That's why I've been so proud to open the Ipswich Medicare Urgent Care Clinic and the Medicare Mental Health Centre in Ipswich, which both provide bulk-billed care for locals when they need it, taking pressure off the Ipswich Hospital Emergency Department. We also rolled out $2.5 million for the Kambu Health Service to support our local Indigenous community, particularly children and families; and $5 million—or more—for the Ipswich veterans and families hub to provide support for the growing number of local veterans and their families.

Labor is determined to help more locals in Blair to build, buy and rent. On top of our record boost to rent assistance and investments in social and affordable housing, we have been helping more locals to buy their own homes with more than 4,200 guarantees issued to Ipswich homebuyers under the government's expanded Home Guarantee Scheme—one of the highest rates of take-up across the country.

The Albanese Labor government knows how important it is to provide local community infrastructure for our growing Ipswich and Somerset regions. That's why we've allocated $5 million for two projects: the Toogoolawah Gateway Centre for a new library and medical facilities and the Mount Glen Rock Hiking Trail in Esk along the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail in the Somerset region under the Thriving Suburbs Program. We've also allocated $3.8 million for the Ipswich Central Heart project under the Urban Precincts and Partnerships Program to support the Ipswich Art Gallery, Ipswich Civic Centre, planning, cycling and CBD redevelopment for Ipswich.

At the same time, I know many people in my community are doing it tough.  We have been working hard to make it easier for people to tackle inflation, providing much-needed cost-of-living relief through tax cuts, energy rebates, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines, paid parental leave, free TAFE and getting wages moving. Those opposite, the LNP, have opposed every one of them.

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