Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to acknowledge three fantastic projects within my electorate: firstly, the team at the Trentham Neighbourhood House, who have been working for several years now to expand their facilities to provide more classes and meeting rooms for adult learning; secondly, the Bacchus Marsh community and Moorabool Shire, who have been working on the construction of a community learning centre; and finally, but by no means least, the community of Creswick and Hepburn Shire, who have been working on the design and construction of an interpretive centre. I have been lucky to be able to work with all three of these local communities, and I know how hard they have worked on their respective projects.

Many regional communities do not have the same level of services as those living in our larger cities. For local councils, gaining access to critical infrastructure funds to boost community facilities can be even more difficult in our regional and rural areas, given the spread of the territory they cover and their limited capacity for revenue growth. That is why it is crucial that communities like Trentham, Bacchus Marsh and Creswick, and many others across my district, get funding support.

Yesterday it was my pleasure to announce that funding will be given to all three of these projects if a Rudd Labor government is elected at the end of this year. The first announcement of $220,000 was made over a cup of tea in Trentham with Pam Hicks, Roy Capener, Lee-Anne Tisdale, Robyn Cary and Councillor Heather Mutimer. Trentham Neighbourhood House is the only adult learning centre within the town and supports a wide range of community groups. Trentham Neighbourhood House provides terrific resources for adult education but most would agree that the buildings they are provided in are long past their use-by date. This funding will allow the Trentham Neighbourhood House to expand office space and the number of computer classes and, importantly, it will allow access by people with a disability.

A Rudd Labor government will also provide $400,000 for the community in Bacchus Marsh. The learning centre will bring several key community facilities all under one roof. Bringing such a range of community facilities together will mean that they are all more accessible to a broader part of the community. The centre will include a library facility and provide council, tourism and community services, including maternal and child health and youth services. It will also include adult learning facilities to support both Bacchus Marsh’s existing adult education centres, the Laurels and Darley Neighbourhood House. Bacchus Marsh is a terrific community that has expanded rapidly over the past few years. Its services have just not kept pace with the growth of the town, and a community hub is desperately needed. I hope that the community learning centre provides just such a hub.

A Rudd Labor government will also fund the $450,000 needed for the construction of the Creswick interpretive centre. The interpretive centre will incorporate the current information centre, staffed by a committed group of volunteers; public conveniences; a meeting space and an interpretive centre that focuses on the town’s timber history and the wood innovation centre at Creswick’s Melbourne University School of Forestry. Creswick is blessed with stunning natural surroundings which have made it an increasingly popular tourist destination. Tourism is only likely to increase even more with a new five-star resort nearing completion. However, without an interpretive centre the community will not be able to fully benefit from such increases. The interpretive centre will showcase local products, such as bed and breakfasts, cafes, the museum and local scenic and historic attractions. These funds will come from the Regional Partnerships Program.

Labor is committed to our regions and committed to supporting local solutions which stack up and have the support of the area consultative committees, as these projects do. I would like to thank all three of the communities for their hard work on their respective projects. After working closely with all three communities and with Moorabool and Hepburn shires, I know how much effort they have all put in. I look forward to working as a part of a Rudd Labor government with all of these and many others communities across my district in the delivery of key projects that will benefit our community.