Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to talk about important election commitments I secured from the former coalition government for my own electorate of Wentworth. The first was a $110,000 commitment to improve traffic safety at the intersection of Glenmore Road, Cascade and Hampton streets, Paddington. I listened to concerns from local residents who had identified this intersection as a notorious traffic black spot. The second commitment was to help reduce crime and to combat theft, vandalism, graffiti and other antisocial behaviour around Woollahra. In 2006, I hosted a community roundtable to improve the safety of our local area with a strong focus on removing graffiti. It was clear that the key to graffiti prevention is rapid removal. But that needs to be resourced and so, after hearing the views from police, local government and the community, I was successful in securing funding of $150,000.

The third and final commitment was for a communal kitchen at Bondi designed to bring needy families and local charities together over a meal. The Our Big Kitchen project at the Yeshiva Centre in Bondi is a fully functioning commercial kitchen where local charities and volunteers can store, prepare and serve meals to help feed the hungry and people in our community affected by emergencies. Just because the government has changed does not mean the needs of my community have changed. I urge the Prime Minister, who I note is not with us today, to support these important local initiatives.