Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Sunshine Coast is one of the fastest-growing regions in Australia, and it is little wonder because we have a lifestyle and climate that are the envy of people right around our country and around the world. The Property Council of Australia in a recent report noted that the high population growth in the region since 1976 is expected to continue well into the future. The Sunshine Coast is constantly ranked among the five fastest-growing regions in Australia, and this growth brings with it considerable population challenges and also extra problems associated with infrastructure needs such as roads, housing and the like. The population of the Sunshine Coast is about 260,000 and it is anticipated to double over the next 10 to 15 years.

We have an additional problem now because the state Labor government has announced that it is going to fast-track greenfield development sites on the Sunshine Coast. It really is important that we make sure that these developments do not proceed until additional infrastructure is provided to meet both existing and new demand on our roads, public transport networks, hospitals and health services, community facilities and schools. It is also important that all proper planning processes have been undertaken, including environmental impact assessments, traffic studies and full community consultation.

I want to commend the state member for Kawana, Steve Dickson, and also the Sippy Downs and District Community Association for organising a petition protesting against the fast-tracking of development of greenfield sites until such time as the necessary infrastructure is in place to meet the needs of the additional population. The Sunshine Coast has additional problems as a sea change community. Although our current population is about 260,000, on any night of the year we probably have 150,000 additional residents who are staying in our accommodation facilities such as hotels, resorts and backpacker hostels. Unfortunately, we do not get funded for our real population; we only get funded for our actual permanent population. But the reality is that on the Sunshine Coast we have, on any night of the year, about 400,000 heads on beds.

The issues and challenges relating to high population growth require careful planning over the longer term. Roads need to be planned and upgraded over time so that their capacities will keep up with the increasing demands. Land for housing needs to be released in an obviously sensible manner to ensure there is enough land for houses but not a rapid release that would result in a glut of supply. The bizarre and sudden announcement by the Bligh government to open a massive area of land, for instance at Sippy Downs, to prompt immediate housing developments creates major problems. It is all very well to have additional housing, and we need additional housing to house a growing population, but it is inappropriate that planning processes should be bypassed. It is inappropriate that these developments should be allowed to proceed before the necessary infrastructure is in place to meet the requirements of the increased population. We have, for instance, a desperate need for a new hospital at Kawana. We are told that the state government is not going to complete that until 2014. By the time the hospital is opened, if it is ever opened by the state Labor government, the high growth in the region will mean that its size will be inadequate. I urge the Queensland Premier and her colleague the Prime Minister to allocate funds as soon as possible for the infrastructure needs of the Sunshine Coast—namely, road improvements, more hospital beds, major public transport initiatives and the like.

The road between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane is an absolute disgrace. The former Howard government sought to upgrade the road to six lanes as far as Caboolture, and I have been pushing for the rest of the road from Caboolture to the Sunshine Coast proper to be upgraded to six lanes, because 80 per cent of the people who travel to and from the Sunshine Coast do so by road. The announcement by the state Labor government that they are going to fast-track development of land releases—and, in doing so, ride roughshod over the usual processes and fail to provide extra infrastructure as required—is, I believe, a situation that is completely unacceptable. I strongly support the petition that will be lodged in the Queensland parliament. I urge residents right across the Sunshine Coast and indeed elsewhere in south-east Queensland to sign similar petitions.

It is all very well to have additional housing, but you cannot have additional people in an area unless you have the infrastructure to meet the needs of that growing population. Indeed, that is bipartisan, because I can see the member for Oxley agreeing with me. The member for Oxley is agreeing that the Bligh government ought not to fast-track development on the Sunshine Coast without providing the infrastructure needs. Everyone should sign the petition and then hopefully a message will get through to the state Labor government. (Time expired)