Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I wish to make a short speech documenting the extraordinary progress the greater Geelong region and in particular my region of Corangamite has made in just 18 months since the election of Labor. Our local regional paper, the Geelong Advertiser, which is a paper of repute, today wrote an overview of the region’s future and its recent representation. Unbelievably, they completely forgot all that has been achieved in Corangamite and the western Victorian region, deriding the level of representation, particularly in the last 18 months. I am now going to remind them of these achievements.

Never in the 200 years of history since white settlement has so much been invested in our region. Never has so much been invested in transport infrastructure, in schools and in innovation. I would particularly like to thank the federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Minister Albanese; the Minister for Education, the Deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard; and the Minister for Finance and Deregulation, Lindsay Tanner, for the way they have listened to my representations on the need for infrastructure to set up our region for the coming decades. In just 18 months the big building blocks have been swung into place to open the region to the world and to create a better city and of course a better region.

We have put in place a whole new transport system, more connected towns, better schools and a healthier, more liveable environment. Never in our 200-year history has the greater Geelong region seen investment in infrastructure on this scale. Importantly, these are not one-off infrastructure investments in isolation. A strategic linking of investments is the result of years of thinking by local business, political and community leaders. I have been very pleased to be able to lead this lobbying process and to have the minister for infrastructure, the Minister for Education, the finance minister and the Rudd government back this vision. The vision has been significantly driven by federal and state government road and rail transport commitments of around $4 billion.

Funding is committed for all of the Geelong Ring Road and this massive project is now nearing completion. The Geelong Ring Road will link seamlessly onto a duplicated Princes Highway and of course through to the important coast region. A $50 million investment in upgrading rail links into the Port of Geelong will connect our rail system better to the major export facility for western Victoria, the port of Geelong, making our port more competitive than other ports in our region. What has until recently been a primary producers’ and exporters’ distant hope is now happening: we are investing in that facility. Opportunities for both commuters on public transport and rail freight will also greatly expand with the new $3.2 billion Geelong-Melbourne fast rail project. These transport infrastructure initiatives will substantially change and reduce car usage in the city of Geelong, increase road transport efficiency and reduce commuting times overall. With reduced costs and more efficient transport, new businesses, industries and jobs will come to Geelong and so will people.

Social infrastructure is also being completely modernised, with hundreds of millions of dollars being ploughed in. Every school in our region is being upgraded and major reforms are occurring in our higher education sector. Deakin University has a growing reputation as a major educational player on the world market. There is the $20 million National Innovation Centre being built in our region. As well, new community and regional recreational facilities are being planned for Torquay, Bannockburn, Geelong and Armstrong Creek. The centrepiece of our region’s sport and entertainment, Kardinya Park, is being upgraded with a $14 million funding commitment from Labor.

On top of all of this we are building a new GP superclinic that will service the region’s health needs. The attraction of jobs, the ease of access, a good education system, liveable communities and of course the regional or near coastal environment will inevitably fuel higher population growth areas such as Armstrong Creek, Bannockburn and the Surf Coast. Our region is set to capture a much larger slice of Victoria’s growth and a bigger slice of new jobs. All of this infrastructure will be delivered in the next few years. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.