John Cobb (Calare, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I proudly rise to talk about Friday's opening of a new terminal at the Orange Airport. This project is part of the broader Orange Airport expansion project which is expected to be completed by mid-2015. It has been a long time coming, but after visiting the terminal last week I can guarantee you that the wait has been well worthwhile. The project will enhance the airport's ability to function as a hub for a range of aviation related activities. It is part of an almost $19 million upgrade. The runway has been expanded, taxiways have been widened and straightened, there are new lights and markings and there is a large aircraft parking area being constructed. And of course there is an upgrade of the general aviation area, which I think is what people coming to a very important regional area like Orange would expect, and have every reason to—because Orange is not just a city, it is the centre of a very important region.

You can imagine the expansion will have enormous benefit for Orange and the region. It will encourage and enhance tourism, ensure better access to world-class medical services of which Orange is one of the few serious regional medical centres in New South Wales let alone Australia. It will help decentralise business, increase access to mine sites. The runway expansion will make it far more efficient for larger aircraft, particularly jets, to land as well as offer more reliable and timely flight services to centres like Sydney and possibly other regions and other capitals as well.

All these points will be of huge benefit to the Orange region and I am thrilled the federal government did invest the almost $5 million into this project. In total, there was almost $90 million with Orange council putting in over $10 million, Cadia Valley Operations putting in $2½ million and the New South Wales government putting in $1.3 million. It proves that government agrees with my view that Orange is a crucial link in Australia's regions. It is the centre of probably the oldest part of regional Australia since European settlement without doubt. It is what they found when they left the Sydney basin. It is where agriculture and mining seriously began in Australia. The community continues to grow and so does the dependence on being able to access reliable transport and the upgrade does that. Our community cannot stand still, particularly young vibrant well situated community like the Central West. I am very happy to see Orange and the region continue to grow. (Time expired)