Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The new electorate boundaries in New South Wales will be gazetted today. This means that Port Macquarie is officially part of Cowper for any election called from today onwards. I know there are a few jealous MPs in the House, because having Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour—two of the most beautiful cities in the country—in the same electorate I guess is just not fair to other electorates around the country. But I am pleased to have that prospect going forward.

On 12 February I joined the member for Lyne at two schools in Port Macquarie that are set to benefit from significant Commonwealth government investment. Newman Senior Technical College is building new classrooms and learning areas which will particularly benefit hospitality students. The Commonwealth is investing $1.58 million into the project and the school community is investing a further $1.4 million. We also visited St Columba Anglican School, which is undertaking an impressive $8.3 million upgrade. Dr Gillespie and I were pleased to announce $950,000 in Commonwealth funding to assist with this project. Later in the day the member for Lyne and I spoke with local business owners about the boundary changes at a lunch put on by the Mid North Coast NSW Business Chamber. The feedback provided by the business chamber was very helpful, as I worked to build a deeper understanding of the issues that are critical to the Hastings region.

Port Macquarie is a city on the move. The city's educational infrastructure is absolutely first class, and the number of students studying in Port Macquarie will grow strongly in the coming years. The business community is innovative and vibrant, and Commonwealth investment is giving the local economy a boost. To maximise the opportunities for Port Macquarie to grow, prosper and maintain business confidence we need the cooperation of all levels of government, and I would particularly like to commend the great work of state member Leslie Williams, who is a tireless advocate for Port Macquarie at a state level. We need the cooperation of the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and business leaders such as the New South Wales Business Chamber manager, Kellon Beard, and the Port Macquarie Chamber of Commerce, whose president is Haydn Oriti.

My immediate focus is getting out and about in the Port Macquarie community, meeting as many business owners, community groups, council members and constituents as possible to hear their opinions and insights. I believe it is important that we hear from the community about their vision for the future of their community. I know some people are concerned about the challenges of representing two major regional centres such as Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie in the one electorate, but many local members face the challenge of representing diverse electorates with competing needs. I think it is important that we have a strong voice for the electorate of Cowper in the next coming election. I will be putting myself forward for election as member. It would be my sixth term as member, and I would certainly look forward to the opportunity to represent the good people of Port Macquarie going forward.