Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As school leavers, I am sure that we all wanted to integrate into working society and feel that we were valued members of the community. But this integration is sometimes harder for some than for others. In particular, people with intellectual disabilities need and deserve the opportunity to develop socially, emotionally and educationally, especially after they have completed year 12 and finished school. My electorate is very lucky to be graced by a community organisation that is helping people with intellectual disabilities grow and develop their abilities, talents and interests. It is called Redcliffe Opportunities for People's Enhancement, or ROPE. I have had the privilege to go out to ROPE on several occasions and see what it does firsthand. It does a wonderful job.

I was very pleased to be able to ring ROPE today with the great news that its application to our government's Stronger Communities Program has been successful. ROPE will use the funding of $10,000 to purchase a people mover vehicle for its My Future program, which does exactly what I was talking about a moment ago, helping young people get into the workforce after they have finished school. As I said, this program is about helping young people transition from school to employment and will provide work experience opportunities for young locals. The young people involved in the project will also be able to use the vehicle to start a social enterprise—making and selling dog treats at local dog parks and local markets on the Redcliffe peninsula on the weekend. It will teach them a little bit about how to develop their business and work skills and about income-producing assets. Congratulations once again to ROPE on their successful application. Thank you to the group for what you do. I want to especially mention Wes Bleakley, the executive officer, and Julianne Keane-Jones, who is the project co-ordinator who will be using the vehicle and who put in the application.

I would also like to update locals on the progress of the Dolphins stadium upgrade. With community support I was able to secure $4 million of federal funding for this upgrade, which will be an enormous boost for jobs, tourism and sporting facilities in the Moreton Bay region. This redevelopment started late last year. If you have driven by recently you will see that they are working on the far side of the stadium. If you have visited the Dolphins health precinct you will have seen clearly that the stadium is underway, which is fantastic news. The first stage will see a new toilet block and cafeteria and 4,000 new shaded seats installed.

The first stage of the project will be completed mid this year, just in time—perfect timing—for the Moreton Bay Rail Link, which will be open in July this year. This is a $983 million rail link, for which $500 million has been poured in by the federal government over the last two years. Both of these projects together is great news for the people of Petrie and a big win for the community. The stadium will be only about a one-kilometre walk from the station. Congratulations as well to the club president, Bob Jones, and the club CEO, Tony Murphy, as well as all the staff who work at the Dolphins. I have met a lot of them. They all do a wonderful job down there. Congratulations for the work done so far. The Dolphins Leagues Club is the second biggest employer on the Redcliffe Peninsula, behind only Redcliffe Hospital, which is the largest employer. This project will only see increased opportunities for jobs in the seat of Petrie.