Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Turnbull government's proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite is a gross waste of money by a government that bemoans a 'budget emergency'. This plebiscite was never about achieving justice and fairness for same-sex attracted couples and their families; it is about a Prime Minister that is too weak to stand up to the extreme conservatives in his own party and that lacks the moral fibre to stick to his own personal beliefs. However, the chamber may be interested to know that the cost of the same-sex marriage plebiscite could fund every commitment that both the Labor and Liberal parties made to the people of Burt during the 2016 federal election campaign.

I spoke on Monday in the House about some of these priorities for the people of Burt. I urge this parliament to consider spending the money set aside for the same-sex marriage plebiscite on much-needed infrastructure in my electorate. Let this House do what it is here for: propose, debate and vote on legislation that guarantees justice and fairness for all Australians.

The $170 million being used by the Turnbull government for the same-sex marriage plebiscite could instead be used to provide $150,000 to Gosnells Community Legal Centre to fund their vitally important work, including specialised and dedicated legal representatives for victims of domestic violence—for which my seat of Burt has one of the highest rates anywhere in the state of Western Australia. It could fund the $1.3 million for improved synthetic turf surfaces for the Southern River Hockey Club and provide the $6 million towards the Barbagallo baseball park in Thornlie. It could also be used to contribute $2.4 million towards the expansion of the Thornlie Bowling Club and cover the $20 million commitment to the WA Primary Health Alliance.

In addition, it could cover the $150,000 for the mighty Forrestdale Sporting Association to investigate expansion so that they can continue to provide sporting opportunities all year round to their members. It could provide $10,000 to re-establish and develop the Armadale Gymnastics Club and $50,000 for a new electronic scoreboard and clubroom extension for the Armadale football club. It could also provide the $1.3 million to Hope Community Services so that they can continue their drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment programs with three years of funding certainty—something that this government has failed to do for many non-government organisations in my electorate that provide frontline community health services.

But it does not stop there; these funds could also contribute the $80 million towards the new Armadale Road Bridge that would make roads safer as well as relieve ever-increasing congestion in the seats of Burt and Fremantle, which the member for Fremantle and I have campaigned vigorously for. It could provide $10 million towards upgrading the Armadale Aquatic Centre to be enclosed as an all-year-round facility. It could also provide $150,000 for CCTV for the city of Armadale and $150,000 for community safety initiatives in the city of Gosnells. Finally, it could provide $25 million towards funding the replacement of Denny Avenue level crossing, which the member for Canning, Mr Hastie, promised in the Canning by-election to fix. But, at the end of the day, the government has abandoned that plan in the recent budget. It is happy to spend the money on a divisive, harmful and, ultimately, unnecessary plebiscite.