Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise in the chamber today to share some of the positive reaction and reception that the 2017 budget has received in my electorate of Forde. Before I get to that, I would like to associate myself with the comments just made by the member for Solomon. I think they are a great reflection on what has occurred this week.

In the week gone, when we had the pleasure of being home for the while, I took the opportunity to hit the pavement in our local community and speak to families and businesses about what the government is delivering for them in the electorate of Forde and more generally through the 2017 budget. In the last week, we were treated to a visit by the Treasurer, Scott Morrison. His first stop was Shailer Park State High School. At Shailer Park State High School, year 12 legal studies students took the opportunity to grill the Treasurer. Many of them were keen to learn more about the changes to university funding arrangements and how that would impact their futures. These students and their teachers appreciated the chance to have these new and necessary measures explained to them in great detail and to engage with the Treasurer in a lively discussion about how they would help move their careers, their opportunities and this nation forward into the future.

We then followed up with a lunch with some of our key community leaders, who also had the opportunity to speak to the Treasurer, particularly about small business changes. The leaders of our chambers of commerce were particularly interested in discussing the small-business depreciation measures—where we have extended the instant asset write-off—and, also, the tax changes for small businesses. They highlighted how important these measures were for the local economy. This meeting followed on from a meeting we had earlier in the week with the Beenleigh Yatala Chamber of Commerce breakfast, which hosted as a guest speaker the small-business minister, Michael McCormack. The minister provided a great insight into how this government's support will create more jobs in our area as well as grow our economy.

We are committed to delivering tax relief for our small-business owners. I can say that, from the forum we had with our small-business owners, they were very glad to hear it. It certainly gives them a shot of confidence. The extension of the already popular instant asset write-off will benefit some 14,600 small businesses in the electorate of Forde, while our tax cuts will help our small and medium businesses to invest and employ more Australians. On that note, our community leaders were also thrilled to hear about our record investment in Australian apprenticeships through the creation of our new key trades and skills training fund. This extra investment will provide pathways to employment for our approximately 2,200 15- to 24-year-olds looking for work.

But we were not stopping there. This budget ensures that our young people will be supported right from the start with our fair and needs-based school funding model. On that note, we had the education minister, Simon Birmingham, in the electorate of Forde on Monday. He joined me at Upper Coomera State College for some hands-on learning with the students in their coffee shop. We then visited Leapfrog Childcare Centre at Ormeau before hosting a principals' and teachers' forum with local educators. The minister highlighted how our schools in every sector will receive significant funding boosts, with a total increase in federal funding for schools in the electorate of Forde over the next 10 years to the tune of some $417 million. Importantly, our increased funding will be tied to reforms proven to make a real difference to improving student outcomes. This is great news for some 41 primary and secondary schools and some 32½ thousand students in my electorate.

The budget was well received at our various mobile offices across the electorate and it was good to see the community come out and engage in those discussions. A range of very intelligent, detailed questions were asked, and we had great discussions on a wide range of topics. It was good to see our community take an active interest in what we are seeking to do for the country through this budget and our other endeavours. It was a pleasure to get out into the community over the past week. (Time expired)