Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like, I'm sure, every member of this House, I love my job. Sure, there may be those late nights and those early starts, and the travel away from home can sometimes get a little too much, but I have to say it is such a humble honour to be in a position where you have a real opportunity to help your local community.

To maintain the way of life for people on the Sunshine Coast, we need critical transport infrastructure. That's why, in my first two years in this place, my focus has been on delivering infrastructure—road, rail, and air. While this has been my focus over a two-year period, I've been doing this with my federal colleagues and good neighbours the member for Fisher and the member for Wide Bay, and we have done some great work in those two years. Working closely with local stakeholders, and with support from the Turnbull government, we've delivered many outstanding projects for the Sunny Coast. The Bruce Highway upgrade from Caloundra from the Sunshine Motorway, 80 per cent funded by the federal government, is well underway, as is the Sunshine Coast international airport, thanks to a concessional loan from the Turnbull government.

But we don't rest on our laurels, because in our region we're growing quickly, and there is just so much to be done. My FY 2017-18 annual report that I recently sent to constituents in my electorate is jam-packed with more good news and funding commitments from the Turnbull government. Few regions in Australia can boast the funding coming from this federal government that the Sunshine Coast can—unprecedented amounts of funding from a federal government going to the Sunshine Coast, with well over $2 billion committed in the last year alone.

This is all exciting, game-changing stuff. Let me point out just some of the stand-outs from the last financial year alone: $1.68 billion to upgrade the Bruce Highway between Pine Rivers and Curra, and $390 million to upgrade the North Coast rail line. And let's not forget $6½ million to fund a business case for fast rail connecting Brisbane all the way through to Nambour and Maroochydore.

However, it's not just about building critical infrastructure. The Turnbull government is backing business, boosting exports and guaranteeing vital services from health to education and disability support. This government has also delivered over $5 million of federal funding to community groups and businesses in the seat of Fairfax alone just last year, including $2½ million in business grants, such as a $900,000 grant to support the Sunshine Coast Food and Agribusiness Network. Then there are the men's sheds, the Landcare groups and the support given to sporting and community groups who received over $890,000 in federal grants. Each of the recipients has a great story to tell. They are passionate about what they do, and they genuinely make a real difference in their marketplace, in their chosen field of excellence and, most importantly, in our local community. That's what it's all about.

Long gone are the days when people could even suggest that the Liberal-National Party took the Sunshine Coast for granted. Indeed, we look at the scoreboard and we see unprecedented amounts of funding. We, the members for Fairfax, Fisher and Wide Bay as a team, continue to fight on a daily basis to ensure that the Sunshine Coast is at the very top of the agenda for the federal government. As I look to the future, it's imperative that the coalition remain in government, because let us not forget that it's only through a strong economy that we can continue to deliver. (Time expired)

House adjourned at 17:00

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Ms Vamvakinou) took the chair at 10:00.