Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Population growth in Perth's northern coastal suburbs is occurring very rapidly, with more than 10,000 new residents projected to move into the outer metropolitan suburbs north of my electorate each and every year for the next 10 years. This places great strain on our community's sporting facilities, health care, aged care and road network.

The Albanese government's first budget has failed to deliver the necessary funding that our community requires to provide the infrastructure required to service this unmet need. Local residents are facing the burden of higher interest rates, higher fuel and electricity costs, and higher grocery prices at the supermarket as a result of policies which have allowed inflation to get out of control and committed Australia to overambitious international treaties on emissions.

Patient waiting times at our local Joondalup hospital have continued to escalate, with ambulances containing patients ramped outside the emergency department for 677 hours during the last month. I'm proud to be part of a government which, when in office, delivered $158 million in federal funding to go towards the $256 million hospital expansion currently under construction. However, no provision has been made in the current budget to help future health facilities meet anticipated population growth. This is short-sighted when we know that the population in the region is growing at the rate of 10,000 residents per year. It will only mean greater pressure on an already overstretched Joondalup hospital, with longer waiting times for patients. Labor needs to commit funding to a new health facility in our northern suburbs to alleviate the demand on Joondalup hospital from rapidly growing outer metropolitan communities.

Prior to the May election, the Liberal Party committed $20 million in funding for the realignment of Gnangara Road with Whitfords Avenue. This key road upgrade will unlock the local economic development potential of the Wangara industrial area. With more than 60,000 vehicles using the intersection each day, it would make the commute for more than 8,000 more residents safer and more direct. However, the recent budget has failed to honour this commitment.

Similarly, there is no construction funding allocated for the grade separation of the Reid Highway and Erindale Road with a traffic bridge, expected to cost $100 million. When in government, the Liberal Party initiated the project by delivering $2 million to progress the business case. Grade separation will facilitate free-flowing east-west traffic by eliminating yet another set of traffic signals, improving access to the Balcatta industrial area, NorthLink, Perth Airport and beyond for many residents commuting to work each day, including the many FIFO workers in my electorate who use the airport regularly. I call upon Labor to fund these important local road infrastructure projects, estimated to cost $120 million to better connect our suburbs to the economic development centres.

Eight years ago, I successfully secured an $86,000 federal Anzac centenary grant to build an iconic memorial arch for our local community. It is a permanent reminder to help future generations of Australians remember the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli. Impending civil construction works associated with the redevelopment of the Ocean Reef Marina make it necessary to relocate our treasured Anzac memorial arch to a prominent, suitably landscaped and more permanent site overlooking the redeveloped Ocean Reef Marina. More than 1,000 local residents signed a petition in support of relocating the memorial. Prior to the election, the then Morrison government made a $1.5 million commitment to fund the relocation and provide meeting facilities for the Joondalup City RSL. The funding is now very urgent as earthworks are due to commence on site within weeks. Therefore, I call upon the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to reconsider his decision not to provide the funding in the budget, in a spirit of bipartisanship.

Another community project which is an election commitment is the $180,000 commitment towards installation of a synthetic bowling green at the Sorrento Bowling Club. I call upon the government to match this commitment on behalf of the local seniors— (Time expired)