Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Bindoon Mountain Bike Park is a fantastic asset for Western Australia. Located in the southern part of my electorate of Durack, the park is situated in Bindoon, a town that is just over an hour's drive north of Perth, and it serves as a vital regional hub for surrounding communities. With its stunning natural setting and well-designed trails, the park has quickly become a major drawcard for outdoor enthusiasts, families and tourists.

Recognising the potential of the park, I am very excited today to announce that a Dutton coalition government will commit to investing $1.5 million to deliver stage 2 of the Bindoon Mountain Bike Park. This will include more than 10 kilometres of new trails featuring advanced double-black, black and blue trails, as well as a dedicated walking track—that's the track that I'll be using, by the way. A dual access way for emergency services will also be constructed, ensuring greater safety for all visitors. On top of this, a WA Mettam Liberal state government will commit $600,000 for a pump track and essential infrastructure upgrades to improve accessibility for families. This is real investment in WA, not the empty promises and neglect that we continue to see from Labor.

I am very proud that the former federal Liberal government committed $1 million to fund stage 1 of this really important park. I was, however, subsequently so disappointed when the Albanese Labor government refused to honour this funding commitment, forcing the Shire of Chittering to cover the costs. This placed an unnecessary financial burden on the local community, which was yet another slap in the face to regional Western Australians who continue to be overlooked by this government. Despite Bindoon's close proximity to Perth, it appears Labor still considered that it is too far away to care about, because we know that for those opposite it's only cities that matter. This is why, when the WA Cook Labor state government recently announced $23 million for outdoor adventure projects across WA, bizarrely, Bindoon was once again completely overlooked.

I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the hardworking member for North West Central, Merome Beard MLA, for her tireless advocacy on this issue. Mem is the Liberal candidate for the new seat of Mid-West. She will be an incredible representative for the people of Bindoon following the upcoming state election. Mem and I understand only too well the importance of investing in regional infrastructure to boost tourism and drive local economic growth. So I, together with Mem Beard, will not stop fighting for regional Western Australia and the people of Bindoon. The people in Bindoon and Chittering deserve for the Bindoon Mountain Bike Park stage 2 to be invested in, and that is what we will do.