Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we come to the end of this parliamentary session, tonight is an excellent opportunity to reflect on some of the very positive announcements over recent days for regional areas across my home state of Western Australia.

I have noted during previous contributions in this chamber that regional WA is not especially well understood by many people across this country. I do not offer that comment as a criticism. It is just that until you have actually been there and gained an appreciation of the vast distances involved, and just how isolated some communities are, it can be difficult to comprehend. Yet we also know, from many years if not decades of discussions inside and outside this chamber, that our nation's North has the potential to make a much larger contribution to our economic strength than it currently is doing. What that will require is a government with the commitment and drive to turn talk, which has been going on for too long, into action on this issue.

The release of the Abbott government's white paper, Our North: our future last week was the most concrete, holistic plan for developing Australia's North, including northern WA, that communities in that region have seen. Finally, after years of talk about the 'potential' of northern Australia, we at last have a federal government in this country that is taking real steps, real action, to see that potential finally realised. This not to downplay many of those things that have already been achieved by those in living in local communities to the north of the Tropic of Capricorn, which is home to just over one million Australians spread across Queensland, the Northern Territory and my home state of Western Australia.

In many respects, when it comes to its economic contribution, northern Australia is already punching well above its weight. This is certainly the case when it comes to the goods this country exports, some 50 per cent of which derive from northern Australia, despite the fact that the vast bulk of our population lives in the southern half of the continent. There is broad agreement that our North will play a much greater role in strengthening and diversifying the national economy in the decades to come. However, for that to happen, there will need to be large-scale infrastructure development. At its core, that is what the government's white paper is about.

Of course, the Abbott government's commitment to northern Australia is not restricted to the things set out in the white paper; this builds upon things the government has already announced. Those include significant announcements in last month's budget, including the $5 billion concessional loan facility for economic infrastructure projects across the North. This initiative will help state governments and private developers get concessional loans to build ports, power plants and dams in Australia's North. If we are serious about realising the full economic potential of the North, then common sense tells you that building more of this base-level infrastructure is a critical first step in making the North a more attractive place to live, and in reducing the costs of doing business there.

As all of us in this place should understand, an efficient road network is another crucial piece of the infrastructure puzzle. Producing high-quality agricultural goods for export does not matter much if producers are unable to get them to ports. The opportunity to showcase some of the outstanding natural beauty of the Kimberley will be limited if the region's roads are not of a standard that permits tourists to travel them safely. For me, among the most significant elements in the white paper is the importance it places on developing the North's roads—a commitment of $700 million over the next four years to building new roads and making significant improvements to the existing road network.

As a Western Australian senator, I am especially pleased by the white paper's commitment to finally upgrade Tanami Road, which will greatly enhance access to the Kimberley from the south of Western Australia. I would like to put on record the enormous contribution that former senator for Western Australia Alan Eggleston made in driving that particular project. Tanami Road is 1,014 kilometres long, stretching from Great Northern Highway just south of Halls Creek in Western Australia to the Stuart Highway near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Some sections in the Northern Territory have been sealed, or are about to be sealed, leaving some 790 kilometres unsealed. The road, which is 311 kilometres long to the WA border, services Aboriginal communities, tourism, pastoral and mining industries as well as being a strategic road link within the state's road network.

Last month, I had an opportunity to visit Halls Creek, where I met with officials from the Halls Creek Shire, as well as members of the Tanami Road Action Group. All those I met with were keen to emphasise the critical importance of this road upgrade for the local community. In particular, the upgrade is urgent for the continued success of new agribusinesses in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Sealing the road will provide primary producers in our north with much better access to markets in the south. It will create a direct freight corridor between the Kimberley and South Australia, shortening the journey by some 1,100 kilometres, or around 17 hours of driving time. The overall consensus from local representatives was that Tanami Road needed to be identified as a priority in the white paper, and I am pleased that the Abbott government has listened to and addressed their concerns on this matter.

Equally important for agribusinesses and those living in regional and remote parts of Western Australia are improved mobile telecommunications. As both a Western Australian senator and as Chair of the Coalition Backbench Committee on Communications, and given my own experience in telecommunications prior to coming to the Senate, I understand it is an area of policy that is inextricably linked with fostering the growth of our regional communities. That is why I was exceptionally pleased by the government's announcement today in relation to mobile telecommunications black spots.

Today's news that the government is committing a further $60 million for a second round of the very successful Mobile Black Spot Program will be welcomed by many regional and remote areas of Western Australia and indeed regional communities across the country. It follows on from the $100 million that the coalition government initially committed for the first round of the program, which was an election commitment in 2013. As a result of today's announcement, almost 500 new or upgraded mobile base stations will be built across regional and remote Australia, covering a total of 3,000 mobile black spots from the more than 6,000 black spots which have been nominated by local governments and by members of the public. This includes the building or upgrade of some 130 mobile base stations in Western Australia. This means that, in total, 363 of the 533 mobile black spots nominated in WA will now be addressed through hand-held or external antenna coverage. The total spend on these projects will be just over $118 million, which includes a contribution from the WA state government.

I am also pleased that today's announcement confirmed that the government has agreed to re-open the database for mobile black spots, which will permit members of the public to nominate further black spots in mobile coverage. This will continue to be an important part of equipping regional communities with the telecommunications facilities they will need if the North is to truly recognise the economic opportunities that now lie within its reach.

Finally, in the brief time remaining to me, I would like to shift my focus from the north of Western Australia to a community in its Great Southern region. Over the past couple of years, I have had some involvement with the Albany Community Care Centre, which is a community based provider of respite care services. Having this facility operating in the local community means patients and carers in Albany and surrounding communities can access respite services when needed, without the added burden of having to travel long distances, which is often expensive and impractical. Naturally, these services are expensive to operate, particularly in regional communities across WA.

When the centre found itself facing funding challenges last year, I was pleased to help facilitate a $370,000 grant from the federal government to keep respite services running. I am even more pleased that the Abbott government has now agreed to meet the centre's operating costs for a further three years, meaning local respite services across Albany and the Great Southern region will now continue until at least 30 June 2018. I congratulate the centre's Chief Executive, Colleen Tombleson, and her team for their efforts in pursuing this outcome, and also my Liberal colleague the member for O'Connor, Mr Rick Wilson, for his effective advocacy on behalf of this vital local facility in regional WA.