Member for Maroochydore Fiona Simpson has called on the Premier to keep her election promise to be a Premier for all Queensland by giving the Sunshine Coast its fair share of funding for infrastructure.
Speaking in Parliament, Ms Simpson asked the Premier to work with the LNP MPs who are the elected representatives of this community and deliver the infrastructure the Sunshine Coast needs.
Ms Simpson said the Government was boasting about Queensland’s population growth and promoting growth targets, but the Sunshine Coast needed the infrastructure to match this growth. She called on the Premier to provide funding for key infrastructure projects in the upcoming State Government budget.
“Thanks to my Federal Government LNP colleagues Ted O’Brien, Lew O’Brien and Andrew Wallace, we’ve just seen $2 billion in Federal Government funding provided in the Budget for the Sunshine Coast,” Ms Simpson said.
“I am calling on the Premier to match the Federal Government’s commitment of $390 million to duplicate the railway line from Beerburrum to Nambour and to provide the state government’s share of funding to fix the Bruce Highway bottleneck between Caloundra and Pine Rivers.
“The Sunshine Coast also needs the dangerous and congested section of the Sunshine Motorway fixed at the Mooloolah River Interchange with a new road link to the new hospital in Kawana”.
Ms Simpson also asked the Premier to provide funding the Sunshine Coast’s Entertainment, Convention and Exhibition facility in Maroochydore.
Ms Simpson said she supported Sunshine Coast Council’s application under the Maturing the Infrastructure Pipeline program for the development of a business case for the new Convention Centre in Maroochydore’s Sun Central development.
“The Sunshine Coast is the only major centre in Queensland that does not have a facility of this kind and because of this we are missing out on a valuable sector of the tourism market for business events and conventions.
“Rockhampton Council received a $2 million state government grant to develop a business case for their proposed $30 million new gallery and I am asking the Premier to provide funding for the business case.
“I ask the Premier to provide the funding to our council and work with our community and the state members to see this convention centre delivered, as we are the only region of this size that does not have such a facility.
“The convention centre is an important piece of infrastructure which is essential to diversify the region’s economic base, help us grow the events tourism market and provide more local jobs.
“Local people tell me they don’t want a casino to fund this long over-due facility, they want the State Government to help fund it, and I agree.
“I’m passionate about the Sunshine Coast having a place we can all be proud of to enjoy music and entertainment as well as welcoming the world to a top-notch convention centre which creates more local jobs.”
Watch my speech online here: http://tv.parliament.qld.gov.au/?reference=0Mba20180516_190725
