CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Mr PIKE (Bowman—Opposition Whip) (09:48): The Southern Moreton Bay Islands are one of the most unique communities in Queensland. They are places of incredible natural beauty and vibrant local community life. But these islands are being left behind.

Today, nearly 9½ thousand people call these islands home, and, when you account for visitors, holiday homes and daily travel, the population serviced by local infrastructure is close to 11,500. Research from the local chamber of commerce shows that numbers are set to grow to almost 15,000 over the next 20 years. This growth is putting a real strain on housing, services and essential infrastructure.

Almost 40 per cent of the residents of these islands are aged over 65, compared to just 17 per cent across the rest of Queensland. This means a rising demand for health care, for aged care, for transport and for support services at a time when we have a shrinking workforce and far too few jobs. Right now on the islands there's less than one job for every two working residents.

These challenges have been compounded by the decisions of this Labor government. In 2017 a successful grassroots campaign secured access for the Bay Islands to federal regional funding through the coalition's Building Better Regions Fund. This was a huge win.

But Labor scrapped that program and replaced it with one that uses a blunt greater capital city statistical area approach. The result is that these islands are cut off from regional funding, while places like Noosa and Surfers Paradise are still considered regional. It's not just unfair; it's absurd.

These islands have a median family income of less than half the national average, far higher unemployment and greater barriers to accessing services than many mainland areas. We need massive investment just to bring the existing infrastructure of these islands up to standard for the existing population, let alone to cater for this massive growth that we've been experiencing recently and will continue to experience over the next 20 years.

In the last three years alone, an average of nearly 270 new homes have been approved every year on the islands. This sort of growth is totally unsustainable without proper investment from all levels of government. This would have been resolved by the coalition's $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund election commitment, which would have seen the Bay Islands restored to their regional classification.

Alas, we weren't able to achieve that. I will keep fighting to restore fairness in funding for these communities to make sure they get the same opportunities and services as other Australian communities who face the same challenges. The Bay Islands are a vital part of the Redlands, and they deserve a government that recognises their unique challenges and delivers the infrastructure, jobs and services needed to secure their future.