CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS
Mrs PHILLIPS (Gilmore) (16:20): Today I'm delighted to read a speech written by 13-year-old Cliff Hofman from Shoalhaven Heads. A year 7 student at Bomaderry High School, Cliff is concerned about the number of potholes around the region and used the Raise Our Voice in Parliament competition to highlight his frustration. Cliff makes some really good points, and I actually agree that our council roads do need fixing.
That's why I chose his speech to be read out in federal parliament today: Do you know how much it costs to buy a new tire when you blow your tire driving over a pothole? Well let me tell you, it is not cheap. I am sure you did not know that seven per cent of the Shoalhaven's roads have terrible underlying pavement conditions and a cost of $133 million to reconstruct to a satisfactory standard.
In 2022 and beyond, potholes have led to severe car damage including bent rims and blown tires. Potholes are extremely dangerous. My Aunt and Uncle were driving home one night and a pothole just appeared in front of them.
It blew their tire, and they were stuck out in the cold, dark night for two hours. Just imagine what could happen to motorbike riders. When I come of age, I want to be able to drive safely and not have to worry about crashing, but for that to happen we need to seriously come up with a solution to stop this horrifying disaster.
No potholes, safe roads, this is what I want to see. What I will see in the next 10 years. How good is that?
I couldn't agree more. Thank you, Cliff. I know how important live music is to regional areas, which is why I am proud to be part of a government that supports events like the Culburra Beach Festival.
This year's festival received $39,000 in funding through the Australian government's Revive Live program, designed to support live music. The Culburra Beach Festival has been running since 2011 and provides live entertainment for locals and visitors to the South Coast. At this year's event, I had the privilege of watching a beautiful performance by the students from Culburra Public School, singing 'Cullunghutti'.
The Food of Love choir was also a joy to watch. More than 30 bands and artists took to the stage over the three-day festival, along with an incredible and diverse range of fun activities for all ages. There was a really-bad-dad-joke competition, a dog fancy dress competition, a great market, food stalls and so much more.
There was even a circus school, which proved to be incredibly popular with the kids. Of course, the festival would not be possible without the passion, dedication and hard work of all the volunteers, who give up countless hours of time organising it every year. This is a fantastic event, and it has become a fixture on the local calendar.
Everyone involved should be incredibly proud of another successful year. Well done, and rock on, Culburra Beach Festival.