Statement on the 2022 Election

Today, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called the election for May 21, and I am ready to stand by my record of providing strong representation to achieve results for Wide Bay.

This election gives Australians and the people of Wide Bay a clear choice. The choice to go forward, or risk everything we have achieved.

Creating jobs, keeping our economy strong, and delivering the services that you and your family need are top priorities for me, and there is much more work to do.

I’ve worked to build infrastructure to help Wide Bay grow, including committing $800 million for the Bruce Highway Cooroy to Curra Section D Gympie bypass, and $269 million for the four-lane Tiaro bypass. 

Tiaro is the four-lane bypass that the Queensland Roads Minister Mark Bailey didn’t want and Federal Labor says is a waste of money. The biggest risk to this project proceeding is change of Member and a change of Government.

I’ve worked with businesses to create local food processing, defence industry, tech and hospitality jobs at Nolan Meats, Rheinmetall Nioa, the Peregian Beach Digital Hub, and the Sunshine Beach Surf Lifesaving Club.

I’ve worked to improve local health services, with a full headspace service at Gympie and a new headspace service at Maryborough, a full Medicare MRI licence in Gympie and another on the way for Maryborough, funding for Little Haven Palliative Care and Noosa’s Katie Rose Cottage Hospice, and the Coalition Government has listed more than 2,800 life saving medicines on the PBS.

I’ve worked with community, sporting, disability, and service groups to build better facilities, including the Murgon RSL Drop-in Centre and we have committed $2.5 million towards the new Peregian Beach Community House.

There are now 18 more mobile phone towers throughout Wide Bay and I am working to make communication networks more resilient.

We are growing a strong economy to reduce taxes to ease cost of living pressures; supporting our farmers; and delivering record funding for schools and hospitals.

The world is a vastly different place to what it was at the time of the last Federal election.  With the situation in Ukraine and concern about China, our Government has a strong focus on defence and national security and we will continue to keep Australia’s borders secure. 

Our nation and Wide Bay can not afford a Labor-Greens alliance and risk a weak, unknown and inexperienced leader, with their higher taxes, higher unemployment and cuts to our defence force and national security.

We need to maintain our momentum and build on our achievements, and with your support, we will continue to build a better Wide Bay and a strong, safe and secure Australia.