Constituency Statement - Federation Chamber Tuesday, 8 August 2017

Deputy Speaker,

Not far from where I live in Goulburn is the Rocky Hill War Memorial.

This iconic monument – inspired by the local community and built in the 1920s - stands above Australia’s First Inland City as a tribute to the locals who served during the First World War.

The Goulburn Evening Penny Post reported after the opening of Rocky Hill in December 1925 that; “…it was now generally admitted that this was the finest Memorial in Australia ….”

Almost a century on, the Coalition Government is helping to ensure this special place remains a nationally-significant site of respect and reflection.

A $1.25 million grant from the Coalition’s Building Better Regions Fund will enable Goulburn Mulwaree Council to upgrade the Rocky Hill War Memorial Museum and precinct.

This upgrade will have enormous benefits. It will improve accessibility for visitors and vehicles. There will be more space for exhibitions and educational activities.

It will create jobs and opportunities for locals.

The Rocky Hill Museum has a fantastic history of volunteerism, with about 10 members of the local community donating their time.

People like Judy and Philip Fowler, Carol and Ken Olsen, Gwen Dries, Bob Saunders, Peter Redman, Ken Kenchington, Peter Winterton and Jenny Sullivan.

The Building Better Regions Fund grant is recognition of their efforts and I am pleased the upgrade will create at least five more opportunities for local people to become involved.

Deputy Speaker, we know community interest in war memorials is increasing.

We are seeing more young people taking an active role in our commemorations, including the Anzac Day sunset service on Rocky Hill.

This upgrade will position the Memorial precinct well for the future and I commend Mayor Bob Kirk and the team at Goulburn Mulwaree Council for an excellent application.

This is just one example of how the Coalition is investing in our regions, boosting local economies, creating jobs and building vibrant communities.

There are many other recent examples in my electorate of Hume, including our $969,000 investment in the South-East NSW Regional Training Hub which will provide young doctors the ability to study, work and live in Goulburn and its surrounds.

The Hub will create more jobs for clinicians and professional staff. These investments are essential to the health workforce of our regional areas.

Deputy Speaker, I’ve met thousands of people over the past few months as part of my village visit schedule around the electorate.

Whether they live in Grabben Gullen, Exeter, Boorowa, Bundanoon or Goulburn, there is a consistent message: they want a Government that listens.

They want a Government that invests in regional communities and that’s what we’re doing.