Mr SLIPPER (7:55 PM) —On 17 March I rose in the House to talk about the importance of an application under the Regional Partnerships Program for the sum of $500,000 for the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service to construct a new helicopter hangar to house and service the three rescue helicopters which service a large area of south-east Queensland. I am very pleased to advise that the government has approved this funding of $550,000, including GST, to the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service for its new hangar project. This money will go towards the construction and completion of a new helicopter hangar facility, including earthworks, civil contracting, tilt slabs, metalwork and roofing. The new hangar will provide operational space for three helicopters and maintenance space for an additional craft, as well as better facilities and storage. The new hangar will assist the rescue service in continuing to provide a rapid response to the community in a safe, effective and efficient way.

The member for Fairfax and I represent the Sunshine Coast, and I know the member for Fairfax has also been a very strong supporter of this project. Although the airport itself is situated in Fairfax, the helicopter rescue service covers Fisher, Fairfax, Longman, Wide Bay and other areas and certainly does a wonderful job. Over the years of its existence it has ensured that many people who would otherwise have lost their lives were able to be carried to medical attention.

It has been a great community effort to gain this funding, to access Regional Partnerships money. The Sunshine Coast Area Consultative Committee has assisted to bring this project to fruition and Regional Partnerships continues the Australian government’s approach of working with local communities to support their ideas. There is $308 million available under Regional Partnerships from 2004-05 to 2007-08. This particular program is of substantial benefit and it is really tremendous to see this sort of money coming through to the Sunshine Coast and to areas close to the Sunshine Coast.

This is a project of which I am particularly proud. I know that the community will be enormously relieved that this expansion to the facilities of the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service will now be able to proceed. I am looking forward to this hangar being constructed and to the additional facilities that this will give to the Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service. The helicopter rescue service enjoys the very strong support of the community. It has been a service that has provided assistance to Sunshine Coast and other residents in south-east Queensland for a very considerable period. I would like to congratulate the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services on approving this particular application, which puts beyond doubt in the community’s mind that Regional Partnerships is certainly a program very worthy of ongoing support.

I have listened to some of the nonsense uttered by honourable members opposite as they have sought to criticise the Treasurer on what was his outstanding 10th budget, which delivered a surplus of close to $9 billion at a time when we are able to introduce more tax cuts for everyone while also bringing in very important and positive reforms to encourage people to move from welfare into work. It is important to recognise that this government has been prepared to make some difficult decisions in the period since we were elected in 1996. As a nation we have a declining birth rate and an ageing population, so it was particularly important for the Treasurer—and this was done absolutely in the budget—to focus on the long-term liabilities that the Australian government will have, given the fact that a smaller proportion of the work force in the future will be contributing to the cost of running the country at a time when the ageing population will ensure that there are unprecedented demands on the revenues of the government. As a dividend for sound economic management, $22 billion has been returned to taxpayers. This is a worthwhile budget and I commend it to the House. (Time expired)

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Hon. IR Causley)—Order! It being 8 pm, the debate is interrupted.