Exerpt from House of Representatives speech dated Monday, 12 February 2018.
One-third of Australians love in regional, rural and remote areas and, as this House knows well, they often face challenges in accessing the services and the opportunities which our city cousins take for granted. This government has shown considerable commitment to reressing the balance and delivering for regional Australia. We've seen record investment in regional infrastructure, including $1.6 billion for the Bruce Highway upgrades to the Sunshine Coast. ... Australia is already receiving some of the dividends of this unswerving commitment in the more than 100,000 new regional jobs created just last year.
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Cost-effective delivery in the 21st centory demands acess to an innvoative culture and a highly educated workforce. We have the University of Sunshine Coast Innoation Centre, which has become the heart of a fast-growing innovation ecosystem. The Sunshine Coast has been awarded Google eTown status had has been named a smart 21st century community in three of the past four years. The Thompson Institute at Birtinya is conducting cuting-edge medical research, while companies like HeliMods, Praesidium Global, Eniquest, and APAC Infrastructure are creating new high-tech solutions in defence, aviation and telecommunications. In terms of education, 57.4% of the local workforce hold a tertiary qualification - well above the state average.
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Andrew Wallace, MP (Fisher)