2022 Budget Trade and Investment event, Hervey Bay

From the Hervey Bay hospital expansion to better roads, business leaders have been given a deeper insight into some of the major infrastructure projects underway on the horizon. VIDEO.

It was a State Budget that promised “good jobs, better services and great lifestyle” and in Hervey Bay to talk it up was Queensland’s Treasurer Cameron Dick.

Speaking to a crowd at the Budget Trade and Investment event at the Beach House Hotel, Mr Dick highlighted big infrastructure projects for Hervey Bay including the hospital expansion and new mental health unit.

Referencing his recent visit to the Hervey Bay Hospital and the new Urraween Ambulance Station – a facility he said was great to see “come to life for the community” since his time as Health Minister – Mr Dick spoke about the $40m expansion which would include 34 additional impatient beds, 10 of those in intensive care.

He said the overall investment into Hervey Bay Hospital would deliver 215 local jobs.

Treasurer Cameron Dick speaking at the 2022 Budget Trade and Investment event held in Hervey Bay Photo: Adriana Mageros.

In a state budget he described as the “biggest investment in mental health in our state ever”, Mr Dick emphasised the $1.6b mental health investment for Queensland over the next five years.

“We know from our experience with Covid, we know the impact that Covid had on individuals and families, it really put a spotlight on mental health …” Mr Dick said.

About $40m would be invested into mental health services for the Wide Bay region, with $17m committed in the recently handed down state budget.

Mr Dick said the investment included 23 inpatient beds for the mental health unit at Hervey Bay Hospital, along with refurbishing Maryborough Hospital’s current inpatient unit into a 10-bed subacute specialist unit, particularly to help those older citizens and those with degenerative mental health issues.

“So we’re more than double the amount of beds committed to mental health in this region in the Fraser Coast as part of that commitment, and we’re really proud to have done that for the community,” he said.

Many business owners from the region gathered at this year’s Budget Trade and Investment event held in Hervey Bay with Treasurer Cameron Dick. Photo: Adriana Mageros.

On transport, Mr Dick highlighted the $2.7m investment for the Maryborough – Hervey Bay Road and Pialba intersection upgrade, and the $28.6m Bruce Highway (Maryborough to Gin Gin) project.

Looking at education and training, he referenced the $5.1m funding for a new hall at Urangan State High School which was part of a larger $40.2m investment into improving and upgrading education services for schools in the Wide Bay.

For Safety and Justice, Mr Dick spoke about the $14m investment into the Hervey Bay Police Station, $3.7m to upgrade the Maryborough Police Station, and $5.1m to replace Maryborough’s Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Station.

Mr Dick also thanked Member for Hervey Bay Adrian Tantari for his advocacy on health care.

Mr Tantari described the budget as “magnificent” for Hervey Bay as the city was moving forward as an area of destination for visitors, highlighting the Minister for Tourism Stirling Hinchliffe’s recent visit at the Urangan Marina to launch this year’s whale watching season.

He also issued a scathing response to calls from the State Opposition that the Hervey Bay hospital expansion was years away when it was needed now and the Treasurer was “peddling false hope”.

Mr Dick also spoke broadly about employment in the Wide Bay, explaining there were 2400 more people in jobs now than before Covid, with the unemployment rate falling to 6.7% – the lowest he said it had been in a decade.

Managing Director for the ORECO Group Paul Woosley was one of the business leaders who attended the event.

Mr Woosley told the Chronicle the state budget’ investment into infrastructure would bring a lot more people to the Wide Bay region.

But, he said we need people were needed to fill those jobs.

“I think we need to start with some training programs, shifting the workforce into the areas where we need people, whether it’s transport … sales marketing or office, we need to train them. and then open up some programs to bring people in from other states firstly, and then overseas,” Mr Woosley said.

“The economy is actually booming, yet to keep it growing, we need people to do the jobs … it’s not easy at the moment.”

It comes as a leading local trainer Lance Stone of Fraser Coast TESS issued a call for the unemployed to take the massive opportunities currently on offer to skill up and fill local vacancies.

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