Tony Perrett puts new Gympie hospital, housing on state budget wishlist

Improvements to housing, health care, local roads and emergency services have been unveiled by Gympie MP Tony Perrett as part of a lengthy wishlist ahead of the 2022 state budget. See what is on his list.

A fast-tracked new hospital, more social housing and emergency service support for the region’s outlying towns are among a raft of projects Gympie’s state MP says need to be delivered as part of Tuesday’s budget.

Tony Perrett told the Gympie Times this year’s flood disasters, and the extraordinary damage they caused in the region, highlighted the need for “real and genuine” investment across Gympie.

“This year’s floods have made it even more obvious that investment should be on local infrastructure projects, ongoing flood recovery, future proofing the region, and improvement of existing infrastructure and facilities,” Mr Perrett said in a statement to The Gympie Times.

“Some of the projects are an indictment of the legacy of lack of investment from 31 years of state Labor governments which have ignored the needs of this region which is now under further stress from a high growth rate.

“It must now deliver.”

MP Tony Perrett is calling for a fast-tracked new Gympie hospital to be delivered as part of this year’s State Government budget

His wishlist of investment included: fast-tracking delivery of a new hospital; an ambulance station at Glenwood; construction of a roundabout at the intersection of Tin Can Bay Road and Bayside Road, Cooloola Cove; improving flood immunity and start planning for a high-level bridge to improve access between north and south Gympie; upgraded bridges on Gympie-Woolooga Road; a new fire station in Gympie and rural fire shed at Imbil; a property designated for a police station and additional resources at Rainbow Beach to replace the service presently being run from underneath a house; and funding for more social housing in Gympie given the ongoing crisis.

“Housing stress and soaring homelessness is exacerbated by a tight private rental market and the lack of welfare housing,” Mr Perrett said.

Overtaking lanes on the Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach Roads was also needed on the back of an 12,000-strong petition submitted to the state government by community member Tony Stewart.

MP Tony Perrett said the growing homelessness and rental crises, which are causing more people to begin living in tents across Gympie, need to be urgently addressed as part of the budget.

He said the Mary Valley Rd needed to be upgraded to “at least B-double standard” to open the region’s economy, let alone to meet the advice made in the Mary Valley Road Safety Report, along with general future-proofing of the region’s road infrastructure.

Other transport investments including increasing train services from Gympie North to the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane were needed to, Mr Perrett said.

Additional resources for weapons licensing was needed to.

“Based on the steady stream of requests I receive it is clearly not working,” Mr Perrett said,

“For years I have been raising these issues with the Premier and Ministers, through correspondence, speeches, and questions in the parliament and in the media.

The Government must also live within its means, stop its addiction to taxes and blaming others for its own failures, and make sure that spending is prudent, sensible, and made with common sense.”