The Rockingham electorate is not well-equipped to take on its future AUKUS obligations according to Liberal’s by-election candidate Peter Hudson.
Mr Hudson was joined by the party’s high-profile members including Federal Shadow Defence spokesman Andrew Hastie, Federal Senator and former defence minister Linda Reynolds and WA Liberals deputy leader Steve Thomas.
With the by-election coming next weekend, Peter Hudson says the State Labor Government fails to plan and prepare the Rockingham electorate for AUKUS.
The candidate claims that many overseas defence personnel from the United States and the United Kingdom are preparing to settle in the electorate of Rockingham, yet many vital infrastructures are not up to scratch.
As Australia continues to face a shortage of houses and skyrocketing rental prices, Hudson claims that Rockingham is not ready for the future and vows to create change if elected.
“We have a lack of investment of infrastructure in our local community, for the past 26 years, Rockingham has the same local member yet the number of projects delivered in our community had been nil,” he said.
“There are critical projects like supporting the Rockingham Arena, the development out of Cape Parren and the Garden Island Highway, all failed to be implemented. Especially, residents are telling me that the government failed to deliver on an AUKUS-ready Rockingham.”
Andrew Hastie emphasized that Rockingham needs another 2,000 homes to house AUKUS personnel by 2027, at the same time, creating additional housing stock for the rental market.
Federal Senator and Former Federal Defence Minister Linda Reynolds says new road infrastructure is needed to relieve traffic congestion at the Garden Island Naval base.
The senator continues to advocate for a “Garden Island Highway” providing a dedicated transport route to the base.
“As anyone who drives down to Rockingham realises to get on to Garden Island, there are thousands of cars and hundreds of trucks a day that goes down Parkin Street and have to navigate all of those small circles,” she said.
“It is terrible for the local residents but in three years’ time, we will have exponentially more transport going through Parkin Road, and don’t forget, these roads will be supporting the new nuclear industries on Garden Island.
“It is time for the WA State Government to start acting, to start building the infrastructure that is required, to work out how they are going to support the residents of Rockingham to find housing, and house 2,000 U.S. and U.K. personnel and their families in the local community.”
The Rockingham By-Election will be held on the 29th, of July, 2023.
Source: Wamn News