REIDS RESERVE

For the past three years the community of Swansea has been unable to access Reids Reserve at Swansea Heads due to severe erosion of the seawall. But the good news is that all of that is about to change. I am very pleased to tell the House that the Minns Labor Government is providing $3 million to restore the seawall and make the park accessible again. As I said, that wonderful location has not been able to be used for the past three years. It is a picturesque location overlooking the entrance of the Swansea Channel. It is a beautiful spot that attracts families from all across the region and other regions to enjoy its playground and picnicking. They have access to Little Beach as well. It is just superb.

It has been such a shame that we have not been able to use this incredibly beautiful area for three summers. For the past three years it has been inaccessible. Three-quarters of the park is fenced off due to erosion around the seawall. We have also seen rocks washed up into the park itself. It really is quite unsightly. In opposition I wrote to the then transport Minister seeking funding for the project but, despite promises, that funding never came to fruition and was never allocated. But I must pay credit to the current transport Minister Haylen. Her team and the leadership at the Maritime Infrastructure Delivery Office [MIDO] have supported the project and delivered the funding to see it to completion. I thank them enormously on behalf of my community.

The community is looking forward to the seawall rehabilitation being completed and the park being reopened. The project is due to be finished in 2025, with design work and the tender process currently underway. The park is a favourite spot for families during the Christmas period, and I know that it will be packed come Christmas 2025. The Labor Government is delivering on our commitment to invest in Swansea. On the very same day I announced $3 million to rebuild the seawall at Reids Reserve, I stood alongside MIDO to confirm that the latest round of dredging of Swansea Channel was completed. With the election of the Minns Labor Government the Swansea Channel has become a priority for dredging once again. After the former Liberal Government neglected it for years, putting the safety of boaties at risk, placing extra pressure on Marine Rescue and making the channel unnavigable, our channel is safe and navigable again.

Members of this House will be pleased about that because they will not have to hear me banging on about it all the time, so that is a plus as well. The first two dredging campaigns have opened the channel back up for business, allowing larger vessels to pass in and out of the channel safely. Major events on our lake are encouraging greater participation as yachts once again pass through the channel into the lake. In more good news for the community, funding was delivered in the budget for a further round of dredging in February. Work also continues on the long-term dredging strategy, which will provide certainty to the community and ensure that boaters can have the confidence that the channel is navigable at all times.

The community can look to the Government to deliver on its commitment to ensure that the channel is navigable, and it can have confidence that in 2025 Reids Reserve will once again be open to the public for all to come and enjoy. As the member for Swansea, I am so proud to say that the Minns Labor Government is delivering the investment in our community that had long been neglected by the Liberals when they were in government. I am proud to be their member and to deliver for them.