REDLANDS MP Kim Richards says Weinam Creek could be a spectacular gateway to the Redlands coast and its island gems but instead looks like a used car parking lot.
Giving her maiden speech in Parliament this week Ms Richards said the city had significant cultural and ecotourism potential yet lacked community infrastructure and water activation.
“Redlands presents an enormous opportunity to broader south-east Queensland particularly with our state’s focus on tourism as a key pillar of the economy,” she said.
“We are a hidden gem that has for some time flown under the radar. We have pristine wetlands, beaches and a stunning natural environment. Our region has the largest coastal fringe of any Queensland local government area.”
Ms Richards said the Redlands could service the additional 1.4 million tourists Brisbane was expecting by 2022 with the completion of Queen’s Wharf and those arriving on the back of the Commonwealth Games’ success.
The first woman to represent the Redlands in the Queensland Parliament, Ms Richards said key challenges were traffic congestion, transport, road infrastructure keeping pace with new developments and about 70 per cent of the employed community leaving Redlands for work.
Ms Richards called on federal MP Andrew Laming to work harder in securing a fair share for Queensland.
“...It is disappointing that Malcolm Turnbull and the federal government continues to let Queenslanders down,” she said. “Not supporting key infrastructure programs such as Cross River Rail just means there is less money in the pot for regions like the Redlands.”
She said other industries that offered potential for Redlands were film, creative industries, education, health and environment.
“We are any investor or business’s dream with the ability to deliver on a coastal lifestyle where you can work, live and play.”
Ms Richards said the Redlands was in the top five Queensland locations for filming
The Labor MP worked in architecture and design until her election. She said experiencing the era of the Newman LNP government had motivated her to run for government.