McVeigh’s first year productive
THE Toowoomba and Darling Downs based electorate of Groom is nearing the 12 month anniversary of the last federal election.
Federal Member for Groom Dr John McVeigh said yesterday it’s been a provilege to be elected for the region.
“This is where I was raised, studied, worked, established a business and where my wife and I have raised our own family,” Dr McVeigh said.
“The last 12 months have been certainly rewarding to be part of a government that continues to reduce the deficit and implements nation-building projects such as the Inland Rail.”
Dr McVeigh said his career in agribusiness, then as a local councillor and State Member for Toowoomba South has been a solid foundation for federal politics.
He spoke of the potential of the region and its position as “the envy of the rest of Australia”, with many conversations in Canberra proving people were keen to hear about
Toowoomba and the Darling Downs.
“I think one of the hallmarks of this region is its ability to get on with the job and to seize an opportunity when it comes along,” Dr McVeigh said.
“My predecessor Ian Macfarlane secured the funding for the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing after 20 years of lobbying and I too have continued the fight for a bigger portion of funds to be dedicated to major infrastructure projects.”
The Inland Rail is the next project in Dr McVeigh’s sights, who is keen to minimise disruption to communities and lifestyles of constituents once the project begins.
“The last 12 months have been ones of achievement — our highways are being upgraded, we’ve seen massive private investment in projects such as the Wellcamp airport and the Grand Central expansion and I have been working with a number of companies on bringing significant industry developments to our region in coming years,” he said.