Prime Minister Scott Morrison has shown the importance of winning back the Gilmore electorate, lost top Labor's Fiona Phillips at the last election amid Liberal Party infighting.

On the first day of his campaign to win the May 21 election he headed to Nowra, standing shoulder to shoulder with his candidate and former state minister Andrew Constance.

The first election pledges of the campaign centred on roads, and Mr Constance's former position as the NSW Transport Minister.

Mr Morrison was enthusiastic in his endorsement of Mr Constance as he promised $40 million to fix roads and address a maintenance backlog around Nowra.

That included upgrades to Culburra Road, Forest Road, Callala Bay Road and Callala Beach Road, as well as some key intersection.

"We're announcing a commitment of $40 million on the strong advocacy of Andrew Constance who knows those roads better on the South Coast than anyone else," Mr Morrison said.

"$40 million to invest in the safety of local roads. Key interchanges, key stretches of road, that means that people can move around the South Coast, walk more safely and more quickly, getting home sooner and safer and ensuring they can continue to enjoy the great quality of life that's available here on the South Coast.

"The $40 million that we are announcing today, is based on a plan that Andrew has been able to bring together because he understands roads on the South Coast better than anyone else, and he understands the needs of this community, and he knows how to get roads built too," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Constance said the money was "about rebuilding the regions' roads.

"We have seen some terrible, terrible designs, roads, which are past their use by date. And supporting local government, with jobs on the ground is something which is something really, really important," he said.

The funding announcement was made at Culburra Beach and the factory run by East Coast Cannery, which received Federal Government funding to develop and utilise the latest technology, printing labels directly onto cans.

Mr Morrison said that sort of resilience and innovation that helps support the government's push to drive down unemployment, and particularly youth unemployment.

The PM described it as " a great local business, creating jobs, making things here in Australia.

"We're able to invest a million dollars in partnership with East Coast Canning here, to ensure that they can take advantage of the opportunities that they know are ahead.

"To employ more Australians, and to see Australia move ahead in advanced manufacturing in the food and beverage sector," Mr Morrison said.

Images: Glenn Ellard

Prime Minister Scott Morrison visited the Shoalhaven for the second time in four weeks as the May 21st Federal Election looms.

The PM,  accompanied by Gilmore Liberal Candidate Andrew Constance and retiring South Coast state MP Shelly Hancock, announced a 360-million upgrade to HMAS Albatross to locate and maintain 13 new MH-60R Romeo maritime helicopters.

The PM also foreshadowed a bolstered defence budget, which includes additional Apache helicopters for the Australian defence force.

Mr Morrison said " Australia's national security doesn't happen by accident, it requires a government that understands it and is deeply committed to it. and is prepared to make the decisions to enhance our capability and give our defence forces the support they need and the many other agencies that keep Australia safe." 

Prime Minister Morrison ruled out Jervis Bay as a base for Australia's new nuclear submarine fleet telling journalists, " It's not one of the shortlisted sites, it's not one of the shortlisted sites at all."

The PM later spoke with Shoalhaven business leaders at an informal luncheon.

Images: Peter Andrea

 

Kiama MP Gareth Ward is so disappointed by both the Federal and NSW Government's handling of the pandemic he's calling for the leader of the nation to step down from office.

Ward says both levels of government have made a series of unacceptable errors but his frustration is firmly on the Commonwealth and Scott Morrison for not learning from issues experienced by other countries well before us.

"The Prime Minister needs to resign, we need a new Prime Minister.

"I don't think that Scott Morrison is up to the job.

"There's been a number of systemic failures by him as Prime Minister, Andrew Constance can tell you well about those failures during the bushfires.

"I think that his (Morrison's) lack of planning has been at the heart of why our nation hasn't responded as well as it could have and why we haven't looked to overseas to the problems and tried to get in front of them," the member for Kiama said.

Ward highlighted that the problems the nation is experiencing have been issues that have been experienced well ahead of time in countries that are at a different stage of the virus than Australia.

"It doesn't matter whether it's the vaccination programs or the lack of rapid antigen tests.

"The rapid antigen tests only came to Australia in November, prior to that Europe, the US and the UK were all experiencing a lack of these tests.

"We actually produce these tests in Australia but not a single one of the Australian made rapid antigen tests is being given to an Australian citizen.

"They're all being exported because the Australian Government wasn't thinking far enough ahead.

"I think the Prime Minister's got to go," he said.

Ward has recovered from COVID-19 after testing positive last Wednesday.

Written by Travis Winks

Images: Gareth Ward Facebook and Eesan1969, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons