Willcox Pledges Support For Youth, Heritage And Safety Plus New $20B Fund Promises Lasting Investment For Regional Australia

A powerful string of funding pledges from the LNP could breathe new life into two critical Mackay projects – tackling youth homelessness and preserving a century-old community landmark, while a third pledge aims to make Mackay's CBD safer.

Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox has committed $170,500 to help renovate six two-bedroom units leased by Kalyan Youth Services, a not-for-profit organisation struggling to meet skyrocketing demand from young people experiencing homelessness.

“Youth homelessness remains a major issue in Mackay, with more and more young people on the brink of homelessness,” Willcox said.

“In recent years, the not-for-profit organisation saw more than 265 young individuals seeking shelter but had to turn away up to 80 per cent of clients because of insufficient accommodation in Mackay.”

The renovations would allow Kalyan to double its capacity, from housing six youths to 12.

“We really need to partially renovate the six units located on Park Street in Mackay, but it can be very hard to find the money being a not-for-profit organisation,” said Mackay Housing Service Manager Louise O’Brien.

“From February 2024 to February 2025, we had an unmet need of 216 young people we weren’t able to support because our facility was full.

“Out of those 216, 142 were females. For 76 of them, the reason we couldn’t assist was simply because our youth shelter was full.”

The LNP has also promised $50,000 to upgrade the Mackay Masonic Centre, a heritage-listed building that has stood for over 100 years.

“The building is in desperate need of some upgrades as the current electrical switchboard is full of asbestos and the roof is leaking,” Willcox said.

“A Dutton LNP government will commit $50,000 to two new electrical switchboards and roof upgrades.”

Mackay Masonic Centre Chairman Bill Boyd welcomed the support, noting the upgrades are vital for safety and community access.

“The property has been owned by Mackay Freemasons for over 100 years, but we want to see to it that we hold it in trust for the people of the town far into the future,” Boyd said.

“The funding commitment will ensure the building is up to a safe standard so the Masonic Centre can continue to serve the community well into the future.”

An elected Coalition Government will also commit to $200,000 to improve lighting at the Gregory Street Bus Stop, Wood Street Car Park Corner of Victoria Street and Macalister Street and 7th & 8th laneway in the Mackay CBD.

The Mackay city area is becoming more popular with families, with developers looking to revive the CBD and Waterfront area. Unfortunately, it is also where some people engage in anti-social behaviour, resulting in incidents occurring.

“I have been working with Mackay Regional Council to develop a solution to keep our community safe in the CBD and Waterfront areas,” Mr Willcox said.

“This project will be delivered under the Safer Communities Fund, ensuring the region have appropriate security lighting infrastructure in place.”

Mayor Greg Williamson said the lighting project would assist with public safety in the City Centre.

“We want people visiting our City Centre at night for dining and entertainment to feel safe and this lighting will help achieve that," Mayor Williamson said.

“This project also complements the work being done by our City and Waterfront team to activate spaces through the CBD," he said.

In addition to funding pledges, Mr Willcox also announced a ground-breaking Regional Australia Future Fund, to deliver a guaranteed annual funding stream in perpetuity for regional, rural and remote Australia.

Mr Willcox said the fund is in recognition of the contribution regional Australians make in growing our national economy and the unique challenges faced now and into the future.

A Coalition Government will preserve a portion of commodity windfall receipts towards the establishment of the Regional Australia Future Fund to grow this fund to $20 billion.

“This is about putting regional people in Dawson first and leaving a legacy for future generations,” Mr Willcox said.

“Once established, the fund will invest a fair share of the profits created through the hard work of regional Australians back into Dawson. It means we don’t have to fight for funding shortfalls to provide infrastructure in regional areas.

“The fund will deliver secure and sustainable long-term funding to tackle challenges that hold back regional communities and invest in building the long-term economic foundations of regional Australia to address future challenges.”

The funding stream will supplement – not replace – normal government funding across these critical areas where regional Australia faces unique challenges.

“This is an historic moment for the one third of Australians who live outside the big capital cities – a perpetual fund to future-proof regional Australia against short-termism and governments who leave regions behind."

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Demand for youth homelessness support in Mackay is skyrocketing, with Kalyan Youth Services turning away up to 80 per cent of young people seeking shelter due to limited accommodation. Photo credit: Hannah McNamara

The Mackay Masonic Centre urgently needs upgrades to address safety concerns, with $50,000 pledged for essential electrical and roofing improvements. Photo credit: Hannah McNamara

Federal Member for Dawson Andrew Willcox in Mackay’s CBD, where he’s pledged $200,000 to improve lighting and boost community safety in key city locations

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