Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Assistant Minister for the Public Service, Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General
PATRICK GORMAN, ASSISTANT MINISTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER: Thank you, Deputy Premier. The Commonwealth is really proud to be a 50:50 partner in making this a reality. What we see here are the outcomes of so much hard work from so many, from public servants, from people down at Civmec from people who've worked here for years, building this bridge. And it's going to give us an excellent asset, a tourism asset, a community asset, and even a business asset.
We know that more and more people are going into the CBD, riding their bikes into work every day, and now that trip will be easier, faster and safer. And so it is an excellent piece of infrastructure. I myself love doing the bridge to bridge ride. I can't wait to test out this new piece of infrastructure.
I've already had the first review from a five-year-old called Angus. I was asking, 'is it smooth or is it rough?' He said, 'It's bit of both. It's just right.' And I think that tells you everything.
Whether you're a cyclist, a walker or a scooter, this is going to be loved by our community, and it's been done so well. You've got local content here, but you've also got some 90,000 native plants. You've got 690 trees that have gone in that will be fantastic in year one, that will give us shade and so much more in the years to come.
This is all part of our partnership of building Western Australia's future. Finding those things that make a real difference to our community. And I want to acknowledge as well, Hannah Beazley, Zaneta Mascarenhas, John Carey, all of their communities will benefit from this as well, and not just the immediate surrounds. This connects so many bike paths that go and walking paths that go well up the river, well down the river. It'll really bring communities together and give us this excellent asset that we are to enjoy for decades and decades to come.
If I can also add my thanks to everyone who's made this project possible, from the Deputy Premier down to public servants, construction workers, those who've done the landscaping, and even on Christmas, I'll say a thank you to the media for being here to celebrate this wonderful asset that we will all welcome today and in the many years ahead. It's an early Christmas present to Perth. Merry Christmas.
[PRESS CONFERENCE CONTINUES]
GORMAN: Anything federal?
[SILENCE]
GORMAN: Sweet, peace out. Merry Christmas to me.
JOURNALIST: Merry Christmas!
