Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. This government understands the critical importance of building infrastructure for the 21st century. Our $50 billion plan not only will provide modern infrastructure to build a more prosperous economy but will also create tens of thousands of extra jobs. In New South Wales, the member's home state, it would be apparent to him that the previous Labor government in New South Wales had starved the state of the infrastructure investment that it actually needed. That showed up on country roads and on city roads right across the state. The WestConnex project alone in Sydney will create 10,000 jobs and transform the traffic networks of the city. It will make a real difference by providing the infrastructure support that a growing city actually requires. Well, surprise, surprise—Labor is now threatening to cancel some or all of that project. They are threatening to cancel the project; not to allow it to proceed—10,000 jobs at risk. What about the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan, which is building new roads for Western Sydney, and of course a second airport—about 8,000 jobs? That is also at risk under a Labor government. Labor has form in this regard, and New South Wales voters need to recognise that Labor has form. As soon as the Victorian Labor government was elected, it moved to cancel the east west project—a transformational project for Melbourne. Labor is prepared to spend $1.2 billion not to build a road. That is their approach towards infrastructure.

What about the new Queensland government that is turning down about $20 billion worth of infrastructure projects because they are not prepared to recycle existing assets? They are preventing tens of thousands of jobs being created in Queensland, including the Brisbane bus and train tunnel—a project that Labor says it supports, but now they are turning down the opportunity and declining to proceed with the commitment of the former Newman government to build this vital asset. That is the message that New South Wales voters need to be aware of. Labor might talk infrastructure, but when they get there they are not prepared to go ahead with the project. Jobs are lost and vital infrastructure is lost to our nation. Let's let the Baird government get on with the task of building the vital infrastructure that New South Wales want, and we will cooperate with them to deliver it.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

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