Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the problems with opposition members constantly talking down our great nation is that negativity impacts on how the world sees us. That, in turn, impacts on whether people feel confident to invest in things here, like infrastructure. Let me keep it positive and tell you about some really good things our government is working hard to achieve, in regional Australia, when it comes to infrastructure.

Regional Australia creates the real wealth for our nation. In fact, two-thirds of our export earnings come from regional Australia. That is why I am proud to stand with a coalition that offers a real chance to expand future infrastructure in Northern Australia. The future development of Northern Australia—from the Tropic of Capricorn northward—is important to our nation's agricultural and resource future.

Our government is providing a new $5 billion Northern Australia infrastructure facility. This facility will be available for major infrastructure projects, like ports and railways—to transport food and commodities to ships waiting to export it—through to pipelines and electricity generation. Investment in this type of infrastructure is important because Northern Australia has untapped potential.

When it comes to Northern Australia, in my role to represent Capricornia, I will continue to push water-infrastructure projects, like the Fitzroy Agricultural Corridor, Urannah Dam and the longer-term future construction of Connors River Dam. Near Rockhampton, federal coalition MPs in Central Queensland are continuing to push the case for the Fitzroy Basin. We know this is being seriously considered by our government as an important piece of regional infrastructure.

Let me outline some of our other successful policies that go a long way to boost investment in infrastructure. Our work to secure free trade agreements with Japan, Korea and China provide preferential access to a market of over 1.5 billion people. This puts our home-grown industries in the driver's seat of lucrative Asian markets. Back home, increased business due to free trade deals means an increase in local production. This, in turn, means increased private investment in Australian infrastructure, from port facilities to on-farm or factory infrastructure, to satisfy new demands for our food and products.

The 2015-16 budget reaffirms our government's $50 billion infrastructure-investment commitment. We are spending $300 million over the next few years, through our Bridges Renewal Program, to help repair or replace old bridges across the nation. And we are fixing roads through the largest infrastructure investment in Commonwealth history, including $6.7 billion to upgrade the Bruce Highway and up to $1.3 billion for the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing. In fact, when it comes to roads, my electorate of Capricornia spans 91,047 square kilometres. For country people, roads are often the only form of travel available.

Under local road infrastructure projects, our government will spend $35 million to replace four bridges on the notorious Peak Downs Highway;·$166 million to fix the Eton range section of the Peak Downs Highway leading to the coalfields, with the first instalment of $30 million paid in 2015-16; and a further $500 million on works to fix up the Bruce Highway in regional Queensland, including Rockhampton to St Lawrence, Sarina and Mackay. This includes a further instalment on the Yeppen South project, which is raising the Bruce Highway near Rockhampton.

When it comes to local councils, we are investing $2.5 billion to help councils fix streets and roads under our Roads to Recovery program. In fact, in the latest budget we have doubled this investment on the ground. Rockhampton, Livingstone, Isaac, Whitsunday and Mackay councils will receive double their normal road-maintenance allocation—worth up to $10 million—across Capricornia towns. This is under the Commonwealth's Roads to Recovery fund. This includes: Isaac Regional Council, over $2.1 million; Livingstone Shire Council, over $1.2 million; Mackay Regional Council, over $2.8 million; Rockhampton Regional Council, over $2.1 million; and Whitsunday Regional Council, nearly $1.5 million.

Investing in infrastructure is important to this government. In doing so, our aim is also to help build jobs, growth and opportunity and provide a credible path to budget surplus.

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