Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Urban Infrastructure) Share this | Hansard source

A $10 billion national rail program, with money starting to flow from 2019-20, that recognises that in our major cities around Australia there are rail projects that have the capacity to move people more efficiently and quickly and are city shaping. This is a major commitment to Australia's cities and to their surrounding regional areas. Of course, Western Sydney airport is a $5.3 billion equity commitment for a project that stayed in the too hard basket for too long. This government is committing to build Western Sydney airport with a $5.3 billion equity commitment.

Mr Speaker, you are seeing a significant shift to a greater use of equity and loan investment in this budget, in our approach to infrastructure. You are seeing a commitment to national priorities that no one state government can deliver, such as the inland rail running right along the eastern seaboard—running inland through Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland—and supporting a mode shift in freight from road to rail. National infrastructure priorities are being delivered in this $75 billion infrastructure spend. (Time expired)

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