Ken O'Dowd (Flynn, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, representing the Minister for Regional Development. Will the minister update the House on the government's $75 billion infrastructure investment? Is the minister aware of any threats in regional Australia, including my electorate of Flynn?

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Flynn for his question. He is a real fighter for jobs in his electorate and right around regional Australia. We are getting on with the job of delivering a $75 billion 10-year infrastructure investment program over 10 years. The Turnbull-Joyce government is getting on with the job of building the infrastructure that Australians want, making a better, safer, stronger regional Australia.

There is a long list of projects in the member for Flynn's own electorate. The member for Flynn has fought for these and he is delivering. He is delivering through the Kincora intersection upgrades; the duplication of the Capricorn Highway between Emerald and Gracemere; the Blackwater Aquatic Centre; six new overtaking lanes on that stretch between Emerald and Gracemere; the Gayndah disaster management centre; and $10 million for the Central Queensland University upgrade. The member for Flynn is fighting for his community and delivering jobs in his community. He is a champion for jobs in his community.

But he asked if there were any threats to jobs in his electorate. There is a threat. The threat is Labor. The Deputy Prime Minister a few moments ago mentioned the Adani project, for example. This is a project that will create 10,000 jobs, jobs that the community wants. Everyone on this side are on side. The unions want it. But I do not hear anything from Labor. Those opposite are hopelessly compromised when it comes to these issues, and I feel sorry for them. It is actually sad to watch. This is not the party of Bob Hawke or Ben Chifley or those other old Labor lions. Sure, they will get out there and they will roar like lions on the picket lines—they are starting to roar like lions now. But when they come in here, they are just little pussy cats, aren't they?—just little pussy cats. They come back in here and they take their orders from those inner-city lefties and the Greens and they lose their voices.

Remember when they sold out the timber workers in Tasmania? They are up to it again. They are doing it in my electorate today. They are selling out timber workers in Heyfield. They are putting possums before people. They know it is true. They campaigned to shut down the coal fired power stations in my electorate. They wanted Hazelwood to close. They had a policy called 'contract for closure'. No wonder the blue-collar workers are abandoning them. Now we have the coal workers in Queensland, and those coal workers in Queensland are seeing Labor's true colours. We are all seeing Labor's true colour. That colour is green. You need those Greens preferences in those inner-city seats. You need those Greens preferences. Do not take my word for it. Look at a real old Labor lion in Graham Richardson and see what he said. This week he said about Adani:

Protecting inner-city seats from attacks by the Greens or independents was the reason Bill Shorten went all wobbly over the Adani mine in far north Queensland.

That is a direct quote. They have sold out the blue-collar workers in regional Australia for those green votes in the city. (Time expired)