Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lyne for his question and for his commitment to his constituents, and other constituents, who use the Pacific Highway. We already have committed some $4.1 billion to the Pacific Highway. More than 1,600 workers are today working on site building the Pacific Highway. This is vital for productivity. It has been identified by Infrastructure Australia as a priority, but it is also vital for safety. Over the last 20 years some 809 people have lost their lives on the Pacific Highway, which is 809 too many. That is why we on this side of the House are absolutely committed to fulfilling the duplication by 2016, which was first promised by the Howard government in 2004. They promised it but did not put any dollars into it. They contributed $1.3 billion over 12 years and during that time the state government committed $2.5 billion.

At that time—when they were in government—they said the Pacific Highway was a state road. They called upon the New South Wales Labor government to do more. The member for Cowper, for example, said in this place: 'It is a state road. New South Wales refused to commit one extra dollar of state government funding to a road they are responsible for.' The state member for Coffs Harbour, Andrew Fraser, who has had a bit to say—inaccurately—in recent months about funding on the Pacific Highway, said this when he was part of the opposition:

The Pacific Highway is a state road. I pay credit to the federal government for increasing the funding arrangement. I damn and condemn this state government. The state government should pour the money in.

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