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

I thank the member for Capricornia for her question. Of course, this federal Labor government has continued to roll out its record Nation Building Program, doubling the roads budget, increasing the rail budget by more than 10 times and committing more to urban public transport than all governments combined since Federation. In addition to that, we are committed to spreading the benefits of the mining boom. That is why we have established the $6 billion Regional Infrastructure Fund.

I am asked about the Bruce Highway, which has benefited from both our Nation Building Program and the Regional Infrastructure Fund.

Mr Truss interjecting—

Recently, as the Leader of the Nationals interjected, he embarked on the equivalent of National Lampoon's Vacation. He went up the North Coast, up the Bruce Highway. As he went up the Bruce Highway, all loaded up in the car were the member for Gippsland and other people over there, who were not sure what seat they were from. Some of that mob over there were loaded into the car, some on the roof, some strapped in, going to look at the work that is taking place on the Bruce Highway.

As the Leader of the National Party left his seat going up north, he would have hit the Cooroy to Curra section—the section which he had previously said had the worst road in Australia. He had said that and he should have known. At the time he said that, he was not only the local member; he was the transport minister, and he had done nothing about it. But at the end of last year he would have seen the work underway that will be completed and opened. When he hit the member for Capricornia's seat he would have seen the work that is taking place on the Yeppen Lagoon Bridge and the Yeppen Roundabout—$40 million coming from the Regional Infrastructure Fund that he would abolish.

If they had got their timing right, they could have been with me and the member for Herbert when we opened the $110 million Douglas Arterial. He could have asked the member for Herbert what he thought, because the member for Herbert said:

I'll give Labor a pat on the back and say they have spent more in their four or five years on the Bruce Highway than we did before.

That is what the member for Herbert had to say.

Throughout his journey he could have seen the work that is underway, including under the $210 million from the Regional Infrastructure Fund. We have spent $2.8 billion over six years; he spent $1.3 billion over 12 long years. So it is no wonder that, as they got to Cairns—as they got to Walley World—their final destination, he got asked, 'What are you committing?' The LNP members spent a whole week strapped in this car and on the roof. When they got to the end, they proposed not one cent of additional funding—not one single cent of additional funding from those opposite.

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