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

As member the for Moreton suggested, that might be stage 2 of the solution from the Queensland state government.

What we now know about the Moreton Bay regional rail link is that all contracts which have not been entered into on public transport projects are under threat from the federal coalition should they be elected. The Cross River rail project was first promised in the Queensland parliament in 1895. The whole of the next century went through without a commitment. It took the current federal Labor government, largely due to the campaign by the member for Petrie over and over again, to make this into a reality. It has begun but I am very concerned that the project is under threat because of the statements on the record from the coalition, which is they do not believe in any investment in public transport. To quote the Leader of the Opposition, they should 'stick to their knitting', which consists of minor road funding in marginal electorates. It was what the record was previously. There should be no funding.

They and the Leader of the National Party have made it very clear that they do not believe in sticking to commitments where contracts have not been entered into. They have made it very clear that is their position. We know in spite of the fact that there are so many people on the record, including the Premier of Queensland and the transport minister, supporting the Cross River rail project but it is not going ahead. I think other projects would be under threat as well. The only way to ensure proper infrastructure funding for South-East Queensland as well as for the whole of regional Queensland, including the Bruce Highway, is with the re-election of the Labor government.(Time expired)

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