Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is very interesting to note that no Victorian government MPs are here to ask questions of the Deputy Prime Minister.

An honourable member: They're busy!

Yes, though I can imagine that they would not have any questions to ask in respect of this infrastructure budget from the infrastructure Prime Minister. What is extraordinary is that this budget, the first budget of our infrastructure Prime Minister, is entirely bereft of any vision for our cities. It walks away from an approach to infrastructure provision based on evidence, replacing it with prejudice and politics. We have already heard from the member for Grayndler—and I look forward to the Deputy Prime Minister's answer—about the decision to walk entirely away from the Commonwealth investment in public transport expenditure.

On top of this, of course, we see in this budget the abandonment, fundamentally, of any urban policy responsibility from this government, a matter that I would have thought should be of concern to the growing communities in Sydney's south-west, represented by the member for Mitchell, as it is to me, representing growing communities in Melbourne's north. So I invite the Deputy Prime Minister's response to two questions. Firstly, what support is continuing for urban policy following the scrapping of the Major Cities Unit, and what resources are available for urban development policy? Secondly, what new infrastructure investment can he refer me to that is of direct relevance to Melbourne's north and, in particular, the Scullin electorate?

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