Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

This will in fact employ about 2½ thousand people in construction and deliver economic benefits for the state, estimated at $3.9 billion. It is estimated to save $2½ billion in travel time by reducing the length of time taken to move freight to port, bypassing 14 sets of traffic lights, so it is an exciting project. And for those interested in protecting and preserving the environment, this project is expected to save 449,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2031. This is a project that is clearly good for Western Australia. It will deliver environmental benefits. It will deliver benefits to the state's freight industry. It is a project that the federal member for Perth, who I note is absent today, described as a 'scandalous squandering of taxpayer funds'. She thinks it is a squandering of taxpayers' funds; we think it is a vital piece of Western Australian infrastructure that will make it possible to move freight more efficiently around the state, and particularly around the capital city.

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