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

I thank the honourable member for Page for the question. Earlier today I had the privilege of presenting the government's second annual report on infrastructure projects around Australia. It reported on our $50 billion commitment—the biggest in our nation's history—to build road and railway lines across the nation, and, of course, $14.9 billion of that investment is in New South Wales.

One of the biggest and most important projects in regional Australia is our $5.6 billion commitment towards the Pacific Highway. That work is now very much starting to focus on the member's electorate. So far 60 per cent, or 397 kilometres, has been upgraded to a four-lane divided road, and construction on another 149 kilometres is currently underway. The first contract has been let for 155 kilometres, the final section, much of which is in the honourable member's electorate, to complete that four-laning of the Pacific Highway.

This could never have happened had Labor been in office. Our commitment of $5.64 billion is $3 billion more than what Labor had committed to the project and, once more, $2 billion of what Labor had proposed to provide was not available until after 2019-20.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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