House debates

Tuesday, 18 September 2007

Questions without Notice

Transport Infrastructure

2:40 pm

Photo of Peter SlipperPeter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister advise the House on how the government is taking difficult decisions in relation to the provision of transport infrastructure investment in order to keep our economy strong? Would the minister also advise the House whether there are any alternative views and, if so, what is the response of the government to those views?

Photo of Mark VaileMark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I thank the member for Fisher for his question and recognise the important job he does in representing that electorate on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, a very important tourism destination. Having been a lawyer in private practice and a small business man, he knows how important it is that governments continue to generate growth and prosperity in the economy through investing in infrastructure, which would be lost on his political opponent in the upcoming federal election. If you go to the ALP website to have a look at who the ALP candidate in the electorate of Fisher is, it is a very interesting read. It actually changed. The Labor Party have had the airbrush out again. On 1 September, if you had a look at who the Labor Party opponent to the member for Fisher was, it was Darrell. The website said:

He later worked for many years in psychiatric institutions prior to becoming a full-time union official.

Of course he was a full-time union official.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 104. At least we have candidates.

Photo of David HawkerDavid Hawker (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I am listening carefully. The Deputy Prime Minister has only just begun to develop his answer. He is in order. I call the Deputy Prime Minister.

Photo of Mark VaileMark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

So that was on 1 September. Today, if you read the website, it says of Darrell:

... starting his working life as a shop assistant, later trying a number of jobs including labourer and telegram boy.

Full stop! The bit about being a union official has been airbrushed off the website. I wonder how many other candidates who have that background, which the Labor Party have become quite sensitive about, have had that changed on their website. That is the candidate standing against a former small business person in the electorate of Fisher.

Photo of Anthony AlbaneseAnthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The question was about infrastructure.

Photo of David HawkerDavid Hawker (Speaker) Share this | | Hansard source

I am listening carefully. If the member continues to interrupt ministers I will deal with him. I call the Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy Prime Minister will come back to the question.

Photo of Mark VaileMark Vaile (Lyne, National Party, Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | | Hansard source

I am just identifying the point that the background of members on this side is overwhelmingly from the private sector and from small business. We understand how important tourism is to the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and how important the investment we are making in infrastructure is to tourism on the Sunshine Coast. I am making the point that that is critical to good representation.

The member for Fisher has been a great supporter of the $38 billion program we have undertaken to invest in infrastructure across Australia. He has also been a great supporter of encouraging and facilitating private sector investment in infrastructure across Australia, particularly that which is going to benefit the tourism industry. Today I know that he supported the announcement I made on behalf of the government to approve a $1 billion investment in the Brisbane airport of the new parallel runway, which needs to be started today so it is ready in eight years time, when that airport reaches its capacity as far as inbound tourism is concerned. We need to be able to take these tough decisions when they come along.

Brisbane airport is currently managing 17 million passenger movements per year. In 2015, when the new parallel runway is completed, it will be carrying 25 million passenger movements, and in 2035 it is forecast to carry 50 million passenger movements. The economic activity generated by that airport is worth about $17 billion in south-east Queensland. The point I am making is that it takes a small businessman to recognise its value, and that it generates jobs in the community—not union hacks that are going to come into this parliament, if they are elected to represent the Labor Party.

In making the decision about the new parallel runway in Brisbane, we have taken into consideration a lot of the environmental and economic concerns in the community: the consultation process that has been undertaken and the design of what is going to be a very significant piece of infrastructure in Brisbane. The draft EIS indicates that there will be 185,000 fewer people affected by aircraft noise as a result of this development compared to what there would be if the current circumstances were allowed to continue with the growth that is forecast. Having parallel runways allows the airport to operate simultaneous opposite direction operations at night on those two runways so that all air traffic is out over Moreton Bay and not over the suburbs of Brisbane. This underpins the government’s decision on this.

We know the Leader of the Opposition has a position on this. Do you know what it is? It is to have another inquiry about a curfew at Brisbane airport—this is not No. 96 that we are speaking about; this is No. 97—an inquiry about aircraft noise and a curfew at Brisbane airport. His colleagues in the Labor government in Queensland do not agree with him. They do not want a curfew at Brisbane airport. They see it driving the Queensland economy and want no curfew at Queensland airport. They want this development to go ahead and they want this parallel runway built because that is the way to mitigate aircraft noise around Brisbane.

The Leader of the Opposition just wants to set up another inquiry. He is all about setting up reviews and inquiries and forming committees, and that is no recipe for good government. It is no substitute for making tough decisions and it is no substitute for good leadership—and he would not be a good leader of this country.