David Feeney (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Regional Rail Link project in Victoria, a project that was opened on Sunday, the largest ever Commonwealth investment in an urban public transport project, a project funded by the previous Labor government. It employed some 15,000 Australians and it was the largest infrastructure project in Australian history in the public transport space—some $3.2 billion. This from a Labor government that invested more in public transport than all other Commonwealth governments combined between Federation and 2007. This is an outstanding accomplishment, separating Melbourne suburban passenger lines from lines serving our regional centres in Victoria, adding 54,000 commuters seats a day, saving the Victorian economy $300 million a year by reducing traffic congestion and lifting productivity.

But, proving that old adage that the Deputy Prime Minister would go to the opening of an envelope, we found him there on Sunday seeking to take credit for a project he himself voted against in opposition. After coming into office, the Abbott government cancelled all of its investment in public transport that was not the subject of existing contracts. That included Melbourne Metro, Brisbane's Cross River Rail, Adelaide's Tonsley Park project and a $500 million allocation to public transport projects. Why? Tony Abbott told us in his political manifesto, Battlelines, that there are not enough people wanting to go from one particular place to a particular destination at a particular time to justify any vehicle larger than a car.