House debates Questions without Notice
Infrastructure
Sarah Henderson Corangamite, Liberal Party
2:29 pm
My question is to the Will the Deputy Prime Minister update the House on the benefits of the government's program of infrastructure development in my home state of Victoria?
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Madam Speaker, I ask that you rule that question out of order. The standing orders clearly do not allow irony in a question. Victoria has got eight per cent—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Grayndler will resume his seat. The Deputy Prime Minister has the call.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
2:31 pm
This government continues to show our commitment to building infrastructure right across Australia, including Victoria. We are creating economic growth with jobs and links to business and to markets. We are delivering through our record $50 billion infrastructure growth package. This government is about building the right infrastructure for our nation's future and supporting urban and regional communities to make sure we are able to travel around our country as we would like to. Work started on 19 new projects in 2014, and another 55 projects are commencing this year. So Australians are reaping the benefits of this budget which has substantial investment in infrastructure and providing opportunity right around Australia.
In the honourable member's own electorate, there has been very substantial work done and there are projects underway. We have just turned the sod on the duplication of the Princes Highway between Colac and Winchelsea—our contribution is $185 million—
Richard Marles Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
What were you doing on Sunday?
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
and the honourable member was present at, and participated in, that ceremony. And we are upgrading the Great Ocean Road, Australia's most notable tourism road—
Richard Marles Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
What about the regional rail link?
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
We have contributed $25 million for a project that Labor opposed; we are getting on with it and doing it. The regional rail link services start this Sunday. The first service on that particular route will leave Waurn Ponds, just outside the member's electorate office, at 6.37 am.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Grayndler will contain himself!
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
Labor, of course, destroyed the East West project, with 7,000 jobs lost. The shadow minister foolishly interjected with some nonsense statistic about Victoria getting nine per cent of the road funds.
Opposition members: Eight per cent!
Well, the true figure was 19 per cent in the budget. But that was too much for Victoria! They threw away seven per cent of it—so there is only 12 per cent left—because they did not want to go ahead with the East West project.
Mr Albanese interjecting—
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
So this is self-inflicted pain for the shadow minister and self-inflicted pain for Victoria.
Mr Marles interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Corio, I said, is warned—once more and he will leave.
Warren Truss Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals
We are ready to continue to talk to Victoria about what projects might be able to get going in that state. Even if the state government does not want to be involved in the biggest projects in that state, the reality is that many of these big projects cross governments. We did not rip up the contracts that the previous government had signed; we went on building and completing them whereas Labor rips up the project and has got nothing to replace it.