Andrew Broad (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House how the coalition government's investment in road and rail infrastructure in Victoria will drive employment opportunities for hardworking Australians? Is he aware of alternative approaches?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for his question and note his intense interest in agriculture and how important it is in agriculture to make sure that we have the proper intermodal capacity for the efficient transport of bulk commodities such as wheat, cotton, beef and lamb and also in the mineral provinces for coal and for iron ore. That is why this government has had a substantial investment in rail infrastructure. For $220 million Murray Basin freight rail standardises 1,130 kilometre of rail to Geelong. It upgrades to 21 tonnes the standard gauge axle load, increasing train payloads from 300 tonnes to 400 tonnes. It's a 15 per cent productivity efficiency. Under this there'll be 20,000 fewer trucks on the road. It directly benefits the towns of Ulta, Mildura, Ouyen, Murrayville, Woomelang, Birchip, Donald, Ultima, Quambatook, Boort, Dunolly, Maryborough, Ballarat and Ararat.

This is part of $4.5 billion for road and rail works for Victoria, including the $1.42 billion Victorian Regional Rail Revival Program. With this regional rail revival there is an extra $20.2 million on top of the Murray Basin Rail Project—the Ballarat rail line upgrade, the Gippsland rail line upgrade, the Warrnambool rail line upgrade, the north-east rail upgrade, the Geelong rail upgrade, the Avon River Bridge upgrade and the Bendigo rail line upgrade.

I know that the Labor Party has a great aversion to the upgrade of rail. That's why they have no money on the table for the Inland Rail, apart from saying that it's a useful idea. And of course one of the greatest infrastructure projects of our nation is the Melbourne to Brisbane Inland Rail. I know that if the member for Grayndler had an absolute belief in it he would come to the dispatch box—

Ms Chesters interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo has been warned, and she'll leave under 94(a).

The member for Bendigo then left the chamber.

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and commit the Labor Party to its construction with the numbers in the budget to show for it.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why don't you ask me a question?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Grayndler has just asked me why I don't ask him a question. I know he's a little bit confused about this, but we're the government and he's the opposition. He's actually supposed to ask us a question. I know he'll get to it soon, if the Leader of the Opposition will let him. The member for Grayndler, who wants me to ask him a question—it's obviously so that he can put himself before the Australian people as a better leader than the current Leader of the Opposition.