Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. How is the Morrison-McCormack government delivering on its balanced plan to deliver infrastructure for rural and regional Australia? How does this compare against the risk of alternative approaches?

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Mallee for her question. She is a fine advocate for her fine seat in regional Victoria.

Through her advocacy and this government's stronger economy we are delivering on election commitments that we made in Mallee. The member for Mallee is a fighter; she's a fierce advocate for improved medical services, for improved infrastructure services and better delivery for regional Victoria and elsewhere. I would say that across the parliament we know that better roads save lives. People living in and travelling throughout Mallee deserve better roads and better infrastructure, and the safest possible journey to get to where they need to be sooner—and perhaps most importantly, safer.

In Mallee alone, as part of our election commitments, we've invested $6 million for black spot road upgrades. These are black spot upgrades which are going to take away those deadly intersections and make sure that we improve those sections of road which have proved so costly to so many families in the past. There is $91 million in Roads to Recovery funding over nine councils.

Roads to Recovery funding is a function of this government. It was thought up by this government and is being delivered by this government. It goes back years and it has brought such benefit to regional areas. We committed $10 million to installing passing lanes and introducing two new intersections along the Calder Highway to Mildura. This investment in road safety is also improving freight efficiency for local producers, with more than 280 heavy vehicles utilising this section of the highway each and every day. We want to increase it so that the fine food and fibre from the Mallee region get to port quicker and to market faster.

Ensuring a steady flow of traffic and improving conditions for freight and transport networks on the intersecting Sturt Highway is crucial to the broader road safety measures that we are introducing and investing in. They're part of the $100 billion record amount of infrastructure that we're doing, right across the nation.

There's $60 million for a new bridge in Swan Hill. I know how much the member has fought for this.

We committed $2 million to the Mildura airport. That was for an instrument landing system. The Mayor of Mildura, Simon Clemence, said it was the best investment that any government of any political persuasion had ever done for Mildura, and already the number of inquiries from pilot training academies is writ large, making sure that that investment is well spent.

I was asked about alternative approaches. Those opposite ignore regional Australia. But they do so at their peril, because when the regions are strong, so too is our nation. When our farmers are at their best, so too is our nation. When our truck drivers can transport goods around our nation in a more efficient and timely manner, then our nation benefits. But those opposite just want to impose a carbon tax. They want to make it harder for farmers. They want to make it harder for our truckies—our truckies who deliver everything in this nation except babies! They need the support and they need the help. And they'll get it from this side. (Time expired)