I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that the Government is delivering the infrastructure Australia needs to support growing communities, improve road safety, strengthen productivity and build better-connected communities;

(2) acknowledges that the 2026-27 budget continues the Government's long-term commitment to transport and community infrastructure that creates jobs, supports economic growth and improves the lives of Australians wherever they live, including within our territories;

(3) commends the ongoing Commonwealth investment through the Infrastructure Investment Program to strengthen:

(a) communities;

(b) freight productivity;

(c) regional connectivity; and

(d) economic development across the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory;

(4) notes that the Government is supporting the Northern Territory Government to deliver infrastructure that meets the territory's needs, including most recently:

(a) progress on upgrades to the:

(i) Santa Teresa Road, which is part of the $332 million Government investment in the Northern Territory Strategic Roads Package; and

(ii) Central Arnhem Road; and

(b) community infrastructure investments to deliver amenities and services in remote communities, while supporting local jobs and economic opportunities;

(5) further notes that the Government is supporting the Australian Capital Territory Government to ensure Canberra's infrastructure keeps pace with the demands of a growing region, including:

(a) a $50 million investment to deliver the staged duplication of Drake-Brockman Drive; and

(b) a further $50 million towards upgrades for the Sydney to Canberra rail corridor; and

(6) further commends the Government for continuing to invest in nationally significant and local community infrastructure projects that support territory communities, regional development and economic opportunity through the 2026-27 budget and the Infrastructure Investment Program.

The Albanese Labor government is delivering the infrastructure Australia needs to support growing communities, improve road safety, strengthen productivity and build better-connected communities, and nowhere is this more true than the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, which my colleagues the member for Lingiari and the member for Solomon will speak to shortly as well. In the ACT, we continue to benefit from having three federal Labor MPs and Senator Gallagher working closely with the ACT government to advance the interests of all Canberrans.

Canberra bashing is a real thing, and it has real impacts on our city. There was a time before this government was in power that representatives of our communities were not taken as seriously as they are now. When we come into this place and talk about the needs of our community, I'm proud to say that the Albanese Labor government takes those concerns seriously, as they do with other communities all around this country. But it hasn't always been the case. Under the previous coalition governments, Canberra was seen as nothing more than a political punching bag and not a real community with the needs, challenges and opportunities that cities, towns and regions all around our country face. I have been so proud that we have a prime minister who believes in the nation's capital and who has chosen to live here, as prime ministers should, at the centre of our government, the diplomatic corps and the Public Service. It is incredibly important and it shows a respect for our city and its purpose.

Our city is the home to the Public Service but also to a thriving business community who really punch above their weight and make our city what it is: a wonderful place to visit or to live. I'm really pleased that the sorts of issues about building our city are as important to our government as they are for other places around this country. In the last parliament, I was really pleased to chair an inquiry into fostering and promoting the significance of the nation's capital, where we heard from many engaged and deeply committed Canberrans about what future they wanted to see built for our city. I'm really pleased that some of those recommendations have been taken up.

First and foremost is the building of a new convention centre—one befitting of a nation's capital. This is something that people have advocated for and worked towards for decades, and it will be a game changer for our city. While I don't want to knock our current convention centre, it's simply not fit for purpose for the kinds of events that a nation's capital would want to hold, particularly international events and things like that. They are currently turning away business because they simply don't have the space to run concurrent events. It's just not up to scratch. I'm so pleased that our government has committed to building that new convention centre, working with the ACT government.

As part of that, we have also committed to building a new Canberra aquatic centre in the heart of the city. The new convention centre will be where the current Civic pool is, which is also in need of some upgrade. The government has committed $68.9 million to deliver the new Canberra aquatic centre, seeing the current Civic pool upgraded and rehomed in Commonwealth Park. Through the public consultations, it has been made incredibly clear that Canberrans care deeply about our local pool facilities, especially with summer coming up. In the most recent budget, the government announced $50 million to deliver a staged duplication of Drake-Brockman Drive and a further $50 million towards upgrades of the Sydney-Canberra rail corridor that will make the rail journey quicker and smoother.

This was recommended by my committee, in the National Capital and External Territories Joint Committee report. It's something that people have been advocating for for so long. It's as a result of the ACT government, the New South Wales Labor government and our government working together to ensure that we fix that rail corridor between Sydney and Canberra and make it a bit quicker so that it's a more competitive method of transport. People love to get the train to Sydney. It's good for the environment; it's a good thing for people to do, and I'm really pleased that we are investing in that.

We have also committed $50 million to plan for Canberra Light Rail Stage 2B be on a 50:50 basis with the ACT government. The stage 2B extension will run from Commonwealth Avenue through the National Triangle, along the east of State Circle to Adelaide Avenue, and then on to Woden. Our federal Labor government is investing in Canberra, and I couldn't be prouder of the work that we're doing there, working alongside the ACT government to build the capital city of the future.

Is there a seconder for this motion?

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Labor promised to end pork-barrelling. Anthony Albanese told Australians before the election, in 2022, that he wanted to 'change the way that politics operates in this country'. Minister for infrastructure Catherine King promised 'no more colour-coded spreadsheets and no more pork-barrelling'. But this government's record on infrastructure spending tells a very different story. We followed the money—you can't look at what Labor does, but you can look at what Labor spends their money on. It tells a very different story to the press releases and the media stunts. So we looked at two non-competitive infrastructure programs worth more than $351 million of your taxpayer money. Across the two programs, 93½ per cent of funding—some $328.8 million—went to projects in Labor-held seats. That's more than nine in every $10 taken off Australians and funnelled into Labor-held seats.

Under Minister King's Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, almost $223 million has been allocated—of which $207 million went to, you guessed it, Labor-held seats. That's almost 93 per cent of funding going to projects in Labor's own electorates. But, in 2021, on the Building Better Regions Fund, the now infrastructure minister said: 'Around 90 per cent of Building Better Regions funding went to coalition-held or target seats. It wasn't about developing regional Australia, it was about pork-barrelling national seats.' My question to Minister King is this: if 90 per cent of funding to coalition seats was pork-barrelling, what does 92.9 per cent of funding to Labor seats make your own Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program?

It doesn't end there, though. When it comes to the multicultural communities program, 94.2 per cent of funding has gone to Labor-held seats. That's 84 out of 90 projects that were funded in the government's own seats. Indeed, more than half of the funding—some $67 million—went to electorates held by margins of less than 10 per cent before the 2025 federal election, and almost two-thirds of the projects were funded in marginal seats. These were the seats that were most likely to determine the outcome of the election. Remarkably, the electorates most important to Labor's electoral fortunes just happened to receive the overwhelming share of funding. This hard, empirical data exposes Minister King as the new queen of pork-barrelling in Australia.

Minister King, when in opposition, described these programs as 'industrial-scale pork-barrelling' and, just three years ago, declared that there would be 'no more colour-coded spreadsheets and no more pork barrelling'. But I suppose Minister King has changed her position on that too, because neither of these programs were conducted via a competitive grants program. For both of the programs, the only organisations that could get funding were those invited by the Labor government to apply—and if your community wasn't on Labor's list, well, you didn't even get a look in, despite the fact that it's your tax money that's going into these programs.

When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to change the way politics works in this country, it seemed that the recipe could stay the same provided that it was him dishing out the money into his own Labor held seats. He promised Australians that his word was his bond, yet his government is now overseeing infrastructure programs where more than $9 in every $10 taken off Australian taxpayers is being funnelled into the government's own seats. It exposes these programs for what they are.

That's why I've taken the step of referring both programs to the Auditor-General. These programs ran through closed, noncompetitive processes where the only organisations that could apply were those invited to. These programs carry an inherent risk that the funding decisions are driven by partisan politics rather than any assessed need. Indeed, these are the same programs Labor targeted in opposition and changed the Commonwealth grants program to allegedly address in 2023. Let's see what the Auditor-General has to say, because you can't listen to what Labor says but you can watch closely where Labor has spent.

Since coming to office, the Albanese government has invested heavily in infrastructure for the Northern Territory. For much of the previous government, we were left with significant infrastructure shortfalls. Our roads, our bridges, our remote communities and our urban centres were neglected. This left a huge amount of work to be done—work we have set about doing over the last four years.

The Albanese government has committed to and is delivering on substantial funding and investment in the Northern Territory. These upgrades are absolutely critical and long overdue. The sealing of the Ltyentye Apurte, or Santa Teresa, road was promised for many decades and was yet to be delivered. The Albanese government is getting it done. Sealing this road will make an enormous difference for this community out in the south-east of Alice Springs, enhance access to services and help grow the local economy.

We have also funded critical local upgrades in Central Australia through the Central Australia Plan. This has seen local playground upgrades in Atitjere and Engawala, new change rooms in Pmara Jutunta—or Ti Tree—and Papunya, and a basketball court in Wilora. We've also seen major infrastructure upgrades for vital health services in Mutitjulu, Mparntwe Alice Springs and Santa Teresa. These refurbished clinics will see people in our remote communities have greater access to the care they deserve.

In the Barkly, we are funding major infrastructure projects through the Barkly Regional Deal. Recently I went to visit the boarding school under construction in Tennant Creek with the mayor of Barkly. This project will have a huge impact on regional education and help strengthen the future of the region. The Barkly Regional Council is also busy delivering on the youth space in Ali Curung, which will lead to safer and stronger outcomes for our young people. For tourists in the Barkly, the Australian government has funded major upgrades to the visitor centre on Battery Hill. I went up there with the CEO of Tourism Central Australia, and you can feel the excitement about how this might help drive the local tourism industry. In one of our most remote Barkly communities, Alpurrurulam, I recently attended the opening of a shaded community space. In one of the hottest parts of the country, having a shady place together is more than just an infrastructure project; it is about liveability.

In the Top End, we have recently announced the second phase of the Tiwi Roads package, which will see critical roads upgraded on Melville Island. Tiwis always talk to me about the state of their roads, so I know how much work we have to do here—but it is an important piece of work that we have started.

Our government has also funded major upgrades to the Central Arnhem Highway. By 2027, a further 14 kilometres will have been sealed. People might think that's not much, but, when you live in the bush and in the regions, that makes a real difference—making life for people along that road a bit easier. This is part of a broader $355 million package, of which the Australian government is committing $280 million. There are still key projects in the pipeline. The Mereenie Loop and the regional logistics hub for the Northern Territory need to be moving quickly.

While the Commonwealth is turning up to the table, it's time for the Northern Territory government to move beyond its spin machine and do the work delivering the infrastructure needs in the bush. The Northern Territory government has endlessly dragged its feet and not delivered any of the infrastructure projects we have funded them to deliver on time. We have a Northern Territory government that has an allergic reaction to anything beyond the Berrimah line. I've always said that, if we do not invest in the bush, the bush comes into town. Our government understands this and has put our money where our mouth is. There is more to be done in doing the hard yards of redressing the decades of infrastructure neglect that we have seen in the Northern Territory, but we have a federal government that is finally investing in the necessary infrastructure that we need to keep our bush communities viable into the future.

This motion does a great deal of self-congratulating for a government with very little to show for it. This motion proclaims that the government is improving road safety and delivering the infrastructure that Australia needs. That may be the rhetoric in here, but it is not the reality in regional South Australia. The electorate of Grey covers more than 90 per cent of South Australia. Almost everything moves by road—grain, livestock, iron ore, seafood, wine, opals or the local school bus. They are travelling on roads and they deserve to travel on safe roads.

In 2023, the Albanese Labor government cut the Commonwealth funding share for major road projects from 80-20 to fifty-fifty. For too long, South Australia has received the lowest road funding in the nation on a per kilometre basis. These funding deficiencies hit my constituents the hardest. When it comes to regional South Australia, the Albanese Labor government is not delivering. They are walking away. The consequences of these cuts is not hard to see. Despite Canberra slashing its funding, the work must go on. Corners are being cut, and roads are being built to a lower standard. They are quite literally falling apart faster than they can be repaired. If you want to see craters, skip NASA and drive into my electorate. It is basically the lunar landing. Roads are not made like they used to be. Highway 1 between Lochiel and Port Wakefield is the prime example. A new dual carriageway opened last year, and it is already totalled.

This motion also commends the government for strengthening freight productivity, yet every tonne of grain that traverses my electorate travels on a road that the Albanese Labor government has cut funding to. I do not need to poke holes in this government's delivery of roads. The roads do it for me. But the fairer test is to put that record beside the one before it. Under the former coalition government, more than $1 billion went into the roads of Grey. That did not happen by accident, either. It happened because, unlike those opposite, we on this side of the chamber realise the country does not stop at the edge of a capital city. We funded regional roads. Those opposite cut funding and commend themselves in motions like this. But the coffers have not run dry. This government has never had trouble spending money. It just spends it elsewhere.

While the Albanese Labor government cannot find funding for the roads of Grey, they have recently managed to find another $3.8 billion to chip into Victoria's Big Build. We know what happens to money on the Big Build. At least 15 per cent of the cost blowouts on those projects have been put down to CFMEU corruption. On $3.8 billion, that is $570 million of taxpayer money down the drain, all to systemic corruption in Victoria's construction sector. Think about what $570 million could do for the roads of the Grey electorate. Instead, it's gone to the CFMEU and organised crime.

While Labor governs for the cities, the coalition delivers for the nation. Before I conclude, it's worth going through what this motion actually says. It recognises the government. It acknowledges the government. It commends the government. It then notes the government, further notes the government and further commends the government. While Labor feel the need to congratulate themselves, what Australia needs is a change of government. Only a coalition government will invest in the nation-building infrastructure our nation and region need—roads, ports, energy and water. The choice at the next election is clear: an Albanese Labor government focused on congratulating themselves or a coalition government with a plan to deliver.

As my good friend the member for Lingiari said, there is enormous potential for economic growth and social development across the Northern Territory, and it will be to the benefit of the whole nation. But potential in and of itself doesn't create jobs; investment does, and that's what our government is committed to: building the north and building Australia's future by investing in the infrastructure that Australians need and deserve.

As of the budget of 2026-27, the total Australian government commitment to the Northern Territory under the IIP over the next 10 years is $2.8 billion—with a B—including $2.4 billion towards major road and rail projects, over $340 million for smaller projects and programs such as Roads to Recovery, safer local roads and infrastructure and the Black Spot Program. These infrastructure investments are delivering nationally significant projects for the territory that provide jobs, boost the economy and improve the lives of locals.

This funding will make NT roads and transport networks safer, stronger and more efficient. Through the 2026-27 budget, the Australian government committed $24 million towards upgrading the two intersections in my electorate of Bagot Road with Fitzer Drive, which is a very dangerous intersection, and also Totem Road with Osgood Drive on Bagot Road, to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and, most importantly, enhance safety.

The Australian government is making a substantial investment in the NT transport network, with major commitments across nationally significant freight corridors, remote access roads and regional connections. This includes but is not limited to the Tanami Road, the Central Arnhem Road, the Carpentaria Highway, the Outback Way, the Buntine Highway and priority sections of the Stuart, Victoria, and Barkly Highways. When complete, these investments will improve safety, reliability and resilience across the territory's road network, supporting communities, industry and tourism.

The Australian government is investing in these priority upgrades in the NT that will also support population growth, freight efficiency and safer travel. A key federal Labor commitment is $200 million to duplicate priority sections of the Stuart Highway between Darwin and Katherine. So that's road upgrades to our Stuart Highway. But we are still waiting for the CLP NT government to give us their plan. They have got to give us the plan about what they intend to do. That money is there, waiting to make the Stuart Highway better and safer. But, meanwhile, territory businesses and territory workforce just wait for the territory government to do their job.

Those opposite, the coalition, spent years announcing projects that didn't have any funding attached. They had no timelines and no delivery plan, neglecting the regions, like the Northern Territory. The Liberals, Nationals and One Nation have no plans and no vision for regional Australia, and, for too long, they neglected to invest in essential road upgrades and maintenance that now our government, the federal Labor government, are funding. Again, if only in the Northern Territory, we had a Northern Territory government that was getting after the job of making those roads better and safer.

It was a coalition government that, in 2013, froze road maintenance funding for national highways. Our government's doing exactly the opposite. We have reversed that freeze and we continue to fix the mess of uncosted and unsustainable projects that they left behind. Under the infrastructure investment pipeline, our government is investing in nationally significant infrastructure projects that provide jobs, boost the economy and provide an improvement and an upscaling of the standard of living that people can enjoy in regional Australia. We know that's important, that we need to keep our country moving, and that's the way to do it: by investing in road infrastructure. It's good for the economy. It's good for people who live in regional Australia. And it's good for people who live in the Northern Territory, which is what I'm most passionate about, and that's what we're focused on.

As I read the motion, I couldn't help but wonder if the Albanese government and I even share the same Australia. This motion calls on us to applaud the government for infrastructure investment that supposedly supports growing communities, improves road safety, boosts productivity and connects us all. Well, clearly, they haven't stepped foot in the electorate of Lyne. In fact, I don't think they've stepped foot in real regional Australia for a very long time. If they had, they wouldn't be so quick to pat themselves on the back.

Now, I haven't sat back quietly and let the government roll over the Lyne electorate. I've been proactive with this government. Last year, before the budget, I spoke to our councils, communities, sporting organisations, service providers. I prepared a pre-budget submission. I gave the Treasurer this comprehensive pre-budget submission outlining the infrastructure needs in Lyne. And let me tell you, it's a long list.

I know a lot of people who, frankly, would like to see politics stripped out of the debate on infrastructure, but I'm going to say that the coalition did put a lot of funding into regional infrastructure and made progress. But there is a long tail of work to do: roads, bridges, water and sewerage, infrastructure that enables housing, sporting facilities, community infrastructure, disaster resilience, mobile blackspots. The problem for regional Australia is that the Labor government has basically brought funding to real regional Australia to a standstill. There's nothing flowing.

What they are delivering are projects that we committed to—I've got the member for New England here, who was a coalition minister—like the Outback Way, the M1, the Pacific Highway. In a couple of weeks, when that opens, we're going to have a dozen-plus Labor members standing there saying, 'Geez, what a great job we did with the M1!' Well, where did the funding come from? When did the project get committed to? Who signed the contracts? It was the coalition government that did that.

This should be a project where we all stand up together and show Australians that we can do nation-building infrastructure across governments. But, no, of course not. We won't see that. We'll see Labor ministers and Labor members stand up to claim all the credit. Well, frankly, I think that does government and governance a disservice. And there are lots of roads in the Lyne electorate that we need funding for.

The Prime Minister promised us that he'd govern for all. He even went up to the Lyne electorate after the floods last year. He saw the devastation at the Bight Bridge. He saw the devastation to communities. I met with the general manager of MidCoast Council only last week. They are more than $150 million out of pocket. There's $65 million of community infrastructure that they can't get funding for under the changes to the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. And they can't get $75 million for water and sewerage that was broken during that flood.

Let me talk about some of the other roads in Lyne that desperately need funding. There's the Bucketts Way intersection with the Pacific Highway. There are near misses there almost every day. We need a grade separated interchange. This shouldn't be a debate. We don't need a long, drawn-out business case; we need to get on because people's lives are at stake. It's the same at Medowie Road and the Pacific Highway. There's been a huge amount of development in Medowie. It's outside my electorate, but a lot of people from my electorate work at Williamtown or down in Newcastle or Raymond Terrace, and they use these roads. They're desperate for funding for grade separated interchanges. Houston Mitchell Drive up near the road out to Lake Cathie too has seen near misses and deaths, yet nothing. I know, as a former roads adviser, that    we need the New South Wales state government to start prioritising these intersections and stop playing political games with people's safety.

I also want to talk about King Creek Road and Oxley Highway, an intersection I use all the time. Only recently I spoke with the father-in-law of a young girl who died at this intersection. It is a black spot that should be the No. 1 priority. The No. 2 priority should be the Failford Road and Lakes Way intersection. Can we get the state government to focus on these roads? No we can't. We can't. We just get continuing political games. It's time. We need a government, a coalition government, to roll up its sleeves and invest in our regions. (Time expired)

The time allotted to this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.