Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

This inquiry is needed but to serve its purpose we need to explore the massive imbalance in funding between motorways and public transport. When Labor was in government $36 billion was allocated for a six-year national building and transport plan—sounds good, but three-quarters of that was earmarked for road and one-quarter for rail. During the six years that Mr Anthony Albanese was the transport minister, motorways and road building were favoured at a rate of about four to one over public transport. Labor, when in government, had no federal strategy to drive investment in public transport. I have been informed that Labor will not support the Greens amendment that specifies the need for the inquiry to consider why motorway development over the past decade has received higher levels of federal and state government funding compared with public transport. These issues should be explored.