Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I can say, to add to the comments I've already made, that the Albanese government is ensuring that infrastructure spending is targeted and aligned with current capacity and resource availability in Australia's construction market. I can also tell you that, unlike certain other people in this chamber and in this parliament, the Albanese government and our ministers will not be using colour coded spreadsheets when it comes to allocating infrastructure funding. You won't be finding reports from the Auditor-General about that kind of activity.

What we will actually be doing is allocating infrastructure funding on the basis of need. And do you know what? I know it's a bit of a touchy subject over in that little part of the building. I know it's a touchy subject—colour coded spreadsheets, sports rorts, infrastructure rorts, regional rorts, urban congestion rorts, car park rorts. I mean, there are so many rorts you forget the numbers. But this government actually takes the use of taxpayers' money seriously. We intend to use it transparently and honestly. That means we will fund projects that are not in Labor seats. What an incredible suggestion that would be! What an incredible suggestion, to have a government that is prepared to allocate money on the basis of need rather than on what colour they're coded on a spreadsheet.