Jana Stewart (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The Albanese Labor government understands that Australians need reliable and accessible public transport. We know that families are feeling the pinch at the petrol pump and the supermarket checkout. We know that regional communities are feeling this pinch the hardest right now. While the Greens are chasing likes, we are building public transport and transport links that get people to work and to school every day, every night, across the country. While they're picking fights, we are building.

Let's look at the facts here. The Albanese government is currently delivering a record investment of over $120 billion in the roads and rail that Australia needs over the next 10 years. We are putting real money on the table to ensure that these projects are actually getting built. Our commitments across the country include $5.6 billion for the METRONET in Perth, $5.19 billion for the Sydney Metro to Western Sydney Airport, $2.2 billion for the Suburban Rail Loop in my home state of Victoria—with more to come—and $1 billion to extend the rail network in Sydney's south-west. We are also looking to the future of transport, with $659.6 million for the next stage of high-speed rail and $100 million through the Active Transport Fund to support walking and cycling.

While the state and territory governments are responsible for operating these networks and setting fares, it is the Commonwealth that is doing the heavy lifting on infrastructure that makes those services possible. This motion suggests we pay for their plans with a tax on gas exports. The reality is that this government has already taken decisive action to ensure that gas companies pay their fair share.

In the first term, we made the tough changes to the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax that the previous government ignored. Because of our reforms, offshore gas companies are paying more tax and they are paying it sooner. The latest budget update forecasts we will collect $5.4 billion in PRRT over the four years to 2028-29. In 2023-24 alone, oil and gas companies paid almost $12 billion in PRRT and company tax. The company tax from this sector alone has jumped by an average of $1.1 billion to over $10.4 billion under Labor. We've also legislated new integrity rules to stop multinationals from using excessive debt deductions to wipe out their tax bills in Australia.

Holding these companies to account ensures that they pay their fair share to support the essential services that Australians rely on. This revenue is exactly what allows us to deliver meaningful cost-of-living relief and put more money back in the pockets of every taxpayer.

We also know that fuel prices are a massive burden right now. The Albanese government is acting. We've released 20 per cent of the minimum stockholding obligation for petrol and diesel, doubled penalties for companies found guilty of unfairly raising fuel prices and amended fuel standards to allow more supply onto the market. We are working with international partners like Singapore and Korea to shore up our supply chains.

We don't wait for crises—like the one we currently have as a result of the war in the Middle East—to act. We have consistently invested in infrastructure that keeps Australia and Australians moving. The Greens want to talk about urgency, but their actions tell a very different story. They spend more time fighting than they do working in the national interest. They would rather turn their backs on constructive policy to play political games with the coalition, working against the best interests of the Australian people.

The government has a plan. We are delivering record infrastructure, we are making multinationals pay their fair share and we are easing the cost of living for every Australian. That is the choice: Labor's plan to build Australia's future or the Greens' plan to keep picking the same old fights.