Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the Minister representing the Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, Senator Hume. Glen Eira council revealed that their future funding was threatened by Minister Fletcher when they questioned the benefit of two car park projects based in the Liberal seat of Goldstein. Mr Fletcher's letter states: 'Such a decision could well have the long-term consequence of reducing the chance of future applications for Commonwealth funding for the City of Glen Eira being successful.' Why did the minister threaten the council?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Walsh for her question. I am not familiar with the correspondence to which she is referring. Perhaps she could table that correspondence so that we can all become familiar with that correspondence.

What I can say is that the provision of commuter car parks under the Urban Congestion Fund was an important commitment and part of the Australian government's budgeted more than $5 million towards busting congestion, reducing time that people spend going to work and coming home from work, and spending more time with their families. We know that this is an important election commitment. It was not just an election commitment; it was a budgeted commitment. We know how important it was because it was a very similar program to that of the Labor Party. In fact, the Labor Party park-and-ride fund was almost identical. It was announced the day after it was announced by then opposition leader Bill Shorten. There were announcements of commuter car parks in places like Woy Woy. The day after the fund was announced, it was announced, by Woy Woy, by Senator Deb O'Neill. Does that sound right to Senator O'Neill? You announced a car park. That's extraordinary!

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator Wong, on a point of order?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A point of order on direct relevance. The question went to why Minister Fletcher threatened the council. The minister said she's not aware. I have, here, the letter from Mr Fletcher, in which the threat is made. I seek leave to table it so the minister can respond directly to the question.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is leave granted? Leave is granted. Minister, I'll just rule on the point of order. I will bring you back to the question. It was a reasonably specific question. I'll bring you back to the question, and you have the call for 35 seconds.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank, very much, Senator Wong for obliging the government with a copy of the letter. It would have been much handier if we'd had that at the beginning of the question. If you would like us to respond to a piece of correspondence it would be very handy if we actually had the correspondence in front of us while we were answering the question. But that's alright, you can do a little bit of political pointscoring. What I can tell you is that in 2018 Glen Eira council provided the member for Goldstein with a set of project proposals that included commuter car park upgrades in Bentleigh and Elsternwick. As is the prerogative of all members of the House— (Time expired)

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Walsh, a supplementary question?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

An independent report found that the proposed commuter car parks wouldn't remove cars from the road but would increase congestion around the car parks. How many car parks will the Morrison-Joyce government fund for their own political purposes, against the advice of their departments and the wishes of state and local governments who deliver them?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What I can say, and was continuing to say, is that, as is his prerogative—and as is the prerogative of all members of the House—the member for Goldstein advocated for his community and successfully secured funding for those projects in Glen Eira. On those projects, in August 2020 the mayor of the council said, 'Substantial federal government funding—

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, please resume your seat. Senator O'Neill, please withdraw.

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I didn't call her a [inaudible].

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Sorry. I may have misheard. Senator O'Neill, if you did not say something disorderly—

Deborah O'Neill (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I did not use the word that you don't want me to name again, but I did say something about truth, yes.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, you have the call.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator O'Neill for her good manners. On the projects, in August 2020 the mayor of the council said, 'Substantial federal government'—I'm quoting, and I know you love a good quote, Senator O'Neill—'funding has allowed us to bring forward these two—

I'm sorry, Senator Wong. I can't hear myself, let alone you.

Slade Brockman (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Wong! Minister, you have the call.

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'Substantial federal government funding'—this is from the council—'has allowed us to bring forward these two priority projects, meaning that— (Time expired)

The:

Senator Walsh?

Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Given the council said that the proposed car parks would create more congestion, can the minister confirm that this money was just another taxpayer funded rort to get Mr Tim Wilson re-elected in Goldstein?

Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I suggest that Mr Wilson has absolutely no problem beating whatever candidate you put up in Goldstein. What I can say is that what we are seeing is nothing more than a petty partisan stunt by Labor and, dare I say, by the Greens councillors in Glen Eira, who are determined to strip their own constituents of hard-won funding to generate a headline and score a cheap political point. I wonder who they learned that from.