Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to make some comments in relation to the Rockhampton Ring Road, which was the subject of some discussion earlier today during question time. Whilst I didn't have the benefit of participating in the budget lock-up this afternoon, I had my own mini budget lock-up, which went for about 40 minutes, and I want to walk through what I could discern in relation to the Rockhampton Ring Road in that short period of time.

First, I want to start this story with reference to a transcript of a doorstop interview Minister Catherine King gave on Monday. When asked about the Rockhampton Ring Road, this is what Minister King said:

Yeah, the money that $823 million for the Rockhampton Ring Road is in the Budget. It remains in the Budget. There are no cuts in fact to infrastructure investment programs for roads in Queensland at all. No cuts at all. That project will happen but—

and of course there's a but—

of course what we're seeing right the way across the country is significant capacity constraints and I don't want to pretend to people that it's going to be delivered tomorrow. I don't want to pretend that, I want to deliver the project, I want to do that in partnership as I need to with the Rockhampton Ring Road. But we're being realistic about the timeframes for delivery.

That's what Minister King said on Monday 24 October.

It's interesting to compare those words with what then shadow minister Albanese said before he became Prime Minister. In an article published on Monday 24 September 2018, this is what he said in relation to the Rockhampton Ring Road:

The Coalition should stop playing games. The people and businesses of Rockhampton deserve certainty.

That's what he said—it's off his own website—in relation to the Rockhampton Ring Road on 24 September 2018, more than four years ago. Yet, his own minister, Catherine King, in a doorstop on Monday said she's not going to pretend it's going to happen tomorrow. I ask you, Prime Minister: Is that playing games with the people of Rockhampton? Is that delivering the certainty they need?

I then sought a media statement that was made on 22 January 2019. Interestingly, when you go to the Prime Minister's website and you look for a copy of this media statement—I don't know if it's my IT ability—you get, 'Nothing here but me, sorry,' and a picture of a dog. I think it's the Prime Minister's dog, Toto, that's there, but you can't find the article. But the article is cached, so you can see what was said. This is what the now Prime Minister said:

A Shorten Labor Government will deliver the project, not just talk about it.

…   …   …

Federal Labor's commitment to the Rockhampton Ring Road builds on our strong track record of delivering for Central Queensland the last time we were in office.

That's what the Prime Minister said on 22 January 2019:

A Shorten Labor Government will deliver the project, not just talk about it.

What do we find in the budget papers? As I say, I haven't had oodles of time to go through them. But I say to the people of Queensland: if a Labor federal government says 'reprofiling', be very, very concerned about your infrastructure project, because 'reprofiling' means your infrastructure funding is being pushed out to the never-never. That's what 'reprofiling' means. So, it's not a good thing. If the Albanese government talks about reprofiling an infrastructure project, that isn't good news for your project; it's bad news, and bad news for Queensland. Let me go to budget paper 1, on page 7:

$22.0 billion in spending reductions or reprioritisations, including $6.5 billion in savings from reprofiling—

there's that word—

infrastructure projects to better align investments with industry and market conditions.

Those infrastructure projects are being reprofiled for our benefit! The people of Rockhampton might not realise that, but the Albanese government is reprofiling their ring road for the benefit of the people of Rockhampton; that's what page 7 of budget paper 1 says.

Going to budget paper 2, as I sought more detail with respect to how this reprofiling was going to work, this is what I found on page 161:

The Government will re-profile $6.5 billion of funding for existing projects within the Infrastructure Investment Program to beyond the forward estimates, to better align the investment with construction market conditions.

Bear in mind, this reprofiling is apparently for the benefit of the good people of Queensland. They won't see their infrastructure in the next few years, but it's being reprofiled—don't worry about that! We're reprofiling, to better align investment with construction market conditions. That's page 161 of budget paper 2.

Then we go to the regional ministerial budget statement, and what do we see there? On page 179, not only is it reprofiling; it's a new approach! It says:

The Australian government is continuing its investment in road and rail infrastructure projects to support regional development. The 2022-23 budget reflects a new approach to infrastructure investment that responds to market capacity constraints, creating a more sustainable infrastructure pipeline while continuing to support priorities for communities.

We're reprofiling—there you go; it's all for our benefit!

But how does this reprofiling respond in terms of, say, a project in Victoria, where the Labor government is seeking election in the near future? Well, you see, the reprofiling doesn't apply to Labor projects in Victoria, presumably because it doesn't sit with the profile of the electoral cycle for Premier Dan Andrews and the Labor Party in Victoria. Again, I go to the transcript of Minister King's doorstep interview, in relation to the suburban rail loop in the northern suburbs of Melbourne:

Of course, our commitment is $2 billion to the early works of the first component of that, it will still go to Infrastructure Australia as an overall project for assessment.

So, we're going to contribute millions and millions and millions of dollars of taxpayer funds to the early works for a project that hasn't been assessed by Infrastructure Australia? I'll read that again:

Of course, our commitment is $2 billion to the early works of the first component of that, it will still go to Infrastructure Australia as an overall project for assessment.

Shouldn't you actually assess the project before you invest in it?

I suggest that maybe there could be another use of the word 'reprofiling', which is to direct the investment to projects that have already been assessed, which have already been committed to, which the community's already expecting, and which many local regional suppliers have made capital investment in relation to, to gear up for the construction of those projects and to reprofile funds from infrastructure projects in Labor Victoria to Queensland, where the community has a very, very legitimate expectation in relation to the building and construction of those projects.

Again, I'll read the words from now Prime Minister Albanese in relation to Rockhampton. This is what he said in relation to the coalition, on 24 September 2018: 'The people and businesses of Rockhampton deserve certainty.' That's what he said in 2018. In 2019 he said, 'A Shorten Labor government will deliver the project, not just talk about it.' And what does his government say in—

That's how long ago it was, Senator Ciccone. That's how long ago it was. He was making commitments way back then. Now his own minister, Minister King, in relation to the same project which has committed funding, says, 'We're going to reprofile the project.' That is not good news for the people of Queensland, that is not good news for the people of Rockhampton and that is not good news for regional Australia. They deserve better from this Albanese government.