Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Wong. After being questioned at the Australian Financial Review National Infrastructure Summit yesterday about the Suburban Rail Loop project, which didn't go through the Prime Minister's stated Infrastructure Australia process, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, who is quoted in the AFR today, said, 'I'm pretty confident that the project is right, and is right for investment.' On what basis of rigorous assessment, other than her own confidence, did the government approve $2.2 billion of funding in the budget for the Suburban Rail Loop project?

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Outrageous!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Everything is outrageous to you!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson, the minister has not even begun her response. I ask you to be quiet.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for the question. I do recall the extent to which all of us tried to campaign for state elections in this chamber, and I'm not sure any of us were actually very successful, but I'm happy to take the question. If my colleague Minister Watt, who actually represents the minister whose quote you are using, is able to assist, I'm sure he will. In relation to infrastructure projects, we have said that we will review infrastructure projects to better align investment with construction market capacity. We are consulting—

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

So why did you give $2.2 million to a failing project? Regional Victoria got nothing!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You're in a permanent state of outrage, aren't you?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There's never any light and shade with this particular senator; it's just permanent outrage. We're always right up there, aren't we? But I digress.

As I said in response to the budget, we are aligning investment with construction market capacity. We are consulting with states and territories throughout this process. This is the responsible and honest thing to do. If those opposite were honest about this, they would recognise that the government is increasing funding to infrastructure in regional Australia over the next decade. I'll repeat that: they are increasing funding to regional infrastructure over the next decade. But rather than simply announcing, we are ensuring that we can actually deliver on what we say we will do.

In relation to the points that the senator raised in her question, I would say it is interesting to get a question which goes to business cases and probity from a minister who never demonstrated that in her period in government.

Opposition senators interjecting—

You might think that's outrageous.

Opposition senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

But I think the public record speaks for itself.

An opposition senator interj ecting

Which part of that does Senator McKenzie want me to resile from? In relation to—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister Wong. Your time has expired. Just a moment, Senator McKenzie. Before I call you, there was so much noise during the minister's response that I found it very difficult to hear. I would ask all senators to respect that the minister has the right to answer the question in silence. Senator McKenzie, your first supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, given the government's documents show funding would not flow to Dan Andrews's controversial Suburban Rail Loop project until 2024-25 at the earliest—19 months away—for what reason was funding awarded in the October 2022 budget other than to suit Labor's political time lines?

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a dirty deal.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order on my right. I'm not going to call the minister until there's quiet.

Sarah Henderson (Victoria, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am upset.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Henderson. Please.

Honourable senators interjecting—

We are not at a football match; we are in Senate question time, and you are to be silent to hear the response and out of respect to the person answering the question. Before I call the minister to respond, I do remind Senator McKenzie to refer to people by their correct titles. So it would be 'Premier Andrews'. Thank you, Minister Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

enator WONG (—) (): Thank you, President. I'm asked—

Opposition Senator:

An opposition senator interjecting

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Really? She can't—

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

Your team love it when you use up all the time, Senator McKenzie. They love it.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm asked why the government funded the project. It's called honouring an election commitment. We had an election commitment to provide $2.2 billion towards early works for Suburban Rail Loop East, and a detailed business and investment case was released by Victoria last year which demonstrated a benefit-cost ratio.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, please resume your seat.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I raise a point of order on relevance. My question went to the profiling of the project. The funding doesn't flow in your own government documents until 2024-25. You could have run it through Infrastructure Australia processes, but you announced it in this budget.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, that question does go to why, and that's what the minister is responding to. She is being directly relevant. Please continue, Minister Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was actually asked why we were funding it, and I was explaining to the senator why we were funding it. I'd also make the point—and she may not wish to hear the facts about the detailed business and investment case—that it demonstrated a benefit-cost ratio of up to 1.7. That is $1.70 returned for every dollar invested. It will still be subject to assessment by Infrastructure Australia as is required.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, a second supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. It's nice to know it will be going through Infrastructure Australia. Minister King also told the AFR Infrastructure Summit that, if Infrastructure Australia's review of the project sees it as not worth progressing, she would personally talk to the Victorian Labor government about—and I quote her again—how they think they can 'make it stack up'. Minister, at what point of the PM's reformation of Infrastructure Australia are we going to see ministers not intervening to make sure that projects unfit for funding are going to be persisted on until they stack up?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I hadn't heard that quote before, but—

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on the front page of the AFR.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I've been doing a few other things. I'm sorry; I don't sit around reading the quotes of every—

Honourable senators interjecting—

No, it's not that. I'm just saying that I don't have every quote of a minister who I don't represent. I'm sure Minister Watt would have an excellent answer on this question.

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

In fact, I read every word!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sure he read every word—oh, really!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister Wong, please resume your seat. Senator McKenzie.

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, as Minister Wong is seeking to elicit laughs from her side, the relevance of my question—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, that is not a point of order. Resume your seat. Senator Watt.

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

Thank you, President. I think you were going there anyway, but surely Senator McKenzie has to name the point of order? What is the point of order?

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Watt, why are you on your feet? I have ruled the point of order out of order.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Order! Seriously, senators! I'm going to ask Minister Wong to continue.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, President. What I was going to say is that from what I heard of the quote it seems that it's an eminently sensible position to ensure that Infrastructure Australia can properly assess this important project, which the government was elected with a commitment to implement, which we are funding and which already has a business case. It seems to me an eminently sensible position to ensure that it properly stacks up—

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Victorian Auditor-General says doesn't stack up!

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Order!

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Eminently sensible to ensure it properly stacks up, and that's what the minister's quote goes to. (Time expired)