Jim Lloyd (Robertson, Liberal Party, Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads) Share this | Hansard source

I am talking initially about when we were deciding what the AusLink network was. Obviously the Commonwealth would have now written back saying that it is not on the AusLink network, so it is not part of the negotiations. What I am saying is that that was what was proposed and accepted by the Western Australian government at the time. Yes, there are current corridor studies and yes, the Western Australian government would have an opportunity—and I presume they have put an opportunity in to expand the AusLink network—but there is a limit to what the Australian government can do. We are providing $22.3 billion. There is a lot of pressure on the network that we have at the moment.

In the 2007-08 budget that we are discussing at the moment, the Australian government has increased to $1.7 billion its funding to Western Australia over that first five years of AusLink from 2004-05 to 2008-09. That is a massive increase of some 243 per cent compared with the preceding five years. The budget provides Western Australia with some $308 million in land transport infrastructure. You have $64 million for the new Perth-Bunbury Highway, to which we are contributing significant funding. You have $23.9 million for the upgrading of the Great Northern Highway, between Apple Street in Upper Swan and Wubin. There is $28 million for the east-west rail upgrading and passing loops west of Kalgoorlie and, under the Roads to Recovery program, $48.5 million for councils and of course $5 million for black spots.

So the Australian government is not walking away from its obligations of funding roads in Western Australia, but the state government in Western Australia needs to step up to its obligations as well. This is not a road that is on the AusLink network. I take issue with the honourable member saying that the Australian government is getting all the royalties from mining. The Western Australian government of course has significantly increased its revenue from mining. It is the boom state of Australia. They should be rolling in money. They should be able to provide money for infrastructure as well and it really is a matter for the state government.

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