Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

No, I will reject the question. It is unlikely to have been a good one! The result of all this was the coalition government’s farewell gift to our nation: its underinvestment in infrastructure and, just to remind honourable members, the highest inflation rate in 16 years.

The approach of the former government to infrastructure planning and infrastructure investment is no longer good enough. By contrast, we in the Labor Party take seriously our tradition of nation building, and that is why the Rudd government has acted on the commitment to introduce Infrastructure Australia. This government is showing leadership. This government will help to clear the infrastructure bottlenecks that have been created by 12 years of neglect. It is an urgent task, one on which we require coordinated national leadership. That is what is now going to be provided. The Infrastructure Australia Bill, through its creation of Infrastructure Australia and the tasks that it sets for this new body, creates the structure for that national leadership.

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