Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Blair for his question and his ongoing interest in infrastructure issues. We do indeed face huge transport challenges in this country: a freight task that will double over the next decade, congestion costs that are increasing and greenhouse emissions that are growing. We need a comprehensive plan to tackle these challenges, and rail must be a part of the solution.

Last night I attended the Australasian Railway Association dinner. It was a great night, and I congratulate the industry on their presentation on the state of rail and its future challenges. I was pleased to see so many of my parliamentary colleagues there. Indeed, there were more than 30 members of the coalition there last night to hear the presentation about rail. That is almost half the party room. The member for Wentworth, unfortunately, was not there, but perhaps he should have been—to talk to his caucus colleagues. He did not have to resign from the economics committee to get extra time to talk to his caucus colleagues; he could just go to more functions on a Wednesday night. From their attendance last night, you would think that the coalition had a great interest in rail. But look at the legacy that we have inherited. The rail share of the freight market—

See this speech in context