Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to join in the debate on the AusLink (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2008. As the explanatory memorandum informs us, the main provisions of the bill seek to amend the definition of ‘road’ contained in the act so as to put beyond doubt that projects for the development of off-road facilities used by heavy vehicles in connection with travel on the road may be funded and to extend the Roads to Recovery program until 30 June 2014.

When the Australian Constitution was framed, it was probably conceived by our nation’s founding fathers that roads, and land transport more generally, would be funded by the former colonial governments, which became the state governments, in Australia. I suppose that as the power of the purse has moved away from the several states towards the centre and as the Australian government became financially more powerful than the states, it has become necessary—and it is widely recognised and agreed on both sides of politics—for the Australian government to now involve itself, and, indeed, it should involve itself, in providing infrastructure in areas which, under our Constitution, might technically be the responsibility of state governments.

The Liberal-National government recognised this obligation and responsibility and, through sound economic management whereby we paid back $90 billion of Labor debt, we were able to find the financial resources to establish AusLink way back in 2004. This was the first national land transport plan in Australia since Federation and is the means by which the Australian government, the state governments and the territorial governments work together to develop a single, integrated national land transport network. In other words, we are now thinking as a nation and we are funding important transport initiatives, as indeed a nation should, in the 21st century.

Under the first AusLink program, from 2004-05 to 2008-09, the former Liberal-National government provided $15.8 billion in land transport infrastructure funding. For the second AusLink program, the Liberal-National government pledged another $16.8 billion over five years for national road and rail projects. That is a total of $32,000 million to improve Australia’s roads and rail. Madam Deputy Speaker Moylan, you would be aware that it was this money that built the Alice Springs to Darwin rail and that has resulted in the dramatic improvement of road systems throughout the nation.

It is always a challenge for government in Australia, given our large land area and the fact that we have a small population, to fund desirable transport initiatives. In the area of public transport, such as rail, in Europe where countries have large populations concentrated in relatively small areas, it is quite easy to improve infrastructure dramatically in that area with user-pays funding by the travelling public. In Australia, with a small population and a large area—huge distances to traverse—we always have a challenge because we never seem to have enough money to provide the infrastructure needed for a country the size of Australia. The challenge of building a solid road network in Australia is simply a fact of life in this country. The challenges will continue, as it is estimated that road usage will increase, with figures suggesting a doubling in the amount of freight that is transported by trucks, semitrailers, couriers and trains over the next 12 years. This growth in demand coincides with our growth in population and the expansion of our cities and communities. I think it is a pity that the former Labor government killed off the coastal shipping trade, because if we did have a viable coastal shipping trade we would not need the highways that we now require as a country.

I am privileged to represent in the Australian parliament the central and southern Sunshine Coast and also parts of the Caboolture region north of Brisbane. These areas are experiencing dramatic increases in population as people move from southern Australia to the sun belt to enjoy the wonderful lifestyle that we have in that part of Australia. One of the challenges we have got is that the infrastructure for the growing population never seems to be available when it is needed. It has been projected that the population of this area will double over the next 10 to 15 years, and that provides important policy challenges which must be met by state and federal governments. The population growth has been significant for some decades and will accelerate and continue as more and more Australian residents start acting on their wish, I suppose, to enjoy a wonderful lifestyle, beautiful scenery, a hospitable population and easy access to high-quality medical attention and also easy access to the capital city of Queensland.

It really is important that the road infrastructure in areas like the Sunshine Coast and Caboolture is maintained, upgraded and added to to ensure that there is an adequate road network that is able to support these communities in their transport needs. For instance, 80 per cent of the people who visit the Sunshine Coast do so by road. Most people would accept that the Queensland state Labor government has fallen down in the area of infrastructure generally, including roads. That is one of the reasons why AusLink is so important: we are meeting an unmet need where the state government has vacated the field to a certain extent and in doing so has failed to meet its constitutional obligations.

The bill being debated today is simple and non-confrontational and is supported by both sides of the chamber. I welcome the fact that the government is adopting a Liberal-National initiative, both with respect to AusLink and, as part of that, with respect to the extension of the Roads to Recovery program. It is important, however, in particular, that road infrastructure in the Sunshine Coast region, where population growth demands improvements to roads, including the widening of the Bruce Highway between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane to six lanes, is addressed. The former government funded the upgrading of the Bruce Highway to six lanes from Brisbane to Caboolture, and that certainly removed the worst bottleneck between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, but there is now a desperate need to increase the number of lanes to and from Brisbane to six lanes all of the way from Caboolture to the Sunshine Coast proper.

The state government has highlighted some of these areas to have accelerated population growth, even above and beyond what we have come to expect, but it has not yet indicated adequately that it is prepared to fund the infrastructure required to meet the needs of the growing population. In fact, I went to a public forum at the Lake Kawana Community Centre recently which some hundreds of people attended. This was organised by the state member for Kawana, Steve Dickson MP. Representatives were there from the state Labor government, and also the Leader of the LNP in Queensland, Lawrence Springborg, was there to highlight just how important it is that infrastructure is provided if we are going to have increased population growth. The community present at that particular function made it absolutely clear that they are completely opposed to development without infrastructure being provided.

During the election campaign last year the government promised some $50 million to keep the Bruce Highway safe and to fix up highway black spots in Caboolture and the Sunshine Coast. They also committed some $195 million to upgrade several road interchanges, including Pumicestone Road, which is in the electorate of Fisher. I anticipate of course that the government will meet those commitments and I look forward to seeing all of this work commenced and completed to ensure the highest level of safety possible.

Just last week, on 4 September, further north on the Bruce Highway south of Gympie, three people lost their lives in a multivehicle crash in wet conditions. Sadly, one of those who died was 18 weeks pregnant at the time of her death. Less than a week later, on 11 September, two more people were killed on the Mary Valley Highway at Amamoor, also just south of Gympie. These road tragedies are devastating and are repeated far too often on the roads. I suspect, Madam Deputy Speaker, coming from Victoria as you do, that you could also highlight the fact that many people have lost their lives in unsafe conditions on roads in your state. We must strive for the best possible road network, and that is one of the reasons why AusLink is so important.

It is vital that roads in Australia are maintained at satisfactory and safe levels while construction of new roads continues at an acceptable rate to ensure that our road network is able to meet the needs of our increasing population. The Roads to Recovery program was a particularly important initiative of the former Liberal-National government because it meant that we were able to reach over the heads of state governments and go directly to local authorities and local councils.

I do welcome the fact that an amendment contained in the AusLink (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2008 does make it clear that funds can be allocated under the Roads to Recovery program for use in a particular state while the most appropriate entity to finally receive the allocation is determined. As the explanatory memorandum sets out, this will allow funds to be preserved whilst, for example, a decision is made on who should receive funds so as to provide roads in unincorporated areas where there is no local council or to provide bridges and Aboriginal access roads in remote parts of the state.

AusLink is one of those initiatives that enjoys the support of both sides of politics. I do hope that the government will not focus on pork-barrelling and that it will make sure that AusLink funding gets through to communities where that funding is needed regardless of how the constituents in those particular communities voted at the last election. I appeal to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, and also to the government to make sure that the government governs for all Australians and that AusLink funding goes to areas like the Sunshine Coast. Though it might well enjoy conservative representation, the needs of the Sunshine Coast are certainly very great given the fact that so many people are moving from Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales—the rust belt areas of southern Australia—to come to the sun belt. When they get there we do want appropriate levels of infrastructure; we want high-quality roads. Let us face it: there is no point in having large increases in population unless we are able to provide the services and infrastructure required by those people who choose to move to the best part of the best state in the best country in the world. I commend the bill to the chamber.

See this speech in context