Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Corangamite for his question because he, like various members of this House, is proud of the government’s nation-building strategy for recovery. Our nation-building strategy for recovery involves construction of infrastructure right across Australia, including in Corangamite—and including in various of those seats which were referred to in this House yesterday when it seemed that honourable members from benches opposite were pleased to attend local launch ceremonies while pretending in this chamber that they did not support the measures through the House which gave funding for those local launch ceremonies of infrastructure. I am surprised by that.

Under the Nation Building for Recovery plan, there are 115 projects underway in the member’s electorate at a cost of $49 million. These include 87 projects under the largest school modernisation program in Australia’s history across 72 schools in the Corangamite electorate. There are 18 social housing units being built. There are 10 projects under the government’s black spot and boom gates programs, including $510,000 in black spot funding for the Princes Highway West in Belmont. There is $6 million going to five local councils under the Community Infrastructure Program, including $2 million towards a wide-ranging sports facility at Bannockburn which will include new netball, football, soccer and tennis facilities for young families moving into the area.

These projects are supporting jobs and small businesses in suburbs like Ocean Grove, Torquay, Grovedale and Colac. This is part of the government’s Nation Building for Recovery plan—supporting jobs, small business and apprenticeships for today while building the infrastructure Australia needs for tomorrow. If the Liberals had their way in this House, not a single one of these 115 projects would have ever seen the light of day—not a single school would be upgraded, not a single black spot would be repaired, no social housing would be built. The contrast with those opposite is clear for all to see.

Right across the nation we have the same construction work underway—investments supporting 200,000 jobs next year and the year after. This is being done through the vehicle of investing in 35,000 projects across the country by year’s end. Let us just take a few of these as examples, because those opposite need to be put up close and personal with what is actually going on around the country. Have a look at the Cootamundra to Parkes railway upgrade. This photo shows the first of 301,000 new concrete sleepers being unloaded near Parkes to commence the Cootamundra—

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