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

So, in sum, what we have from this tabling of folders of projects which are currently underway as part of the government’s Nation Building for Recovery program are a large number of investment projects, part of the 35,000 projects being rolled out across the country. Let it be stated here formally, therefore, on the record that the Liberals and Nationals here have voted against 20,000 social housing projects, 11,000 projects in primary schools, 802 defence housing projects—Member for Herbert, hang your head in shame—17 major rail projects, 14 major road projects, 500 black spots projects, 250 boom gate projects—National Party, hang your collective head in shame—and 3,168 community infrastructure projects. The one exception, of course, is if we subtract those projects within the schools area for the member for Canning, because he stood up today and said that he in fact meant to vote with the government when this was actually put through.

What we have here is the most appalling display of Liberal Party hypocrisy, underlined yesterday by the minister for infrastructure standing in this place, showing one Liberal member after another and one National member after another attending supportively the launch of local investment projects in local schools right around the country, and piously, hypocritically claiming that they do not support the investment in these projects whatsoever. Is it any wonder that the people of Australia do not believe what those opposite stand for? We stand for building the Australian economy up; you stand for tearing the Australian economy down.

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