Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

The interjection from the shadow minister for environment and water suggested that that was an embarrassing moment. I am not sure what is more embarrassing: not investing in infrastructure or realising that someone is not in the chamber. I would say that it is pretty embarrassing not to have invested in infrastructure for so many years—not to have invested in infrastructure in southern Adelaide and not to have made a commitment to the extension of the O-Bahn, which the member for Makin has been calling for for many years. I would say that is pretty embarrassing.

This government’s Nation Building Program will address the previous government’s infrastructure deficit. We hear a lot of criticism from the opposition about deficit. They need to stand up and be counted about the deficit they left for this nation when it comes to infrastructure. They squandered the proceeds of the mining boom and did not invest in the critical infrastructure that we need today. The Seaford rail is just one example of a project that has been desperately cried out for. This is a project that the local residents association, the council and the state government have all wanted. I am very pleased that this is one of the many nation-building projects around the country that will be delivered. This program, along with the many other programs that have been announced in the budget, will support jobs today by investing in infrastructure that we need for tomorrow. The population is growing in the southern suburbs of Adelaide, and those people want and require this investment in infrastructure.

The bill will help support jobs in Kingston, it will help support local jobs in the southern Adelaide region and it will help employ people right across South Australia. The improvement of Main South Road and the Victor Harbor Road intersection is just one small part in the Rudd government’s investment in infrastructure across the country. The Rudd government is working with councils, working with state governments and cooperatively investing in our future. Along with other projects in southern Adelaide, this is of tremendous importance to the local area and to the economy of South Australia generally. This bill allows for a very effective way to provide these funds. This bill is very much about investing for the future and making sure that we have a nation that is prepared to the future. I have been overwhelmed by support from local residents, who have been clear that this is the type of investment that they want for the future because it shows that this government is planning for the future. It is planning not for five years, not for 10 years but for decades into the future. I therefore commend the bill to the House.

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