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

I thank the honourable member for Page for her question. I note that under the Australian government’s nation building for recovery plan there are over 157 projects underway in the member’s electorate. And there will be an investment of $43.8 million in the member’s electorate. There will be 121 projects under the largest school modernisation program in Australia’s history. Twenty social housing units will be built in the member’s electorate, and there will be 16 projects under the government’s black spots and boom gates program, including $950,000 towards the accident prone area of the Kyogle Road at Lismore. There will be $10.9 billion for five local councils under the Community Infrastructure Program, including a $3.4 million investment in the Evans Head Aquatic Centre. These are practical projects aimed at building the infrastructure her community needs tomorrow while supporting jobs, business and apprenticeships today. That is the government’s overall strategy in response to the global economic recession, which is ripping the heart out of economies across the world.

Secondly, I would like to confirm today to the House that the government through its strategy is providing funding for infrastructure for every one of Australia’s 9,540 schools—every one of them. I would like to confirm to the House that under the National School Pride program we will be delivering $1.3 billion to 9,490 schools for 13,176 projects. I also confirm to the House that works on 8,863 projects at 5,994 schools are due to commence this month. On top of that, on 7 May the government allocated $2.8 billion of funding to 2,010 major projects like school halls, gymnasiums and multipurpose centres across nearly 1,500 Australian primary schools. That is the government’s strategy on nation building.

Yesterday we had some interesting exchanges with those opposite on their responses to nation building in their electorates. I draw the attention of the House to one of our favourite members opposite, the member for Canning—a person given to enormous generosity of spirit. He said at the time when this stimulus package supporting these projects was put through the House:

… I am saying tonight, as the Leader of the Opposition has said, that we will not be a part of this.

That is what the member for Canning said in February. What did the member for Canning have to say last night? He said this:

I support whatever taxpayer funds or funds borrowed on behalf of taxpayers are going into my electorate.

What a distance it is—

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