Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table them.

Leave granted.

The second amendment is extraordinary. It opposes black spots funding on the national network. The Leader of the National Party nods in agreement. This is in spite of the fact that in his speech one of the things he did get right was acknowledging the increased funding for black spots which we have included as part of our stimulus packages.

In question time last week I raised the article in the Latrobe Valley Express on 25 May where the member for Gippsland welcomed the funding, boasting about the great benefit that black spots would achieve for his electorate. If the member for Gippsland votes for the amendment which will be moved by the Leader of the National Party, that very black spot that he had his photo in the local paper applauding that it was going to be fixed by the Rudd Labor government will not be eligible for the funding: $450,000 to fix the black spot at the intersection of Post Office Place and the Princes Highway East in Traralgon. The intersection of Heyfield Road and Princes Highway in Sale will also miss out on $5,000 of black spot funding.

If the member for Mallee votes for the amendment moved by his leader, the Leader of the National Party, then five projects on the national network in his electorate of Mallee will not get the funding: $70,000 to fix a black spot on the Western Highway and Urquhart Street intersection in Horsham, $92,000 to fix a black spot on the Sturt Highway intersection with High King Drive and Madden Ave in Mildura, $20,000 to fix a black spot on the Western Highway at the Horsham and Kalkee roads intersection, $30,000 to fix a black spot on the Calder Highway at the Hattah and Robinvale Road intersection and $20,000 to fix a black spot on the Calder Highway at the Walsh and Arnolds roads in intersection.

The member for Maranoa has released three media releases since February saying he supports black spot funding in his electorate. If he votes for the amendment which will be moved by the Leader of the National Party, then $70,000 to fix a black spot on the Warrego Highway and Condamine Street intersection in Dalby and $500,000 to fix a black spot on the New England Highway between Coochie Road and Brown Road in Braeside will not be funded. This is, once again, an extraordinary example of the coalition saying one thing in their electorates but another thing here in parliament. I seek leave to table a list of the black spots on the national network.

Leave granted.

When it comes to infrastructure investment, the National Party is very confused indeed. The fact is that our second budget delivers more funding for infrastructure projects than that provided last year in our first budget. All up, we will invest a record $6 billion in 2009-10 to build new and upgrade existing transport infrastructure—more than we provided in 2008-09, with a total over that period of $11.9 billion. The allocations that make up this unprecedented investment program can be found on pages 24, 34, 89 and 107 of my department’s portfolio budget statements.

I want to put to bed this argument about how much the coalition was intending to spend, and the best way that I can do this is to publish a budget media release issued on 8 May 2007 by the then Minister for Transport and Regional Services and Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile, and the then Minister for Local Government, Territories and Roads, Jim Lloyd. I seek leave to table that media release.

Leave granted.

It states:

The Australian Government will invest $22.3 billion in Australia’s land transport system from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

That is what it says, that was their position, and yet the Leader of the Nationals pretends somehow that they had $31 billion allocated. All you have to do is look at the previous government’s budget papers and their own press releases. That is what they budgeted for. This government has budgeted $35.8 billion, including the Nation Building Program, the equity injection into the Australian Rail Track Corporation and the new transport infrastructure investments announced in the 2009-10 budget.

To conclude, the amendments that the opposition have foreshadowed not only would damage the integrity of this legislation and the delivery of our Nation Building Program; they are also totally inconsistent with what the opposition say not just in their electorates but in this House when it comes to funding in their specific electorates. Instead of that, what they have foreshadowed is that they will actually vote against this legislation. Like they voted against the Infrastructure Australia legislation, like they voted against the creation of the nation-building funds, they are going to vote against the Nation Building Program—absolutely extraordinary. They will be voting against the effective delivery of 120 road and 26 rail projects, voting against eliminating the thousands of dangerous black spots across the country, voting against the boom gates at high-risk level crossings and voting against the construction of additional rest stops for truck drivers.

The fact is that this legislation is a part of this government’s absolutely central commitment to nation building and to infrastructure development that will create jobs and stimulate the economy now but also leave Australia in a much stronger position as we emerge into economic recovery. I commend the bill to the House.

Question agreed to.

Bill read a second time.

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