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

I thank the honourable member for her question. The Rudd government is indeed investing in infrastructure, because we want to build a stronger economy for working families into the future. Today I announce that two more projects as part of our economic stimulus plan have been completed—two projects in the east-west corridor between Adelaide and Kalgoorlie. The $23 million projects, in which two new loop lines have been put in, will lead to practical productivity benefits in two ways. Firstly, they will allow trains of up to a kilometre and a half in length to operate along the track and, secondly, they will allow those longer trains to travel much more quickly—a big productivity benefit and dividend as a direct result of the economic stimulus plan.

But this is all at risk because today Senator Joyce has reaffirmed his view that cutbacks to infrastructure investment are on the opposition’s agenda. He has confirmed what the current Leader of the Opposition has said; he has confirmed what the former Leader of the Opposition has said: that cutbacks to infrastructure are on the agenda. But, of course, the coalition have got form, because when they last came to office, in 1996, they slashed $2 billion from the road budget over their first eight years. No wonder the Business Council of Australia have estimated that we inherited a $90 billion infrastructure deficit. Now the opposition wants to make more cuts—

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