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

I thank the member for Lyons for his question. Of course, he has a great deal of interest in infrastructure because we are providing some $190 million for the upgrading of the Midland Highway in his electorate. That is part of the major road and rail infrastructure being provided by this government. Some $20 billion worth of projects commence this year—$20 billion. We have doubled the roads budget and we have quadrupled the rail budget.

I am asked also about the importance of providing funds for commitments, and indeed that is important. In last week’s budget, once again we provided all the funds there for the $37 billion nation-building plan. It is all set out. It is all part of memorandums of understanding with the states and territories governments. But some other members of parliament have been running around the country making commitments about infrastructure development. Indeed, on the Midland Highway, the Leader of the Opposition travelled to Launceston on 18 February, just three months ago. There he said—it was written down, fully scripted and, one would think, the gospel truth, because it was there in writing, in this speech:

… a future federal government will spend the $400 million that will be needed …

So I looked at the statement from Andrew Robb, the shadow finance minister, who put forward all the funding commitments, and I looked for Midland Highway in the release last week: nothing, not a cent. But he is not alone. The member for Dickson made a commitment—actually in Dickson, not the Gold Coast!—again, when the Leader of the Opposition visited, on 28 April: $10 million for on- and off-ramps on the Bruce Highway in his electorate, at Murrumba Downs. So I looked for that commitment. Again, nothing—nothing there whatsoever, again an unfunded promise.

I have a deep interest in the Pacific Highway, because we are providing $3.1 billion to fix up the Pacific Highway, and I noted that the member for Cowper, in spite of the fact that we are funding the Kempsey bypass, we are funding the Woolgoolga to Arrawarra upgrade—with both of those constructions commencing this year—has said we are not doing enough.

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