Darren Cheeseman (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in particular detail about the infrastructure provisions within the federal budget. To set the scene with regard to that, the Geelong community has gone through substantial growth over the last three decades and a large part of that growth within the broader Geelong community has taken place within my federal seat of Corangamite.

At the 2007 election the Rudd opposition, as it was then, developed a very strong comprehensive infrastructure plan for my community and for that of south-west Victoria. In contrast, the then Howard government had no developed plans and no priorities for infrastructure within our region. When we talk about infrastructure throughout my region, we are talking about roads such as the Geelong Ring Road and the duplication of the Princes Highway, and we are talking about the very substantial rail infrastructure that we do have in our region and the need to develop and broaden that even further. We have now come to government and started the process of delivering the structure that we committed to in 2007.

The Geelong community had a very clear choice at the 2007 election in terms of infrastructure and they have an even clearer choice in the election that will take place later this year. We have a substantial investment plan, a plan that will deliver real structure and real benefits for regional Australia, particularly the greater community of Geelong. It is an integrated plan, a plan that will deliver real benefits not only to Geelong but also to the whole of south-west Victoria. On the other hand, we see a coalition with no infrastructure plan, no plan whatsoever to build our nation and build regional communities like mine in Geelong. The opposition are antiprivate-sector investment. They are antibusiness. They are anti-environment. They have no plan for health. They have no plan for schools. They have no plan for skills within my region.

I watched the Treasurer deliver his budget speech and of course one of the key aspects of his speech was the importance of infrastructure and the important role that the government can play in the delivery of infrastructure. I then thought that perhaps the coalition and Tony Abbott might deliver a speech in reply the following Thursday night that might have a plan for this nation. So I sat back and I listened, and infrastructure was not mentioned. I then thought that perhaps the shadow Treasurer might have an infrastructure plan, that perhaps he would deliver that in his speech the following week at the Press Club. Of course there was no plan. There was no talk about infrastructure. I then thought maybe the shadow finance minister might talk about infrastructure. He did talk about infrastructure and he did highlight that they would not support any infrastructure in my region. The Geelong ring road will not go ahead under a coalition government. The duplication of the Princes Highway will not go ahead. Then, of course, they tried to cover up their mistakes and their lack of a plan by deceit. Through the Geelong Advertiser and the Colac Herald they attempted to mislead by indicating that they were going to fund infrastructure through cutting the Roads to Recovery program. The Roads to Recovery program is very, very important for delivering local infrastructure in communities and local roads. I ask the minister to respond. (Time expired)

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