Russell Matheson (Macarthur, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, when you talk about poor policy and poor political parties and when you have a government that is a hung parliament, take a look at the deal that has been struck between the Independents, the Greens and the Labor Party. My community are becoming so frustrated at the lack of funds that are going into building sustainable communities and the lack of infrastructure. When they ask me what is going on I say to them, 'Go along and watch question time. When we ask questions the questions are never answered. When we ask for money, the money is never delivered.'

The south-west growth centre was released for urban development all of a sudden, and then no infrastructure. Nothing in the budget for my community, nothing in the budget for Macarthur. They ask me, 'How does all this occur? There is all the pork-barrelling that occurs with the government and the Independents. All of a sudden there are billions and billions of dollars being given away because of a hung parliament and because people have the balance of power.' Other communities miss out because the Independents and the Greens are reaping all the money that was sown. It is put into their pockets and given to their communities and it is not being equally shared amongst the broader Australian community.

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