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

They now want to stop the minister from speaking on this motion. The member for Wide Bay's motion would disallow the legislative instrument increasing the heavy-vehicle road user charge as of 1 July 2012. What I say to them is there are a range of National Party ministers who sat around the table and made this decision not once but twice and who continue to support this decision. If they want to lobby they should lobby their own political party because the coalition, which is in government in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia, has supported this decision.

This is a negative and short-sighted move. It has the potential to leave taxpayers footing a bill of up to $700 million for wear and tear on our roads caused by heavy vehicles. That is an outcome that would clearly be unfair. Furthermore, in this year's budget the government announced a $140 million extension to the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program. This is a program initiated by this government. Before we came to office there was no such program. Members should consider the fact that this is a change under the Fuel Tax Act 2006. This is the coalition's legislation. This is the coalition's system that they established when they were in government. They determined the way the road user determination would occur by the National Transport Commission. It is possible it was the member for Wide Bay, when he was a minister, who did it. It might have been Mark Vaile, the former member for Lyne. But it was certainly done by the federal National Party. Then they come in here and complain and say, 'Oh no, the system's no good.'

Let us have a look at what we have done and what they did not do. They had charges without anything going back to the industry. The charges are based upon cost recovery, based upon costs already spent. We have invested record amounts into the nation's roads. We ensured with this determination that we discounted all of the road expenditure that occurred as a result of the floods in Queensland. What is more, we put in place the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, which is building rest stops in electorates, particularly those held by coalition members right around the country. It has already delivered 236 projects. Members, such as the member for Gippsland, have written to me—and they are going to vote against the funding for this program—about rest stops on the Princes Highway from Sale to the New South Wales border, saying that funding should be given for it. The funding comes from this program, which will cease to exist if this instrument is not carried and if the member for Wide Bay—

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