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

I thank the member for Fisher for his question. I can get some questions from those opposite, just not from the shadow minister. Indeed, we have significantly increased funding for the Bruce Highway: some $3.3 billion in funding for the Bruce Highway. This compares with $1.3 billion over 12 long years from those opposite—investing more than twice as much in half the time. Our record is: we are currently putting some 3,500 people to work rebuilding more than 90 kilometres of the highway right now, and during the break I opened section B of the Cooroy to Curra upgrade—promised, funded, constructed and opened under this government. I also announced joint funding with the Queensland government of $790 million for the section A upgrade. These are the sections of the highway that are in the electorate of the member for Wide Bay, the shadow minister. He was the minister for transport who described this section as the worst section of road in Australia but could not deliver a cent in spite of the fact that he was the local member and the minister; he could not even turn up to the road opening, so embarrassed was he.

And just today I have announced funding in the electorate of the member for Fisher of $80.7 million for a new interchange at Roys Road and Bells Creek Road near Beerwah, with work to start in the middle of this year. Ten people have lost their lives on this two-kilometre stretch of the Bruce Highway since 2002—I have had representations from the member for Fisher, as well as other community members, about this—and this is why it is important for this funding to proceed.

What I can guarantee also is the work we are doing further north of the member's electorate, on the Bruce Highway from Cabbage Tree Creek to Carmen Road. What I can guarantee is that we will have real projects with real funding and real time frames. And there is some support from those opposite. Indeed, the member for Herbert had this to say:

I'll give Labor a pat on the back and say they have spent more in their four or five years on the Bruce Highway than we did before.

That is what they say in their electorates, because they know that it is the case. They are embarrassed by the performance of the member for Wide Bay, that is why there has been no opportunity to ask a question on infrastructure since 2010 given by the Leader of the National Party.

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