Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday in this place, I spoke about the imminent opening of the $1.7 billion Hunter Expressway. I want to talk about it again, because I am excited—and why wouldn't I be excited about the largest land transport infrastructure project in the Hunter's history, fully funded by the Rudd Labor government. It was also fully supported by someone who is present here today, the former Minister for Infrastructure, the member for Grayndler.

This project will be transformational. It will provide a bypass, and traffic relief for Cessnock, Maitland, and many communities in between, ridding us of those heavy transport movements. It will dramatically cut travel times from the Cessnock LGA to Newcastle and from the Upper-Hunter townships to both Newcastle and Sydney. It will bring massive levels of investment to the Hunter region: industrial, commercial, residential, and of course first and foremost—or last and foremost—it will improve road safety in the Hunter. I know the Deputy Prime Minister is coming to open the project on Friday, and we welcome him to the Hunter. This project will have many fathers, but all those in the Hunter know that this was a Labor initiative, started by Labor, funded by Labor, completed by Labor, and I look forward to the residents of the Hunter region enjoying the benefits of the Hunter Expressway for many years to come. We should remind the Prime Minister, who is present, that infrastructure investment in this country is important.

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