Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

They are great projects, I hear the member for Aston say. They are all vital projects, as are the many road funding initiatives that need to happen in rural areas such as the Riverina, and even in your electorate of Maranoa, Deputy Speaker Scott.

I know the coalition is getting on with the job of the $300 million Bridges Renewal Program, another important initiative. If bridges are not repaired, harvesters and farmers have to travel many kilometres to get their heavy stripping equipment across rivers and across creeks, and that stalls production and costs money. The Bridges Renewal Program is going to be so important to the regional areas that we serve, Mr Deputy Speaker, and that is to be commended.

The bill also includes a new requirement for states and territories to notify the minister as soon as possible after the sale or disposal of land that was acquired using Australian government funding, and that is important too. There are many important initiatives in this bill. It will ensure a timely response to land sales or disposals from both the states and territories. So, as we can see, the coalition is getting on with the job of cooperating with the states. In six years of Labor government, that did not often happen with a lot of the states. We saw that with education and with so many other things. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan has only just been put into practice, with New South Wales finally coming on board. There was such a disconnect between the Commonwealth and the states.

We are getting on with the job of building the infrastructure we need. This bill goes to that, and that is why I so earnestly support it.

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