Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

The golden era as comms minister! Compared to the predecessor, probably.

It is the draft Productivity Commission report's view that the NBN is the example of how not to do infrastructure in Australia, so the member for Melbourne is right to point to that project.

Proposed opposition amendment 4(b) refers to infrastructure plans developed under the Infrastructure Australia Act 2008. IA are not required to develop plans under the act. The coalition's amendment to the IA Act will require IA to produce those plans. The government's amendment to the IA Act will require IA to develop specific plans of nationally significant infrastructure projects over a 15-year period—working with the states in a collaborative manner is, as I said, not happening at the moment—rather than having IA agree simply to election commitments. Under the current legislation IA do not have to publish anything. So our point that you have to pass the Infrastructure Australia Act is absolutely valid.

This amendment we do not agree with. We have had a reasonable debate on it, and I think it is time for us to move to a vote.

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