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

In summing up the debate and answering the last couple of points, we hope that the Labor opposition will come to some sense on the amendments that we are moving in the Land Transport Infrastructure Amendment Bill, and that it will accept that we are making Infrastructure Australia more independent and giving it a strong and transparent voice. That was the point that the member for Grayndler just made. I would have thought that a cabinet subcommittee is something he would have welcomed. He does have a passion for Infrastructure Australia—I acknowledge that. Putting the emphasis of the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Treasurer on this is something, you would think, the member for Grayndler would welcome deep down inside, because it is about getting the infrastructure delivered. I am sure that at times he had the same frustrations that we have whereby sometimes the states are not as good at delivering as they should be. Having a cabinet subcommittee to push through an agenda which is part of a transparent and independently recommended spend of taxpayers' money to build a stronger economy should be something that is welcomed. That is what the cabinet subcommittee is all about. It is about achieving the outcomes that we seek through our infrastructure investments now and through what we will do in the future. Of course, the East West project is a great project. It is a project which stacks up economically and we will—

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