Alannah Mactiernan (Perth, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do not think you are being very parliamentary either. It is quite evident that, even on the conservative government's planning, we will need to build a new container facility in Kwinana and that needs to be completed by 2020 because by 2020 Fremantle will be full. When we build that new container facility we can expect freight traffic into Fremantle to drop by between 40 and 50 per cent from the day that the new facility is opened. So it is a complete nonsense to be building a road that in a very circuitous way will take us to the port of Fremantle but is not the road that we will need to provide for this new facility that the Liberals in Western Australia, on their own analysis, acknowledge will be required in the next six years.

In the last few minutes I want to talk about the importance of infrastructure investment, be it from Andrew Fisher or Bob Menzies. We need infrastructure investment in Western Australia. The infrastructure investment we most need is in the NBN. If we are to ensure that we are going to be part of the 21st century then we need to show the foresight that Andrew Fisher and Bob Menzies showed in the 20th century. The government have cut back funding for the NBN in areas like Geraldton. I urge the government to look at the Oakajee port plant it has on its books. This is one of the Western Australian Premier's pet projects that he has been peddling since the mid-1990s. In many ways the development of Geraldton has been held back because of that. I urge the Abbott government to consider whether Geraldton is better served by investing that money in the expansion of the Geraldton port facilities to allow that port to increase its throughput to 30 million tonnes per annum, which could see the expansion of the iron ore industry there, and continued investment in the NBN. Half of Geraldton has received the NBN and the other half that was promised the NBN has now seen that funding cut.

We have had extraordinary action by the City of Greater Geraldton. It has for the last five years been preparing the community to take their place in the knowledge economy and to link into the great opportunities presented by the SKA and the supercomputer to ensure a dynamic future for that area. Unfortunately, that funding has been cut. I know we are not going to create any new funding, but I urge the government to consider whether the money that they have put in for the Oakajee port would be better invested in the NBN in Geraldton and in expanding the existing Geraldton port.

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