Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to be able to make a contribution and then provide some questions for the Deputy Prime Minister, who appears reluctant to get questions from this side of the House. I am not surprised, given that it is difficult to defend a range of measures which are in this budget. Firstly, I refer to the cutting, in this budget, of all funding of public transport which is not under construction, including the Cross River Rail project, the Melbourne Metro project, the Tonsley Park rail project in Adelaide, and the Perth public transport projects, as well as the planning money for Hobart light rail that has been cut.

I note that the minister has said that that will somehow free-up projects for rail spending. He also said that there is rail spending in the budget. Can the minister point out any single dollar of rail freight funding or public transport funding in the budget, that was not already committed in the budget—including the inland rail line? I note the breach of commitment in that respect, where the coalition said that they would increase and bring forward that $300 million that had been allocated in the 2011 budget for the inland rail project.

I also note Infrastructure Australia's advice in writing to the Senate process that said that the reduction of the Commonwealth funding in rail would distort the market and lead to less state investment in public transport over a period of time. In terms of the budget the minister might like to address why $1.5 billion is being forwarded, this month, to Victoria, for the East West Link project—$500 million for stage 1, which is not under construction; and $1 billion for stage 2, which the budget papers indicate is due to commence not this financial year, not next financial year but the financial year after that. If there is a so-called fiscal issue why is the government putting $1.5 billion forward for a project that is not due to commence for some time? And, given what is going on in Victoria, that is a problematic project. How does that fit with the comments of his assistant, who spoke about making milestone payments and not just making payments without construction having taken place?

When it comes to roads, can the minister point to a new Pacific Highway project that will commence in the next four years? I note that the booklet that was produced on budget night does not include a single new project that was not already scheduled and funded to commence. Why has the minister breached that commitment? The government said on 5 September that the Gateway project in Queensland would be concluded by 2016, but the budget papers and budget estimates indicate that it will not be completed until 2019. Is that the case? Finally, it has been confirmed at Senate estimates that almost half of the funding for the Bruce Highway, or almost $3 billion, will not commence until the 2020s—that is, beyond the financial year 2019-20. Which Bruce Highway projects will commence in the next four years that were not already on the schedule? Is it the case that this represents a massive breach of a commitment by the coalition and indeed less money will be spent in the next four years of the forward estimates than was anticipated under the previous government?

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