Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I know that the member for Perth is in here. You might have had this question; I was not here when she raised her questions. Can the minister give, for the benefit of my constituents—the economic freight hub in Western Australia is in my electorate and it is an important piece of economic industry in Western Australia—an update on the Gateway and the expected time of finishing. There was an air of expectancy or a fear that the Gateway project would be under threat because it was linked to the mining tax. Could the minister also advise how that issue has been fixed and about the security of funding for that particular project. I also refer to the funding of the Black Spot Program, and ask how that will help areas in Western Australia, particularly in the electorate of Swan.

The minister might have access to some information which I was not able to get before. In 2007, during the election process, the then Leader of the Opposition promised $100 million per annum for an infrastructure fund in Western Australia. I ask whether that money ever came to Western Australia; if it did, were any projects built out of it? As far as I know and as far as I can see, no funding of $100 million per annum was ever allocated to Western Australia.

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