Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Ministers, I have a question in relation to infrastructure spending on the Pacific Highway. Ministers, you are probably both aware that, for the dual duplication to be completed, it is a program of over $7 billion. I am aware too that in the vicinity of my electorate, between Ballina in the north and Woolgoolga in the South, it is about a $4½ billion program. As I understood it, at the last federal election there was a big distinction between the two major parties, now the coalition government and the opposition. One was that the then Labor government were to take going back to a 50-50 split to complete the dual duplication to the federal election. They then put $3½ billion on the table to complete the dual duplication. We then, as the coalition opposition, put on $5.5 billion—$2 billion more—to complete the dual duplication of the highway. I would like an update on how that is going. I am aware that recently, with the Deputy Prime Minister, we announced the winning tenderer, Pacific Complete. I would like some information on that process and how they will being doing it a bit differently to how we used to do those tenders. They won the $4.3 billion—around that amount—to complete the section between Ballina and Woolgoolga, so could you give us an update on that?

I am very conscious, and would like to reiterate, that there are a number of reasons why we do this. Dual duplications have been proven and the primary reason for this is to reduce fatalities. The fatalities on the Pacific Highway are falling every year, which is the most important thing. Obviously, the construction of this process will bring jobs and increased economic activity will reside once the dual duplication is completed. Easier transport, et cetera, are just some of the benefits of that as well.

See this speech in context