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

Firstly I congratulate the member for Boothby on his recent announcement. He will be missed by many in this place and his constituents for the job he has done.

Last weekend was a big weekend for infrastructure development. On Saturday the Prime Minister announced $116 million for the Armadale Road duplication in Western Australia, a key part of the development of that great state. Of course, yesterday, as has just been previously mentioned, the Gateway project was delivered by this government—not talked about but delivered by this government—without a mining tax. It is a key element of our plan. In addition there is the Perth Freight Link—a great project which will be delivered. It will fix a problem created by a former planning minister of Western Australia, who built over the corridor. It cost billions of dollars extra—billions that ought not to have been spent—because she built over the corridor when she was planning minister.

This morning we announced a very substantial additional project in South Australia—in Adelaide, in the electorate of the National President of the Labor Party, who has got his head down. I am presuming I am waiting for the press release to come out from the member for Wakefield, who is not here again, to welcome the announcement of nearly $1 billion for the Northern Connector, a project that in 2008 the then transport minister asked the South Australian government to do planning work on and nothing ever happened. This government has put together three deals with the South Australian Labor government. The Prime Minister—the infrastructure Prime Minister—with Premier Weatherill, who supports the free-trade agreement, has put together three deals for $2½ billion worth of spending on South Road, benefiting the member for Adelaide's seat, the member for Port Adelaide's seat, the member for Wakefield's seat and the member for Kingston's seat. They are all projects that the shadow minister opposes through his language and his rhetoric against what this government is doing. We are delivering these projects—$2½ billion on the North-South Corridor—and delivering on what the Prime Minister said, a completely upgraded corridor in a decade. They are three major steps towards that, working hand-in-glove with the South Australian Labor government to do so.

This is a key road upgrade for the freight industry in South Australia. It will deliver a 15.5 kilometre greenfield piece of infrastructure, getting rid of six intersections on Port Wakefield Road, ensuring there is some $14.9-billion worth of additional economic activity. It will really assist the free-trade agreements in getting product to market through that port, ensuring that we can take advantage of what great opportunities the Minister for Trade has delivered through the free-trade agreement he has negotiated with China. The Premier is right: we should support the free-trade agreement with China. The South Australian Labor Premier does, the Victorian Labor Premier does so it is about time the Leader of the Opposition did the same.

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