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

It is great to speak on this motion because, all of a sudden, those on the other side of the chamber have become economic geniuses. When I arrived in this place, in 2007, there was $20 billion in the bank—and over the six years that Labor were in government they destroyed the Australian economy and increased debt enormously. These guys over here, the Johnny-come-latelies, have turned up and said, 'Let's focus on state issues and not worry about the Commonwealth.' But in part 2 of his—

Mr Josh Wilson interjecting—

I will remind the member for Fremantle that I sat back and listened to everything he said without interjecting once. You can have a crack if you want to, mate; go for it. In Mr Keogh's motion he acknowledges the importance of Commonwealth infrastructure funding and state infrastructure spending for creating employment and driving economic growth. It is good he acknowledges that, because I will remind him of what the coalition government is investing not only in Australia as a whole but also in Western Australia.

There is a $50 billion spend to get vital infrastructure projects underway across the country. In Western Australia alone we are investing $6.3 billion of productivity-enhancing infrastructure, delivering on our economic action plan to boost economic growth and prosperity and create thousands of new jobs. The Turnbull government has provided an additional $490 million towards the construction of the $2 billion Forrestfield-Airport Link project, implementing the government's commitment to maintaining Western Australia's GST relativity at its 2014-15 levels. I also note that in the previous financial year, they also allocated $500 million as compensation for the low GST, which those on the other side seem to forget about—that is $1 billion that has gone into the Western Australian economy through the coalition government.

The coalition government has also secured funding for a number of major projects that Labor promised to fund with the proceeds of the mining tax, and I can talk about Gateway as one in my electorate, which is a major project that has been completed ahead of time under the coalition government. It was to be funded by the mining tax but, unfortunately, the anti-Western Australian mining tax and the carbon tax introduced by those on the other side of this chamber, who conveniently forget about it and always forget about it and never raise it in anything they talk about—and I am sure all Western Australians know that they will bring it back if they ever get back into government—were supposed to be funding the Gateway project. Unfortunately, the money raised could not do that; it could not even pay for the administration of that particular mining tax that they dealt to Western Australia. These, as I said, include the funding of the Gateway project, the NorthLink WA and the Great Northern Highway in the northwest coast; all the highway upgrade projects.

The coalition government is also investing $1.185 billion towards the long overdue Perth Freight Link. The Perth Freight Link will provide a direct, free-flowing connection between the Roe Highway and the port of Fremantle, providing improved capacity for heavy-vehicle freight movements to and from the port. The coalition is also improving safety of local roads by making additional investments in the Roads to Recovery and Black Spot programs. I know up to $2 million extra has been invested in Black Spot programs within my electorate of Swan.

Western Australia will benefit from the government's commitment to extend the Roads to Recovery program to 2019-20 at $400 million per year, the maintenance of $350 million per year for Black Spot programs, $60 million per year for the Bridges Renewal Program, and $60 million per year in the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program, which is getting $40 million per year. Also, during the election, due to the advocacy of local coalition MPs during the campaign, the Turnbull government announced over $35 million in funding for a number of additional projects. There was the Woolworths and the Hale Road intersection upgrade, $650,000; the Ocean Reef Road overpass at Wanneroo Road, $20 million; and, in my electorate again, the Manning Road on-ramp, $15 million. The coalition government is building Western Australia's future by delivering the biggest infrastructure investment program in Australian history. The Swan Valley bypass involves construction of a 37-kilometre highway from the Reid Highway and Tonkin Highway intersection in Malaga to the Great Northern Highway at Muchea, including upgrades to connecting roads and interchanges within the existing road network.

What we see here today is a frontline event or campaign in progress for the next state election, which Mark McGowan has set these blokes up to do and embarrass themselves in the federal parliament.

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