Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am delighted to speak on this motion, and listening to the member for Forde feels like we have entered an alternative universe. Of all the people in this parliament and of all the people who wanted to come in and talk about infrastructure, the member for Forde would want to talk about infrastructure issues in his own electorate that he continues to neglect. I will allow my colleague the member for Rankin, who has spoken and advocated so strongly on critical infrastructure for the southern part of Brisbane, to deal with the member for Forde. I want to talk about what is happening in the southwest of Brisbane, and I want to talk particularly about the hypocrisy by those opposite, who feel that they can in some way come into this place and lecture anyone about infrastructure in Queensland. We have had a state Labor government that has picked up the carnage that was delivered by the Newman government. You want to talk about infrastructure. The former government sacked people, put them on the scrap heap and attempted to sell off essential assets, and then we saw critical projects abandoned.

I will focus on a couple of things in my contribution today. I note in the motion that the member for Forde talks about no infrastructure being built. The challenge I issue to him today is that there is a $163 million state government investment for the rail duplication from Coomera to Helensvale. I will challenge the member for Forde about whether he will go to that opening when the cameras come and when the ribbon happens. I suspect he will. He is happy to come in here and bag everyone and not defend his own record or explain to his own constituency and community why he has failed them time and time again. There is a reason why you got a massive swing against you at the last election. That is because of the neglect that those opposite have treated the people of Queensland with. He did not mention a major infrastructure project that sits right at his doorstep.

We know that the Palaszczuk Labor government is cleaning up the mess from the Newman legacy, and we know that the government has allocated $850 million for the Cross River Rail, more than any other government. It is ready to go. And we know this sorry tale of Cross River Rail, abandoned by those opposite and by the Newman government, who came up with the fantasy idea of the BaT, the bus and train tunnel, on which his own ministers after the election went out and said: 'We made it up. We made the whole thing up.' That is your legacy in Queensland. That is your legacy, through you, Mr Deputy Speaker—

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