Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

It is not affecting my delivery. I am continuing. In May 2013 we put hundreds of millions of dollars in the budget to kickstart the Darra to Rocklea section. Twelve thousand freight vehicles a day and 93,000 commuters every day go through that section. Guess what. We had a situation where the Abbott government took the Ipswich Motorway upgrade from Darra to Rocklea of the National Land Transport Network and ripped the money away from Queensland. And they have got the gall to move motions like this here. It took Bill Shorten, the Leader of the Opposition, the now member for Oxley, the member for Moreton and I to stand there and make a commitment and to shame the Turnbull government into finally putting the money towards the Ipswich Motorway upgrade from Darra to Rocklea. It was the first time the LNP have ever made a commitment and put any money towards the Ipswich Motorway. It was the first time ever. So do not come to this place and give us lectures about infrastructure.

What about other infrastructure across the region? What have they done in relation to my area and the Willowbank Interchange? We need to make a commitment there, because the RAAF base at Amberley is having a $1 billion upgrade. So we need an upgrade on that area of the Cunningham Highway from Yamanto to Ebenezer Creek. We need that done. And what have this mob done in their time in office? Nothing. We had Minister Payne come out to my area and say, 'This is a good idea for an aerospace precinct,' but nothing was done. They made false commitments in terms of a veteran support centre up there, of $1 million. But where has it been done? I have written to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Dan Tehan, saying, 'Get it done.' But listen to the commitment of these people. Look at what they have done in our region and look at what Labor has done.

We know there has been infrastructure in our region. The member for Oxley would know the Orion pool. We have seen the USQ upgrade. We have seen funding to a whole range of areas in our region—things like Studio 188 and the North Ipswich Reserve precinct being upgraded, a whole range of projects for Ipswich. It is fantastic. This mob opposite do nothing and have the gall, the hide, to come into this place and move motions like this. We are lectured by those opposite, who sacked 60,000 Queenslanders and got rejected at the election.

Honourable members interjecting—

You were absolutely part of it. You skipped out before you could get turfed out. That is what happened, and those opposite should hang their heads in shame. (Time expired)

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