Jason Falinski (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The members opposite mention the NBN. They got it past, I think, a few homes in Tamworth. We just took it past 5.1 million homes. They would not know a transformational infrastructure project if it painted itself fluorescent purple and danced on their noses naked! An additional $30 million will be provided to fund the development of a business case for the Melbourne Airport rail link. We will work with the Victorian government to access potential further funding for this project from the $10 billion national rail passenger program. The government will connect regional centres to our capital cities—always a good thing—with faster, more-reliable rail services, with regional Australia getting its fair share of the new $10 billion national rail passenger program. The budget builds on funding for significant rail projects, such as $95 million for the Gold Coast light rail, in Queensland; $490 million for the Forrestfield-Airport Link, in Perth; $42.8 million for the Flinders Link; $365 million, by way of equity, for the $1.9 billion Moorebank Intermodal Terminal, in Sydney; as well as the recently-announced $792 million towards projects for Perth's metropolitan rail network, part of a $2.3 billion road and rail package for the Western Australian government.

The government is working with the states to develop urban rail plans or our five largest cities and their surrounding regions and has committed $20 million, under our Faster Rail Initiative, to support the development for up to three formal business cases for faster rail connections. Can the minister outline the purpose of the Turnbull government's $10 billion rail fund and how it can help make a Chatswood to Frenchs Forest metro a reality on the northern beaches? How will this money be allocated and what will this money be used for? (Time expired)

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