Ben Morton (Tangney, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

When you listen to WA Labor, particularly their federal members of parliament, you have to discount what they say and look at their actions. Nothing is more stark in this debate than the pathetic submission they made to the Productivity Commission in relation to the GST.

A government member: They're not hear to listen to you.

No, they are not here to listen. They like to make their political point and they like to scamper. But what did they say in their submission to the Productivity Commission? The WA federal Labor members were seeking:

… an outcome to this situation, but one that doesn't negatively impact other states and territories.

And they stand in this place and try to suggest that we should all stand up for Western Australia when they fail to do so themselves! What did Roger Cook, the Labor's Deputy Premier, say about them?

If they haven't supported the State Government's position they need to take more notice of it … It's time that people get real about this …

This is a direct message from state Labor to federal Labor in Western Australia. But The Sunday Times went further and said that:

WA Federal Labor MPs and Senators have not only hung WA out to dry, but also their State colleagues

It is shameful. What we know about Labor is that they're good at politics, but they're not good at delivering.

A government member: Are you sure they're good at that?

Perhaps not. But we're here today to talk about infrastructure, and the motion from the member for Cowan could not be further from the truth. I want to celebrate the $2.3 billion joint commitment to road and rail infrastructure projects between the federal government and the state Labor government in Western Australia, $1.6 billion of which was invested by the federal government in this budget alone in important road and rail projects that will create 6,000 local jobs and build 17 new congestion-busting projects across the metropolitan area.

The member for Cowan is talking about infrastructure today. I missed the first part of her speech, and she's not here to hear mine. I don't know if she spoke about the two projects in her electorate. One is the $65 million for Wanneroo Road and Ocean Reef Road interchange, which is one of the most congested intersections in the Perth metropolitan area. The project will boost capacity and traffic flow, ease congestion and improve safety for all road users. Today could have been a great opportunity to speak about that in a positive way. The other project is the $50 million for Wanneroo Road and Joondalup Drive interchange, the sixth most congested intersection in the Perth metropolitan area. These are important projects for the people of Cowan, and it's a shame that the member for Cowan isn't talking positively about them.

To say that the Turnbull government has failed to deliver for the people of Cowan is a load of rubbish. A big win for Tangney and for the people of the federal electorate of Fremantle, part of the $1.6 billion invested by the federal government, is the Roe Highway extension past the Kwinana Freeway and the provision of better and safer access to Fiona Stanley Hospital and the Murdoch Specialised Activity Centre. I am very proud to stand by my state Labor colleagues, in particular Peter Tinley, and welcome this important contribution to making our streets less congested and improving important access to the Murdoch Specialised Activity Centre. I hope that the member for Fremantle, who will contribute to this debate today, will also welcome and acknowledge that cooperation between the state Labor government and the federal Liberal government in relation to that project.

But on top of our commitment, on top of that combined $2.3 billion commitment to WA roads and rail, there is $1.2 billion that still remains to build Roe 8 and Roe 9. It is there as a contingent liability. It can be done. WA Labor is blocking this investment. All that needs to happen is for Premier Mark McGowan to say yes and to create those jobs that we need today. The Perth Freight Link, Roe 8 and Roe 9 will take 7,000 trucks off our roads and 74,000 light vehicles. Fourteen sets of traffic lights will be bypassed on Leach Highway and Stock Road. The construction of Roe 8 would save 450,000 tonnes of CO2 by 2031.

I raise this point because Labor did not commit to cancelling Roe 8 and Roe 9 until a month before election day. I don't think they really wanted to put a stop to this project, but I acknowledge that they did win the election. In the southern suburbs, they had less of a swing than they had in the northern suburbs, which proves that the people in the southern suburbs want this project. I'm calling on the Labor Party to have a look at that $1.2 billion that's there for this project and look at an alternative engineering solution to take traffic from the Kwinana Freeway to Fremantle so that our southern suburbs can benefit. (Time expired)

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