Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I have to begin by saying: what a load of rubbish from the previous speaker. When it comes down to it, what we have from this federal government is a government that has directly committed to building the infrastructure to build this nation's future. The ranting and raving of those opposite and their seeking both to claim credit for this government has done and also to defend the interests of their union bosses is quite obscene. I note during the previous member's speech there was a long discussion about the role of the unions in delivering projects on time. The member never talked about it being on budget, never talked about it coming at a huge expense, never talked about Victorians getting appalling value for money on infrastructure as a consequence and never talked about the unions monopolising conduct on work sites in the construction sector.

But let's get back to the central point and the point of the motion, which is that the governments that oversee steady population growth have an obligation to plans for its consequences. Australia's population growth is 1.6 per cent a year, half of which is as a result of immigration. Therefore, we must do what we can to make sure that that growth is sustainable through proper investment and infrastructure so that it grows at a speed that this country can absorb. We will be growing by the size of Canberra each year for the next 30 years. Three-quarters of that growth will be in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. When governments adequately plan for population growth, it can do wonders for economic prosperity, liveability and social mobility. But it must be directly backed up with infrastructure.

The coming decades will also deliver rapid technological disruption that will change the nature of the location of work. The ongoing shift from dispersed manufacturing jobs to service sectors has reversed a long-term decline in inner-city job numbers. We know service industry workers like to live close to each other, and it reduces transaction costs, breeds creativity and fuels innovation. Melbourne has this potential to be an iconic economic and cultural powerhouse and for Victoria to continue its trajectory as the leading state in this Commonwealth. We must take the growth challenges we face seriously, especially when comes to public infrastructure. Access to the public transport network is limited in the outer suburbs. A lack of connectivity to principal employment centres directly impacts on economic opportunity and social mobility.

A thorough, evidence-based infrastructure agenda can assist in reducing congestion and increasing accessibility. That is what this government is delivering. The Future cities: planning for our growing population report by Infrastructure Australia sets out three expansion scenarios for Melbourne and the transport networks needed to accommodate them. Many of these transport projects are already supported by the government, including the Melbourne Airport rail line. For the rail line, there is $5 billion of investment after more than 50 years of waiting. For the Monash Freeway, there will be additional laneways to unlock productivity in Melbourne by reducing congestion along the M1 corridor.

On rail for Monash University, the government has committed $475 million to directly connect to two major university campuses of Monash University to the existing rail network. Of course, significantly, there is regional rail—including $1.5 billion in funding—to improve services on the Ballarat line, the Gippsland line and the North East line and funding for the Murray-Basin Rail Project. On top of that, the recent budget included $50 million for an upgrade to the Geelong line in Melbourne's west. The outer metro M80 Ring Road upgrade will improve traffic flows along one of Victoria's busiest freight corridors. The government has also committed to widening the Tullamarine Freeway from Melrose Drive to Melbourne Airport.

We should never forget the important infrastructure that a growing state like Victoria needs is rail and is also road transport. We can never forget the betrayal of the people of Victoria by the Victorian state government in its abandonment of the East West Link and handing out a billion dollars in subsidies and support directly to private companies to fulfil an election promise they didn't even take seriously. It is a crucial project which is consistently acknowledged by expert opinions as key to Melbourne's future. The Commonwealth is still recording its $3 billion commitment as a contingent liability in the Commonwealth budget in the hope that the insanity that currently dominates the Victorian state government will end, and we will wake up and commit to the East West Link and to building the necessary infrastructure to grow Victoria's future.

There must also be a focus on urban congestion and maintaining our local roads, and in this regard Goldstein residents have much to celebrate in the recent budget. Funding from the Roads to Recovery Program to Bayside City Council will assist with profiling, overlay and line marking for Outer Crescent between St Andrews Street and Barkly Street.

As Liberals, we have a vision for Australia to be an influential, forward looking, modern liberal nation with unparalleled living standards. Over the next 10 years the Commonwealth will be investing over $75 billion in new and upgraded transport infrastructure projects across this great nation. We are taking this country's growth challenges seriously, just as we are in Victoria. I support the position of the government resolutely.

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