Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

This was game-changing infrastructure, and the member for Gellibrand stood there and said nothing. This is infrastructure that we need, and Daniel Andrews and Labor cancelled that project at a cost of $1.24 billion, and the people in Melbourne's west—the people that the member for Gellibrand represents—have been left high and dry by Labor. The member for Gellibrand has the temerity to stand there when he has been so weak. He has no courage, no guts and no ticker to stand up and say, 'Daniel Andrews we need this infrastructure.' We have $3 billion set aside for the East West Link, and what do we get in exchange? We get the West Gate Tunnel Project, which is a poor cousin of the East West Link. It is one small part of the East West Link. Infrastructure Australia, to which the member for Gellibrand referred, says this is an absolute priority for Victoria.

One of the biggest issues that we, as a government, have had with spending infrastructure money in Victoria is that Labor has refused to put the projects on the table. I also want to correct the member for Gellibrand for saying there wasn't one new project in Victoria except the Murray Basin Rail Project. That is absolutely untrue. We have put $1.7 billion into regional rail. I cannot believe the member for Gellibrand would be so ignorant as to stand up and try to make these comments. There will be $20 million for a new terminal for Avalon Airport, which will service Melbourne's west. The mayors and the councillors in the very electorate of the member for Gellibrand, who is walking out because he's so ashamed by his failure to represent his constituents, were at the announcement of the terminal. They are very proud that, as a government, we are providing Victoria's second international terminal, which will service the people of the west, as well as Geelong and Corangamite.

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