Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

) ( ): I thank member for Grey for his question. He is a passionate South Australian and does an outstanding job representing the seat of Grey, representing regional Australia, representing regional South Australia. The answer to the question is all about jobs: jobs yesterday, jobs today, jobs into the future. Our infrastructure is building jobs, building our future. I acknowledge the member for Grey. I certainly acknowledge the fact that we are spending $160 million for the Joy Baluch AM Bridge between Mackay and Burgoyne Streets—an important freight and passenger link in the seat of Grey. The project will duplicate the existing bridge and it will widen roads. Once construction is complete, it will increase safety. That's important. It's going to also bolster travel times and improve freight connectivity—those supply chains are so important—and reliability, which is also very, very vital, all of which leads to greater growth, more jobs and more job creation in the Port Augusta region.

This project is part of a larger infrastructure investment in South Australia in which we've committed $1.2 billion for future stages of the North-South Corridor: $177 million for the Regency Road to Pym Street upgrade in Adelaide and $220 million for the Gawler rail line electrification. These projects will boost local economies. They'll create hundreds of jobs, building on the more than a million jobs that have been created since 2013, since we came to government. Before time, on budget—that's delivery for you; that's delivery. More than a million opportunities for more than a million Australians. Our record investment is delivering across Australia. Take Mayo, for instance: $14 million for the Lobethal freight access upgrade, supporting around 55 full-time-equivalent jobs during the construction phase. There is $4½ million for the south-eastern freeway, motorway, measures, in addition to millions of dollars under our funding programs such as: Roads to Recovery, the Bridges Renewal Program and, indeed, the Building Better Regions Fund—another $200 million going into that after the last budget, and I know how important that's going to be to build community capacity in regional areas.

We're creating local jobs, improving safety and efficiencies for constituents and travellers, whether they're in Mayo, whether they're in Grey or whether they are in any electorate, particularly regional electorates. All of this investment in infrastructure spending is possible because of this government's sound economic management. The alternative, however, does not exist. It does not exist. There's no viable alternative to our government's proven record of jobs growth, our economic growth and our nation-building. The Liberal and Nationals government, the Turnbull government, is the only one capable of delivering for Australians in our cities and in our regions. Labor has no plan, no vision—no vision for building a better Australia.

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