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

By closing Labor's detention centres, we are saving more than $500 million—half a billion dollars.

In all, Labor's border mismanagement cost the taxpayers of this nation $16 billion. Sixteen billion dollars, Member for McEwen. Think about that. What would that be spent on other than the detention centres, other than pathetic border policies? It could be spent on such things as the Victorian rail revival. That has cost $1.75 billion, and it's a game changer for regional Victoria, a game changer for the people of Murray. It's investing in communities throughout regional Victoria, including in Murray, giving them better regional rail services, better options for those commuters in regional Victoria. It's also investing $235 million in the north-east rail line. That investment is big news for the north-east Victorian community. It will enable V/Line to introduce new, faster better trains—VLocity trains capable of speeds of up to 130 kilometres an hour—because that's what we're doing. We're investing in building a better Australia.

Infrastructure is not about detention centres. Infrastructure is about building better, safer roads. That's what we're doing in regional Victoria, right across regional Australia and right across Australia. We are busting through urban congestion problems, making sure that we've got the right measures in place. And we have. When it comes to border security, we certainly have the right measures in place—

Mr Rob Mitchell interjecting—

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