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

The opposition is not on this side of the House, Mr Speaker. I think they thought they were going to be on this side of the House, but this side of the House is actually getting on with the job in our third term, just like we did in our second term and just like we did in our first term of building our future. Building our future—that's what we are doing. The increase in investment has been driven through annual appropriations. We are getting on with the job. You heard the Prime Minister in an earlier answer today talk about the additional $25 billion in our last budget, and this is what you can do—and this is what we will continue to do—when you've got a budget going into surplus. We see the New South Wales coalition government—the Liberals and Nationals in that state—getting on with a $94 billion rollout of infrastructure across four years. That's what you can do when you're in surplus.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

Not 10, I hear the opposition leader talk about. Ten years—it's been 30 since that side actually had a surplus. We are getting on with the job of putting our economic management into surplus, putting our budget into surplus. It's something they could only have a pipedream about. And when we talk of pipedreams and pipelines, we have a pipeline of investment—$100 billion over the next 10 years—and we're getting on with the job. It's creating jobs. What side do those on that side sit on? Do they agree with us? Do they want to get on with getting their people—their constituents—home sooner and safer or do they want to continually object and oppose everything?

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