Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Hansard source

Just like the government's infrastructure record, and the contribution that we have just heard now, this motion is high on rhetoric and very low on delivery. It fails to mention the government's dismal record of spending $5.1 billion less on infrastructure than it promised in its first six years. That is $5.1 billion worth of road, rail, public transport, technology, aviation and port upgrades, promised by this government, that were delayed, postponed or cancelled, and that affects all of us. It affects commuters and frustrates all car and truck drivers. These delays hamper our freight and logistics sector and it hurts our construction workforce and those who want to get a job. This government's dismal infrastructure record is $5.1 billion of delay, frustration and roadblocks.

Instead of recognising this as an issue, instead of getting to work to get these projects going, what does the government do? It congratulates itself. That's what it does in this motion before us today.

Instead of using the Building Australia Fund to deliver projects through that $3.9 billion fund, the government hasn't withdrawn anything since 2014, because they didn't like the independent, transparent strategic process required of them. After four failed attempts, in what is their first week back here in this parliament, they abolished that fund. They failed to take inspiration from success stories, like the Queensland Labor government that last week reported a near zero per cent underspend for 2018-19. Rather than congratulate this government, I congratulate the Queensland Labor government for a strong year of delivering the projects that they committed to.

They reject the advice of the Reserve Bank governor, economists and state governments to bring forward critical infrastructure investment across the country. With the Deputy Prime Minister repeating time and time again the tired line, 'We can't build it all at once,' he demeans his office and the experts who thoughtfully urged this government to fast-track investment to boost jobs and improve productivity.

The motion also fails to inform the Australian people that this government's 10 year infrastructure program does not, in fact, add up to $100 billion. It fails to mention that some of the projects do not match the priorities of state governments and even local communities, like Perth's Freight Link and Melbourne's East West Link, with money not allocated by this government—despite Labor governments in Western Australia and Victoria—on projects that are of joint priority, where planning and construction can actually commence now.

It also fails to disclose that projects like the Geelong rail, of which only $20 million is allocated in 2020 for 2021-22, and $30 million in 2022-23, are likely to require an even greater contribution than that allocated by the government. This motion fails to disclose that only $29.5 billion of this so-called $100 billion Infrastructure Investment Program is budgeted for the next four years; 70 per cent of allocated funding is on the never-never. I note that in the member for Boothby's contribution about his home state of South Australia, the signature electoral commitment by the Liberals was $1.5 billion for the North-South Corridor future priority road upgrades. But guess how much is committed in the forward estimates? How much of this $1.5 billion project do you think we're going to actually see in the next four years—even in the next three years of this government? Five hundred million? That wouldn't be bad, but no. Fifty million? No. Just $15 million of this $1.5 billion will be delivered over the next four years, in 2022-23. In contrast, Labor committed to fast-track work on the next stage of Adelaide's South Road upgrade by investing $95 million within our first few months in office.

In conclusion, it is pretty clear that the government's infrastructure program is nothing but a pipedream. Frankly, to not commence a signature congestion-busting project commitment like the North-South Corridor until after the next election says everything about the government's capacity to deliver. To continue to include projects that will not even commence because they're not supported by state governments, to not acknowledge a dismal $5.1 billion underspend, says everything about this government. All they do is congratulate themselves and deliver nothing. (Time expired)

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