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

The crisis has reminded us once again why infrastructure is so important to our economy and to the functioning of our society. Throughout it all our ports have kept operating, our transport and logistics infrastructure has kept moving, our buses and trains have kept running, our construction workers have kept building, our airlines and airports have done everything they can to keep planes in the sky, and Australians have moved about by foot and bicycle in record numbers. Who said this:

It is increasingly clear that just as infrastructure has kept us going throughout this crisis it will play a critical role in seeing us out of it. Not just in terms of the economic stimulus it brings, but much more.

Who said that? The member for Ballarat. That's right. She knows. She comes into this place and asks that question, and yet, despite that, on 17 September in her address to the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia conference she said that. She knows full well that infrastructure is leading the way. She knows full well, as the Prime Minister has just outlined, the projects that we're building, the projects that we're constructing and the projects that are under way, whether it is carparks, roads, rail or airports. Western Sydney Airport—how good is it? That's 11,000 jobs, and 28,000 jobs in the life of it. Ask me a question about it. I would love to answer. You don't have too many questions. Thankfully you've got one today. You asked it of the Prime Minister. Ask me one directly. I'd love to answer more from you, because it's just like a dorothy dixer. It's fantastic. I love getting questions about infrastructure, because we have got so much delivery. (Time expired)

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