Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

As we deal with the dual health and economic crisis of COVID-19, I know that the people of Fisher now more than ever want their three tiers of government—federal, state and local—to work together. They're not interested in what tier of government has jurisdiction over a particular issue or which of us is in charge. To those on the other side: let's not play silly political games, as you've been doing this morning. The people of Fisher, and most Australians, want us to cooperate as a team in their best interests and to get on with the job of delivering.

The coalition government understood this need for cooperation long before this crisis. As early as 2016, the then Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation released our Cities Agenda. With this statement, the government declared the Commonwealth's door open for state premiers, local mayors and the private sector to join us in a coordinated and effective approach to long-term planning. We've provided a platform for cooperative long-term infrastructure investment, both public and private, which can help our economies to grow. With the COVID crisis on hand, this approach is exactly what Australians want to see, not the Punch and Judy politics of this disappointing partisan motion.

The government's city deals concept is a bold agenda and one for which the government should be congratulated. We're already starting to see the benefits of this approach. Work is complete on the new $250 million North Queensland stadium and we've begun the $193 million port upgrades under the Townsville City Deal. I'm sure the member for Herbert is very, very happy with the outcomes of the Townsville City Deal. Local companies have taken up major contracts on these projects, already bringing hundreds of jobs to the community. Two hundred and sixty million dollars has been invested in Launceston to move the University of Tasmania's campus into the city centre, and the library and Student Experience building are already under construction. If I remember correctly, that deal was put together when there were Labor federal members in that seat, so there goes that argument for Labor! This project in Launceston is already employing 65 people, with another 650 jobs expected to be created. Thirty more projects are progressing under this city deal alone, and the Launceston economy is growing year on year. In fact, I believe the Tasmanian economy is growing the fastest amongst the whole national economy, amongst all the states. Good on you, Tassie. You're doing great work. It must be the great government you've got in that state.

However, as my community has seen in recent years, this government is pressing ahead with investing in much-needed infrastructure in regions with and without a city deal. The recent federal budget included a record $110 billion over the next ten years to build new transport infrastructure, as well as a further $3½ billion to build new water infrastructure. This will support over 100,000 jobs across 10 years. In my electorate of Fisher, we've seen a total investment of almost $3.2 billion. I hear the member for Goldstein saying, 'How much?' There's $3.2 billion in upgrades to the Bruce Highway between the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. This includes an extra lane each way all the way from the coast to Pine Rivers as well as major upgrades to the critical intersections at Deception Bay, Maroochydore Road and Caloundra Road among others. The recent budget allocated an additional $95.2 million to ensure that these upgrades are completed on time and in full. The current phase of these works between Caloundra Road and Sunshine Motorway are scheduled to be completed in the middle of next year, while the next section from Caboolture-Bribie Island Road to Exit 163, the Steve Irwin Way, is scheduled to begin construction later this year. In Fisher alone, these upgrades are already supporting 680 jobs. You're probably wondering why I'm saying these things. That is because this is proof that whilst City Deals are great and they're really important, you don't need a City Deal if you're a good federal member to get funding for your local region. You do not need City Deal to get funding for— (Time expired)

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