Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure, Transport, and Cities inquiry report into options for financing faster rail is, as the chair has said, timely and important. Fast rail between Australia's major capital cities and regional centres should be a bipartisan national objective. The report notes the federal government's role in rail projects is not limited to funding, it also has a leadership role to play in facilitating rail projects by providing strategic coordination between the different levels of government, the private sector and other key stakeholders. Because we're a federation, delivering these projects will involve negotiation across all levels of government. For example, land use planning is shared between different levels of government and rezoning is a local responsibility. The committee heard that there is scope for the government to work more with state, territory and local governments, to build on current mechanisms like the city deals we have in my electorate, in Darwin, and in Hobart, in Geelong and in Adelaide.

Value capture was a major focus of this report. It's a way for governments to fund part or all of costs for infrastructure projects. It is regrettable, as the chair has said, that in cases like the Western Sydney City Deal, governments have failed to value-capture extraordinary uplifts in property values in the area. Value capture should be incorporated organically into infrastructure projects to ensure that governments fairly capitalise on taxpayer funds that are invested. I commend the recommendations. I am personally, and we on this side of the House are, committed to using infrastructure spending and projects for nation-building. In his budget reply speech, the Leader of the Australian Labor Party, Anthony Albanese, made this clear when announcing Labor's creation of a National Rail Manufacturing Plan as part of our 'A Future Made in Australia'.

This plan will undertake a national audit of passenger train capacity and condition; develop our rail procurement and manufacturing strategy; and assess how we can grow jobs and bolster research and development and collaboration with innovation initiatives and organisations.

The plan will reinstate the important role of the rail supplier advocate, cut by those opposite in 2013, to help SMEs identify export opportunities and get a foot in the door with government purchasing bodies. Having said that, I want to pay tribute to the constructive bipartisan tone and, hopefully, outcomes of this important committee report.

Working closely with the member for Bennelong, who is a good friend—and I appreciate his sterling work in this inquiry process—I want to put on the record that his serve, his backhand and endurance were as impressive in this committee process as they were on the tennis court. His commitment to ensuring fairness is extraordinary. Fairness for Australian taxpayers from federal infrastructure projects is one that I support and which I hope his colleagues will also support.

Finally, I want to thank my Labor colleagues on the committee: Andrew Giles, the member for Scullin; and Joanne Ryan, the member for Lalor. I appreciate their counsel as our committee went through its important work on this inquiry. Thank you.

See this speech in context