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

I will take the interjections. Those opposite are saying, 'All good here. Cost of living—nothing to see. It's wonderful out there in Australia.' Well, I have news for you: your people are hurting as well.

One of the saddest things to come out of this Labor government, just in the last couple of weeks, is this so-called 90-day review of infrastructure. This is the big con job that Labor put in this last budget. Apparently, according to the minister for infrastructure, they've kept $1.6 billion in the budget for vital infrastructure projects in my electorate like Sunshine Coast rail. Apparently, they've kept it in. Yet they have this 90-day review which is reviewing every single infrastructure project in this country that hasn't to date had a shovel in the ground. That puts at risk North Coast rail, a project that Ted O'Brien and I worked assiduously on for the last seven years to get $1.6 billion from the previous coalition government. I fear that this lot are going to rip it up and pull it out and do what they do best—redistribute it to their own electorates.

One of the other projects is greatly at risk. Quite frankly, it beggars belief that they would do this. Back in 2019, the coalition government provided $160 million for half the cost of the Malula River interchange. We didn't put one cent in but we said to the state, 'We will put in half. You put in half—$320 million all up for the first stage.' This is one of the most dangerous intersections on the Sunshine Coast. There are lots of collisions, lots of people being hurt—very dangerous. It was a good project. That's why we were prepared to put money up front.

One of the challenges with the project is that the state government has had to resume and ultimately evict people from 130 homes to build this project. It's important—it's very important—but it has meant that around 400 Sunshine Coast locals have been evicted in one of the greatest housing and homelessness crises this country has ever seen. But now, whilst the government is making this big announcement about a national housing fund, borrowing $10 billion, which is effectively a Ponzi scheme, hoping that they make more money than what it will cost them in interest payments, that project could be on the chopping block. Around 400 Australians, 400 Sunshine Coast locals, have been evicted from their homes, and now there's a great big shadow hanging over this project. Shame on Labor. If they were serious about housing, they would say that the $160 million stays and that project will go ahead. (Time expired)

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