Anne Webster (Mallee, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Regional Health) Share this | Hansard source

Swan Hill Rural City Council mayor Les McPhee is a proud advocate for his community. He was on the front page of the local paper last week, supporting my call for answers from the minister for infrastructure about the Swan Hill Bridge.

For 50 years the people of Swan Hill and their New South Wales neighbours have been calling for a new bridge. In 2019 the coalition provided $60 million in funding for the project. Sadly since then the project has been held up by two state heritage and planning departments. Now the minister has put this priority project into her 90-day infrastructure review. It is now 169 days since the minister announced this 90-day review, while Mayor McPhee and the good people of Swan Hill still don't have an answer.

The minister says she is consulting with her state and territory counterparts, but Mayor McPhee rightly pointed out that the minister should be consulting with me, as the local representative. Labor politicians seem to only know where regional Victorian seats like Mallee are when they want to swan in and claim the credit for coalition projects. They shun any other advice, particularly when it comes from electorates where the people see right through the usual city-centric policies Labor are well-known for. I say this to the minister: my door is open for you.

See this speech in context