Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Education) Share this | Hansard source

It's often said in the finance sector that past performance is no guarantee of future results, but, in the case of the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, I'm afraid it's probably a pretty good indicator. I'm not optimistic that we're going to get any answers here today.

Why do I say this? Because this minister and her department avoid scrutiny at all opportunities and refuse to answer basic questions, and the cabinet minister hasn't even bothered to turn up to consideration in detail. They are incompetent. I have repeatedly written to this minister on behalf of my constituents and respectfully sought information on road projects in my electorate, and my community has been treated with complete contempt—the same contempt that allows a cabinet minister to not even bother to turn up tonight. So I ask the minister: given that her ministerial colleagues are able to reply to correspondence from MPs within a few weeks, why does it take this minister and her department up to 10 months to reply to letters?

I refer specifically to the Princes Highway corridor program in Victoria and the confirmation in Senate estimates that there is $156 million of unallocated funding in that program. Not a single new project has actually started in this program on this minister's watch. The scale of bureaucratic bungling is unfathomable to motorists driving on this road. There's no sense of urgency and there's a complete disregard for the safety of the travelling public on the Princes Highway. My question is: given the deteriorating state of the highway and the increases in road trauma during this term of government, what steps is the cabinet minister taking to ensure this funding is spent in a timely manner to address road safety and productivity concerns in Victoria?

I also want to refer to the minister's comments in relation to the Stronger Communities Program:

Every single community in Australia is unique, and the Albanese Government recognises that local governments, community organisations and that people who live in their region best understand their local priorities.

The minister's department website says that all rounds of the Stronger Communities Program have been 'very successful'. Minister, if this program is so important, why did the government cut the funding in the budget and place additional pressure on families to fundraise for their local community and sporting organisations, adding to the cost-of-living pressures on these small communities?

In that same vein, I would like to refer to the absent cabinet minister's repeated claims that Australian motorists will experience reduced running costs as a result of the government's vehicle efficiency standards. I ask the cabinet minister, again in her absence, because she couldn't be bothered turning up to consideration in detail: in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, do you acknowledge that the purchase price of some of Australia's most popular vehicles will increase under your legislation? Minister, why won't you release modelling on the impact the vehicle efficiency standards will have on the purchase price of vehicles? If it's true that the drive-away prices will increase under your vehicle efficiency standards, has the government done any other modelling on whether Australians are likely to keep their current cars for longer and thus delay any of the claimed environmental benefits under this program?

Finally, I want to refer to the Albanese government's broken promise to provide fair increases to local government funding, and I refer to this statement from the Australian Local Government Association after the release of the budget. The ALGA said:

This year's Budget will be incredibly disappointing to many councils and communities that have been waiting for the Government to deliver on its fair funding promise …

I do note that the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories is at the table, and, on behalf of ALGA and other local government associations, I encourage her to respond to this question. Your government, the Albanese government, promised to make fair funding increases prior to the last election and hasn't done it. Minister, isn't the inquiry into the financial sustainability of local government just another cynical attempt to kick the can down the potholed road until after the next election?

If we compare funding commitments over a five-year period, the coalition invested $3 billion in additional road funding specifically for local government. The local roads and community infrastructure program was extremely successful and well received by the local government sector—another program cut by this government.

The member for McEwen has woken up! The member for Eden-Monaro has woken up as well! It was another program cut by the Albanese government. So, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, the burden will fall on family budgets as ratepayers will be forced to add to the widening gaps. Why do Australians always pay more under a Labor government?

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