Kay Hull (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Would the minister advise the House of recent initiatives to strengthen the very valuable Australian transport sector?

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The obvious first answer to the honourable member’s question is that this government has put on the table $12.7 billion, under the AusLink program, to fund some of the major road and rail infrastructure projects that are essential to keeping our transport system working well. It is absolutely vital that we improve our infrastructure, given the prospect of Australia’s transport task doubling within 20 years. It will require a continuing commitment to ensure that the transport sector can play its role in a strong and vibrant economy.

Over the last couple of weeks, governments around Australia have responded to the National Transport Commission’s assessment of the costs of road transport and the implications for the provision of infrastructure. The NTC had recommended a 2.1c a litre increase in the fuel excise, effectively paid by the road transport industry, and increases in registrations on large trucks to around 30 per cent. I know that the prospect of these increases in costs was a matter of grave concern to members of the Australian government, and I am pleased to report to the House that the Australian government has voted no to these proposed increases. I am pleased to note also that, having publicly professed support for these proposals, the states eventually rolled over and voted no to those proposals.

That does not mean that the government is opposed to cost recovery from the transport sector; we publicly support that objective, and so does the road transport industry.

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tanner interjecting

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian transport industry itself supports—

Lindsay Tanner (Melbourne, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Tanner interjecting

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Melbourne is warned!

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Minister for Transport and Regional Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Transport Industry Association supports cost recovery from the transport industry. The problem with these proposals was that they would have led to substantial over-cost recovery. No-one could justify that level of over-cost recovery, which comes from the fact that registration fees on small trucks—which are set by the states—are too high. Every year, the states increase registration fees whereas, over the last five years, the federal government has frozen excise. We have done our part to keep transport costs low, and it is time that the states also played a role.

That does not mean that we are anti-rail. Indeed, the country has been waiting for a very long period of time for the $2 billion that the government has put into rail infrastructure. Rail will play a vital role in our future transport tasks, and the government will support both rail and road to achieve maximum levels of efficiency. Instead of driving empty buses, it is time that the opposition started to drive some policy reform and support these key initiatives to get our country’s transport system working efficiently and well.