Belinda Neal (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local government. Why is it important that the Nation Building Program (National Land Transport) Amendment Bill 2009 be passed by the parliament?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Robertson for a question about infrastructure. That is something that I have not had—not a single question on infrastructure—from those opposite, all year. Indeed, since I have had the portfolio I have had one question, which was a year ago, from the shadow minister for infrastructure, and that was about how many staff Infrastructure Australia had. There has not been one question, even though infrastructure forms the centrepiece of the budget—the centrepiece of nation building for recovery. And part of the budget is the Nation Building Program, which those opposite are prepared to vote against in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. The Nation Building Program will provide record funding of 120 road projects and 26 rail projects. The Nation Building Program will provide funds to fix dangerous black spots around the country and will pay for the installation of boom gates at high-risk level crossings and the construction of additional rest stops for truck drivers.

Just before question time we had a division. It was a division between those people who support nation building and infrastructure development and those people who do not. The National Party and the Liberal Party, once again, chose to vote against nation building. They did that on the basis that the Leader of the National Party—who has assigned himself to the back bench in shame, I notice—suggests that this is not providing funding for regional Australia. Well, have a look at the facts. The facts are that $21.2 billion of this spending is being delivered for rural and regional Australia. Some $1.2 billion on top of that is being invested in the ARTC. That is a total of $22.4 billion for rural and regional Australia.

Now, if you look at the former government’s AusLink program you find that its total funding—the whole lot—was $17.1 billion on national road and rail infrastructure. In total, $17.1 billion was their funding under the AusLink program. Last time I looked, 22 was a bigger number than 17! They provided $17 billion for the whole nation; we are providing $22.4 billion for rural and regional Australia. But the opposition had two lots of amendments that they voted on earlier today. One arose from the argument that the Strategic Regional Program that they had, only applied to regions.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on a point of order. The minister is commenting on a debate that is still in progress before the House. We have not yet had the third reading so his answer is out of order.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The House will come to order! Whilst, in a letter I have sent to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Procedure of today’s date, I have bemoaned that no substantive changes have been made to the standing orders relating to question time, there has been one minor change—and that has been to the anticipation rule: that no longer applies.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The argument that the coalition put is that the Strategic Regional Program was just for regions and that somehow the Labor government is trying to take money away from the regions and put it into the cities. Let us have a look at what the opposition actually did under the Strategic Regional Program. The best example, perhaps, of their Strategic Regional Roads program was that it provided $2 million to upgrade Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach, in the electorate of Wentworth. The only way you could head further east would be to by getting wet—with scuba gear—because Campbell Parade was in the marginal seat of Wentworth in the lead-up to the election.

But it was not just in the seat of Wentworth, of course. Bennelong—now finally represented by the member for Bennelong—received three lots of funding: the upgrade of Balaclava Road, the upgrade of Cox’s Road and the upgrade of Wicks Road. So what those opposite did with the Strategic Regional Program was fund roads in regional Australia and in marginal electorates. That is what they did. That is what the opportunists opposite did.

The opposition amendment, which they all voted for, was opposed to the off-network projects that will be funded by the Rudd government—41 projects worth $655 million. The member for La Trobe voted against $30 million to upgrade Clyde Road in his electorate. Congratulations! We will be letting them know, Member for La Trobe. The member for Stirling came into this parliament and spoke about the need for more road funding in his electorate, but he voted against the $10 million interchange upgrade on the Reid Highway and Alexander Drive. That is part of the legislation. He complained about it but comes in and, when he has the opportunity, votes against it. Once again, he is doing one thing in the electorate and another thing here in Canberra.

They also had a second amendment that they all voted for, which was about the Black Spot Program—the Black Spot Program that we have more than doubled. What they did there was move an amendment saying that the Black Spot Program should not apply to the national network. The Black Spot Program projects are identified by a committee. That has not changed. The committee consists of motoring organisations and safety experts, and projects are identified on the basis of accidents. It is not a political process at all. That is the way that projects are identified, and 81 projects on the national network have been selected for the Black Spot Program so far—81 projects that were opposed by those opposite. Let’s look at the politics of this: 43 of the 81 projects that they voted against are in coalition electorates, 33 in Labor electorates and five in electorates held by Independents. They voted against this program. The opportunism is extraordinary. Once again, the member for Gippsland has provided us with some really good material, because the very program that I identified—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order under standing order 104. The minister has now been speaking for over seven minutes.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Sturt will resume his seat. The minister is responding to the question.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gippsland—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. I remind members that standing order 65(b) continues to apply. The minister has the call.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Gippsland, I informed parliament last week, had a photograph in his local paper in an article in which he welcomed the upgrade of, as he put it, ‘one of Traralgon’s most dangerous intersections’ under the Black Spot Program. He went and got his photo taken there with the local representative, Mr Peter Wood. He looked at the upgrade plans and he said:

These upgrades will help to make the intersection safer and improve traffic flow along the highway and through the Central Business District.

He praises it in the electorate, he gets his photo taken in the electorate and today he voted against funding of that Black Spot Program. We will hold those opposite to account for their voting record. They cannot come in here and oppose funding for their own electorates, particularly road funding for black spots, move this ridiculous amendment put forward by the Leader of the National Party and then purport to support it in their own seats. They do one thing in Canberra and another thing in their electorates, and their opportunism—

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. Has the minister concluded? The Manager of Opposition Business on a point of order.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, is it in order for the minister to claim that we have voted against something which we have in fact not voted against in this House today?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There are other forms of the House for members that are aggrieved by any comment that was made in the answer. The Manager of Opposition Business on a further point of order?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I understand the point you are making, but surely there is a new rule if you are allowed to claim that somebody voted on a piece of legislation in this House which they have simply not voted on, as it is not coming until after question time today. He has misrepresented the proceedings of the House.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member will resume his seat. The Leader of the House, on this point of order or another point of order?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this point of order. The division which took place immediately prior to question time was over the amendments moved by the Leader of the National Party which would stop funding of black spots—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the House will resume his seat. I still indicate that there are other forms of the House in which this would have to be dealt with. This is not the first time that circumstances like this have occurred in this House, in this parliament or previous parliaments.