Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House notes the:

(1) strong investment by the Australian Government in infrastructure right across Queensland, particularly the Mains Road and Kessels Road Intersection Upgrade and the Ipswich Motorway Upgrade;

(2) commitment by the Australian Government in infrastructure now and into the future, such as our investment in the Bruce Highway; and

(3) current Queensland Government's inconsistent approach to infrastructure projects.

There could not be a starker contrast than the federal Labor government's commitment to infrastructure and the opposition's failure to build and invest in capital works programs during their 12 long years in office. The federal Labor government has a proud history of investing in infrastructure right across Queensland, and with the 2012-13 budget we are delivering a further instalment of $879 million in funding to start, progress and complete a range of projects right across Queensland from Coolangatta to the Cape and from Sunnybank to the Simpson Desert.

This budget commitment adds to the record $8.7-billion investment, which is part of our six-year Nation Building Program to rebuild and renew Queensland's road, rail and public transport infrastructure.

Since coming to power, Labor has more than doubled federal annual infrastructure spending from $143 to $314 per Queenslander. A project that will go from the drawing board to construction in the coming financial year includes the construction of the new Moreton Bay rail link between Petrie and Kippa-Ring—a project first mooted not last century but the one before, in 1895. The federal contribution is $742 million. I thank the member for Petrie for her passionate advocacy for that project.

The federal contribution to straightening and extending the southbound on-ramp from the Gateway Motorway to the Pacific Motorway, and widening the Mount Gravatt Capalaba Road between Broadwater and Gardner roads, is $70 million. The federal contribution from the Regional Infrastructure Fund to building a new interchange along the Warrego Highway at Blacksaw is $54 million. I know the member for Blair has been a passionate advocate for this project. The federal government will contribute up to $18 million under the National Smart Managed Motorways Program for the installation of the latest freeway technology along the Gateway Motorway north from Nudgee to the Bruce Highway, including mounted variable speed limits, ramp signalling, travel time signs and variable message signs—and that is on the north side, away from my electorate. Nevertheless, it is money well spent for Queensland and for the nation.

From the outset, federal Labor's mission has been to reverse the neglect we inherited. We have invested in modern, well planned infrastructure that will make the lives of working people easier, our businesses more competitive and the nation's economy stronger, not just for the next five years but also for the next five decades across the length and breadth of Queensland. That is precisely what we are doing: we are setting the state up for the future with good infrastructure that will stand the test of time.

One highway that could not have been more neglected by the Howard government is the Bruce Highway. The member for Hinkler is entering the chamber and he would know this highway well. The federal Labor government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a better, safer Bruce Highway. Federal Labor has invested $2.8 billion over seven years on the Bruce Highway. Consequently, no project has been delayed or cancelled. Indeed, compared with the former Howard government we are investing more than twice as much in half the time, including a further instalment of almost half a billion dollars in the 2012-13 financial year.

For a few years, when I was a union organiser for the Independent Education Union, I used to drive the Bruce Highway almost every other week doing 30,000 to 40,000 kilometres up to Rockhampton, Longreach, Moranbah, Bundaberg and everywhere in between. How it has changed since those days. This financial year we have seen federal government investments along the Bruce Highway. The federal contribution to the construction of a new interchange at the intersection between the Bruce and Dawson highways, the Calliope crossroads near Gladstone, is $150 million. Federal Labor's contribution to the straightening and raising of the Bruce Highway between Sandy Corner and Collinson's Lagoon is $50 million. The federal contribution to the straightening and widening the Bruce Highway from Cabbagetree Creek to Carmen Road and across Back Creek Range is $100 million. The federal contribution to straightening the Bruce Highway just south of Gin Gin and upgrading the intersection with the Bundaberg Gin Gin Road is $20 million.

In addition to these major upgrades to key sections of the highway our $440 million safety package also includes installing 52 new overtaking lanes. As anyone who drives the Bruce would know—with all respect to our grey nomads—overtaking lanes are crucial, particularly with that mix of heavy transport and slow caravans. We are fixing 100 dangerous black spots, building 20 new rest areas and stopping places as well as upgrading a further nine existing rest areas and laying audible edge line markings as well. This is substantial progress, substantial investment and it is all being delivered by a federal Labor government. Unlike the Queensland Nationals senators perched up on the 36th floor of Waterfront Place in the city, the Labor Party never forgets the bush. I acknowledge that Senator Barnaby Joyce has his office out in the bush in St George.

Turning my attention to something closer to home, I particularly note the $300-million upgrade to Queensland's second busiest intersection, the corner of Mains Road and Kessells Road at Nathan. The intersection was a weeping sore for years and years under the Howard government. I was elected with a clear commitment to fix the congestion.

The former member for Moreton of 12 years, now shock jock Gary Hardgrave, actually opposed my plan. Yet, on an average weekday, Kessels Road carries about 50,000 vehicles and Mains Road carries about 40,000—and that continues over the weekend. This much traffic often causes delays—on any day of the week. I have been stalled there for three or four changes of lights, even on a Sunday. That is why the upgrade will not only ease congestion but also cater for projected growth, keeping the south side moving well into the future.

This project will also provide for cyclists, both on and off the road; bring down vehicle operation costs; and reduce local exhaust emissions. Anyone who has seen the number of trucks doing hill starts at that intersection and who knows how dangerous and cancer-inducing the diesel particulate matter is knows that this needs to change. This project will also decrease noise levels around the intersection, which is good for the local residents. Over 800 jobs will be sustained over the life of this project, delivering an important boost to the region in these challenging times, where unemployment is, sadly, taking off in Queensland. We are about to see a budget delivered tomorrow. We have already seen thousands and thousands of Queensland public servants sacked, and casuals not have their contract renewed. We are waiting to see how Campbell Newman's axe falls tomorrow, when up to 15,000 lives and homes will be destroyed.

I am pleased to advise members of the House that I have kept my promise to improve this intersection, with the construction of a new Kessels Road underpass now well underway. In fact, I was fortunate enough to open the visitors centre in July. I am very pleased that members of the public can now access the visitors centre and keep themselves informed of the project's progress and all the benefits that this grade separation will deliver. It shows that the completed upgrade will improve safety and efficiency on this very busy road corridor that connects Ipswich and the Pacific and gateway motorways with industrial hubs and residential areas.

The new intersection will improve congestion by eliminating the existing traffic lights and diverting Kessels Road beneath Mains Road. Sadly, this intersection was also bitterly opposed by the Liberal-National Party, whose former leader, now the health minister, Lawrence Springborg, stated as recently as 2009 that he would tear up the upgrade plans for the intersection. It is only because of the commitment and persistence of the Labor government, and Minister Albanese in particular, that this project is being delivered. I am looking forward to seeing the completion of this $300 million upgrade to the Mains and Kessels intersection by mid 2014.

For the record and for the benefit of Premier Newman, I remind him that the former state Labor government also understood the critical role of infrastructure. Right across the state they built schools, hospitals and roads. In the south-east, they spent $2,850 per man, woman and child. In Far North Queensland, they spent $1 billion in 2011-12. This was allocated to projects like the Cairns Base Hospital redevelopment and the Cairns city centre bus interchange. In North Queensland, Labor spent a further $900 million on projects like the expansion of the Townsville Hospital, the Townsville ring road and the revitalisation of the Townsville CBD. In Central Queensland $650 million has been spent in the Mackay region and another billion dollars in the Fitzroy. This was a government that recognised the importance of grassroots infrastructure in every region of Queensland and the jobs that flow from such projects.

Sadly, this is not the approach of the current state Liberal-National Party government. 'Can-cut' Campbell is slashing jobs, programs and infrastructure projects. They indeed have a strange set of priorities. They can upgrade the Gold Coast racetrack but cannot find money for the NDIS, the National Disability Insurance Scheme. I look forward to seeing how their budget progresses tomorrow. (Time expired)

Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I value this opportunity to speak about the Bruce Highway. It is Queensland's major north-south corridor. It connects the coastal population centres, one of them being your own, Madam Deputy Speaker Livermore, from Brisbane to Cairns over 1,677 kilometres. But let me commence my contribution by bringing something to the attention of the member for Moreton. The member for Moreton should not read the Labor Party rhetoric but go out and have a look at the Bruce Highway, on which he travelled so frequently.

He cited four sets of works. I know them all intimately. One site he referred to is Gin Gin, which is not even started. Who knows when it will be started? It is out there in the never-never. At the Calliope Crossroads some minor work is going on, a service station has been resumed, but no major works are going on. He also mentioned section B, the Cooroy to Curra section. He used another name, but I know exactly what he was referring to. That has been completed but not opened, and it is not likely to be opened until later in the year. So we have one out of four. Let me talk a little bit more about that further on.

The highway is on the National Land Transport Network and is a key freight route, providing the agricultural and resources industries access to the 11 coastal ports along the highway's length. It is also a major tourist route. The Australian Road Assessment Program national report released earlier this year highlighted that the Bruce Highway accounts for one-sixth of the fatalities on the national highway network. The average number of accidents involving fatality and serious injury on the Bruce Highway is 322 per year. Travel on the highway is regularly disrupted by flooding—33 significant sites along its length go under regularly. Flooding at 13 of these sites is considered to be a major problem.

The Australian government is funding, over a six-year period, a program which will see Queensland receive 24 per cent of the funding, New South Wales receive 32 per cent, Victoria receive 19 per cent and Western Australia receive 10 per cent. Under the MOI, the Bruce Highway will receive almost $2.7 billion in works. That is over six years, as the member for Moreton said. The minister—and, by inference, the member for Moreton—makes much of the fact that the current Labor government has spent more on the Bruce Highway than the former coalition government spent. There is nothing unusual about that. You could equally say that the Howard government spent more than the Keating government. But we live in an era in which progressive works have to take place, and inflation means that spending increases.

The Newman government has announced $1 billion over 10 years for the Bruce Highway. That should attract, in the normal course of events, $4 billion from the Commonwealth government. It will be interesting to see whether in the next budget the Gillard government responds to the Newman government, which it is very ready to criticise. We will see, when push comes to shove, whether they really are going to spend some serious money on the Bruce Highway. But even that money, plus whatever Labor puts in, will still not be enough to get the Bruce Highway up to a reasonable standard.

The member for Moreton and the minister tell us all about what they are going to spend on roads. But if you have a look at the budget, road funding fell 58 per cent. If you compare the current year of 2012-13 with the last year of the Howard government, 2007-08, road funding actually fell, from $2.87 billion under Howard to $2.67 billion under Gillard. Therein lies the deceit—the glossy forward promises but nondelivery. If they were fair dinkum about the Bruce Highway or, for that matter, any other national highway, they would have been putting some serious money into it. I repeat: it will be interesting to see whether they will increase their funding beyond that $2.6 billion when they have the opportunity to put $4 billion in to match Campbell Newman on the 20-80 formula.

There is another interesting point that the member for Moreton may not be aware of. We all know how important the Cooroy to Curra section is, but through a question asked of the Bligh government by my state colleague the member for Gympie—the significance of the question was obviously lost on the minister at the time—it was admitted in state parliament that Labor had actually taken $100 million away from the Cooroy to Curra section. What a disgrace it is to come in here and beat your chest about how good you are while out the back door you are snipping $100 million from one of the most vital sections of the Bruce Highway.

I see my colleague the member for Herbert in here. My colleagues—the members for Wide Bay, Flynn, Dawson, Herbert and Leichhardt—and I have formed a group that has recently had an outreach along the Bruce Highway. We visited all of these bad spots—not all of us at every spot, but on a continuum up the highway—and five of the six of us released a questionnaire to all our constituents to find out what they thought about it. We will be releasing some data that I think will put a whole new perspective on what has to happen on the Bruce Highway. We did not do it an any spirit of blaming Labor or seeing whether we had done enough. We decided that if this was going to be a 1,677-kilometre artery that keeps the East Coast of Australia alive through freight, tourism and inter-city exchange we needed to have a forthright program where we could identify things that need to be changed. It is quite obvious that the Cooroy to Curra section is one that does need to be changed.

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Exactly right.

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes. It is so bad there—almost exactly on these sites: from 14 kilometres north of Gympie to Gympie and then for 24 kilometres south of Gympie—that the speed limit has had to be reduced to 90 kilometres an hour. That is a disgrace on a national highway.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Blame the former transport minister.

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It will remain so until the member for Moreton and his colleagues get some serious spending into it, because they are way behind in the commitments the coalition made to that section.

As I said before, section B is not even open. Section B had to be rushed through because Labor wanted to open the infamous Traveston Dam. To open the infamous Traveston Dam they had to divert 12 kilometres of the highway. That all came to a grinding halt. Now we have the situation where that has languished for some months and has not yet been completed.

But that is only part of it. We then have another section from just south of Gympie; it is section C. We then need to bypass Gympie to Curra in the north. That is well down the track. We had it down to be done by 2020, but on Labor's timetable, as slow as a tortoise, we are not likely to see it happen.

So, don't come in here thumping your chest and saying that you have done a marvellous job on the Bruce Highway. Quite frankly you have not and you have been caught out on the figures.

Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This federal Labor government has invested a record $8.7 billion in road, rail and ports funding in Queensland. Those opposite have a trinity of sins when it comes to issues of road funding and infrastructure funding in Queensland. For example, they opposed the nation-building and stimulus funding that provided so much funding for roads in Queensland, including the Bruce Highway, the Ipswich Motorway and other funding in Queensland. They then opposed the flood levy, which was used by this government to rebuild nearly 10,000 kilometres of roads in Queensland after the floods. Then, when it comes to the funding under Regional Development Australia, funded through the minerals resource rent tax—with $2 billion to Queensland for road, rail and infrastructure, including $54 million in my neck of the woods on the Blacksoil Interchange—those opposite and the LNP state members from Queensland opposed that.

It is not just one strike, it is not just two strikes, it is three strikes in this place, voting repeatedly against road funding in the state of Queensland. They go back to their electorates and bleat and moan and carp and say we are not doing enough then they come into this place and vote against it. We hear the words from those opposite—you will hear more in the next speech and in those beyond—but when it comes to the opportunity to actually vote for funding for their electorates and for their state of Queensland, they repeatedly vote against it. Three sins, three strikes and you are out, fellas. That is what it comes to. You should go back to your electorates and say in your newsletters, 'I voted against funding for the Bruce Highway, I voted against funding for the Ipswich Motorway and I voted against funding to rebuild your roads after the floods.' That is what happened. They do this all the time.

I thank the member for Moreton for bringing this much-needed private member's motion before the House because it shows the difference between this side of politics—Labor— and those opposite. The best example in the state of Queensland has to be the Dinmore to Goodna section of the Ipswich Motorway. The member for Moreton, the member for Oxley and I, over three federal elections, fought against those opposite, whose policy was to oppose it each and every time. The economic lunacy of those opposite on this issue can be seen from their policy at the last federal election, which was to stop construction on that section of the motorway and put thousands of people out of jobs. That was their policy. They still have not supported the Dinmore to Goodna section of the Ipswich Motorway. That is a $1.76 billion project, making such a difference to Ipswich, Brisbane and the Western Corridor. They do not care about the people of Moreton, Oxley or Blair.

The people who drive those 90,000 vehicles a day—the drivers, the kids in the cars, the truck drivers—want to use that motorway safely. They want to get to their destinations quickly; they want to get to their medical appointments, the shops and their schools quickly. This is a worthy and noble goal. Those opposite opposed it. They opposed it time and time again. For suburbs along the Ipswich motorway like Riverview, Dinmore, Redbank and Goodna, they opposed the service roads, which took 20 per cent of traffic off the roads. They opposed the cycling paths, which I know the member for Oxley was very keen on. We have got eight kilometres of upgraded motorway, seven kilometres of service roads and 24 kilometres of shared pedestrian pathways and cycleways. That project has seen 26 new or rebuilt bridges and a million trees, and thousands of people work on it, but those opposite opposed it over three federal elections.

The people of The Western Corridor know very well about the attitude, the inertia, the idleness and the ignorance of the LNP in Queensland. We are seeing it now. There are cuts to jobs, cuts to services and cuts roads. There are hundreds of millions of dollars in road funding projects that Campbell Newman in Queensland cut almost straightaway—none of them in federal or state Labor-held electorates. But do we hear anything from those opposite? There is muted silence. They have gone into hiding—in the crevice of a rock when it comes to Campbell Newman and his commitment to Queensland, or lack thereof. (Time expired)

George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Back in July this year the shadow minister for infrastructure and transport, the Leader of the Nationals; the shadow parliamentary secretary for roads and regional transport, the member for Gippsland; and I, along with a host of state and federal Liberal-National Party members of parliament, conducted an inspection of the entire Bruce Highway. From the outskirts of Brisbane to Cairns we drove all 1,652 kilometres of the Bruce Highway, meeting along the way local mayors and councillors, local ambulance officers, police officers, RACQ personnel, and truckies and other road users. We had plenty to talk about because there are plenty of problems on the Bruce Highway.

We also saw those problems firsthand, because we drove the entire length of the Bruce. We saw the congestion, the lack of overtaking lanes, massive potholes, dangerous intersections, flood-prone areas; we had a car that blew out a tyre from hitting a pothole that was the size of a crater, and at two spots—one I recall at Ilbilbie and the other one at El Arish—we confronted cattle on the road. They were Brahmans, if it am not mistaken, standing smack bang in the middle of the national highway.

Which brings me to the motion put forward by the member for Moreton: what a load of bull! I have a message for him, and all of the members opposite: do not come into this place and pat yourselves on the back on a job supposedly well done, without getting the facts right first and without going and talking to the people who know that the investment, or lack thereof, in the Bruce Highway is nothing that this government can be proud of.

Let's put the facts on the table about funding. The last time Labor were in office they left a debt of $96 billion. It took the Liberal-Nationals coalition under the leadership of John Howard to wind that around, leaving $70 billion in the bank. Now the Rudd-Gillard government has $240 billion debt and it is growing. So where did the money come from that has been spent most recently on the Bruce? I can tell you where it came from: the savings of the Liberal-Nationals coalition government under John Howard. I can prove that even further by mentioning the fact that Auslink 2 covered the periods from 2009 to 2014—right now—and was announced by then transport minister Mark Vaile, then leader of the National Party. He allocated $22.3 billion for future years to land transport systems in Australia, road and rail. A lot of that money has gone into the Bruce Highway under this government, but only by fate, because it was already predetermined under the previous government. And so we ask ourselves: what new has this government actually put into the Bruce Highway? I know the member opposite, the member for Moreton, has cited four projects. The member for Hinkler has rightly pointed out that, out of those four projects he has talked about, two have not even started yet, one is not completed and the other one involves minor works. The last one has been done. Well, one out of four ain't bad, mate!

But I have to tell you: he also quoted Collinson's Lagoon upgrade. Mate, if you want to see the reason why the work up at Collinson's Lagoon is going ahead, you are looking at it—because, when you guys previously proposed this flood levy, you decided you were going to cut a whole heap of flood-proofing projects on the Bruce Highway. One of them was Collinson's Lagoon, one of them was up near Townsville—

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Correct!

George Christensen (Dawson, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Herbert will attest to that. That was the Vantassel Street and the Flinders Highway intersection. It took us, raging and screaming from this side of the House, and a commitment from the Leader of the Opposition to keep that funding in place, to make this government backflip and put that funding back on the table. That is the sole reason that those projects have gone ahead in North Queensland on the Bruce Highway. So don't come in here with motions saying how good this Gillard Labor government is on the Bruce Highway—because that, my friend, is an absolute joke.

If you want to see some more facts, have a look at the headlines in the Daily Mercury, my local paper. Today we have the Mackay Road Action Group working on a campaign to lower the road toll. We have had the RACQ in recent days saying that the highway is still the most dangerous in Australia. We have had experts in international road movements come and say— (Time expired)

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am really pleased to speak on this particular motion from the member for Moreton, not just because he is a good member for his local community but for the fact that he is committed, like Labor, to really strong infrastructure programs and spend—not just programs and spend but delivery: real infrastructure built on the ground and delivered. It is one thing to talk. You can talk about anything you like. You can talk about the economy; you can talk about all the great things we have done. That is true, and I thank the members opposite for acknowledging all of that good work that we have done, but you actually have to deliver the roads in the end—and that is exactly what we do. We do not just talk about them, we do not just look at them, we do not just plan them; we actually build them.

We are builders. We love to build things. We particularly love to build roads, rail and ports. There is a whole heap of examples and you have heard some already.

One of the things I relish the most when I go out into my community and into other communities to talk about different projects is that I can always point to something and say: 'Labor built that. I remember that road. We funded that road. We built that road.' The tunnel in Brisbane that is being constructed at the moment, which is a fantastic infrastructure project, in a very short time is already 25 per cent of the way into tunnelling. It will take four years all up to finish the job. It is fantastic work. It was done by the former state Labor government, the federal government and the Brisbane City Council—three-way funding. The Commonwealth contributed $500 million to it. It is a fantastic road tunnelling project in Brisbane.

We have talked a lot about the Ipswich Motorway, and so we should because that is one of the great infrastructure projects in this country. It is one that we have not seen on such a scale for generations. The interesting thing about the Ipswich Motorway upgrade—as everyone agrees and knows—is that, when you drive on it, you think that it is a beautiful bit of road. That is what I hear from people all the time. The member for Dawson and the member for Hinkler would agree that it is a beautiful piece of road.

Mr Neville interjecting—

Mr Christensen interjecting—

It is okay, we are making our way up north to your electorates where previously the roads have not been done. We will come and build roads for you. We actually agree that you have to work right across Queensland and right across Australia. We are going to deliver road upgrades that were not done 15 years ago. I love hearing about things that could have been done. I love hearing members of the Liberal and National parties talk about the great wads of money they left in the bank. It is too bad that they would not spend it on you. They love to collect money, put it in the bank and sit on it, but it is too bad that they were not generous enough to spend it on you—you the community and you the people.

Mr Robert interjecting—

That is right, the Bruce Highway needed to be fixed a long time ago. They had the money but they would just not spend it. They were keeping it for something—

Mr Robert interjecting—

Kirsten Livermore (Capricornia, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Oxley has the call.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is one thing to come in here and talk about these things but you have to build the roads. You wait for us to get into government and when Labor gets into government we take on the hard job of going out and building the roads. We do it and we are very proud of it. We like the fact that we do that.

This is a fantastic statistic, believe it or not. It took more than 100 years for us to line up a bit of rail gauge between New South Wales and Queensland. It is right in my electorate too, believe it or not, and it is the Acacia Ridge depot track upgrade. We spent nearly $60 million on the Queensland-New South Wales border on that rail gauge. It took 100 years. Why did it take so long? The previous government could have looked at this, but why would they have?

During the Howard years they had a policy of the federal government not getting involved in infrastructure projects; that was a job for the states and local government. We disagreed, vehemently, and we still do today. It is a responsibility of the federal government to get involved. There are some projects that, maybe, only the federal government can get involved in and fund. It ought to be done, where possible, in partnership with local communities, local councils, local builders and construction companies and with state governments—I do not care which state government. Let us build those roads. Let us go to Dawson electorate and Hinkler electorate and to the good National Party heartland seats. We will get further north as well; I will not leave any of you out. We will do that. We will make a commitment.

People talk about debt and talk about a range of things. There is good debt and there is bad debt. If you are borrowing money to buy a house, most people in the community understand that because you are going to get something back from that house and you are going to live in it. Where funding is needed, that is what you do. That is how funding works and it is the right thing to do. Funding works for your community and increases productivity. It makes people's lives better and reduces congestion. I have a local example in reverse in the state seat of Mount Ommaney. Prior to the last election the new member coming in said that she would definitely fund and would definitely upgrade the Sumners Road Interchange over the Centenary Motorway. (Time expired)

Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the motion proposed by the member for Moreton. When it comes down to it, the Rudd-Gillard government has spent more than the Howard government, but the Howard government actually spent more than the Hawke-Keating government, the Hawke-Keating government spent more than the Fraser government and the Fraser government spent—sorry, no-one spent more than the Whitlam government.

I take the opportunity to wish the member well with his wishes for the south-east corner.

I do take issue, however, when he states that the current state government has an inconsistent approach to infrastructure projects. I suppose that, after 20 years of state Labor government ineptitude and stagnation on all things, actually doing something would be a change for the member.

My family is from Brisbane and I speak to my brothers regularly about the traffic in Brisbane and the hold-ups they get from time to time, sometimes for hours. Unfortunately in North Queensland when there is a hold-up it is for days and sometimes weeks, not hours. I have been driving the Bruce Highway from Cairns to Brisbane since 1994. Let me tell you this: the worst stretch of road by far I have encountered along there is the one between Miriam Vale and Rockhampton. But in North Queensland we have the worst bridges, with the Haughton River bridge being the absolute worst, the one most in need of urgent upgrading. During 20 years of state Labor government not one cent was spent on this. I am proud to say that I am part of Campbell Newman's Bruce Highway action group. I have spoken about the needs of the north and I am proud to say that I am part of the LNP action group federally.

The committee advisers told us that there should be a safety first approach when it comes to fixing the Bruce Highway. I add that in the north we also have a commercial responsibility. It is pointless being able to get around a semitrailer or a B-double if all it means is that you are going to get to the flooded part of the road even quicker. Every time there is a tropical low in the Coral Sea we suffer a 25 per cent tariff on fresh foods such as bananas. That is because there is every chance that that truck will be stopped on the side of the road waiting for flood waters to recede. Add to this that from 2014 the carbon tax will apply to long-haul transport, and under this insidious carbon tax there has already been an incredible increase of some 300 per cent in refrigeration gases, and the refrigerators are run by diesel. Also, you have every Queenslander at the mercy of the weather.

Government must look at infrastructure that will provide a return on investment. We have to be smarter in our financing of major projects. We have to get the best result with less money, because we simply cannot follow this government's path of taxing the successful industries and taxing the essentials of life to fund their programs. They are short-sighted in the extreme. We must look to create partnerships to provide a greater result with less public money.

It is all well and good to talk about roads, but infrastructure is more than just about roads. It is also about dams, power stations, ports and everything else to do with infrastructure. I was in the chamber during the last sitting fortnight when the Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency made a big song and dance about a $5 million investment in the MBD algae project at James Cook University. It is part of an $8 billion worldwide industry. That, my friends, is an investment of 0.0625 of one per cent of the market. We should be backing winners and not pouring money into clean energy projects, where most are doomed to fail. We need to look at ways where we can make this work better for all of us, because it will reduce emissions and create a biodiesel, a stockfeed and a protein source. Maybe the reason this government is not getting on board with this thing is that it is a little bit too much like Direct Action to warrant too much attention from a lazy, narrowly focused, Greens-led poor excuse for a government. In fact, when former Prime Minister Rudd was in Townsville, less than 200 metres from the MBD project, he would not even take a car to have a look at it. This project should be used for the establishment of a world's best practice coal fired power station to provide cheap plentiful power with zero emissions.

We should be targeting countries, such as Indonesia, that are looking to establish baseload power. They know the inherent risks of nuclear power but want to provide for their people. We have the product and we should be pushing the living daylights out of it to get the jump on the world. It is projects like this, which come from North Queensland, that will provide the greatest return on investment, giving all Australians the hope, reward and opportunity that has been lacking since this mob came to power.

Debate adjourned.