John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The people of Bennelong will not have been surprised this morning to wake to the headline that the Gillard government has broken its $2.1 billion promise to fund the construction of the Epping to Parramatta rail link. Just 10 days before the 2010 federal election, the Prime Minister joined with the then Labor Premier, Kristina Keneally, and my predecessor, Maxine McKew, to announce this link. This came despite the fact that the rail project did not exist anywhere in the New South Wales government's 10-year infrastructure plan and the fact that the Gillard government's own experts, Infrastructure Australia, did not consider it to be a priority project.

The Prime Minister's promise to the people of Bennelong and Parramatta was shrewdly crafted, as the money was not actually set to start flowing till 2014. However, time always has a way of catching up, and, now the money needs to be accounted for, it is nowhere to be seen. The other condition on this money was that the federal budget would have to be in surplus. As we are all aware, Treasurer Wayne Swan has promised a surplus year after year but has never managed to deliver one—more broken promises.

The Chatswood to Parramatta rail link was first announced by the then state government in 1998, at a cost of $1 billion. After inaction and cost blowouts, half of the link from Chatswood to Epping was finally completed in 2009, at a cost of $2.4 billion. The 2010 announcement of $2.6 billion to complete the link meant a blowout of 500 per cent. This is simply not the way to govern our country. The people of Parramatta, of Bennelong and of the nation deserve better.

In contrast, the O'Farrell Liberal government in New South Wales was elected in 2011 with a promise to build the north-west rail link. This essential rail infrastructure project was first promised by former Premier Bob Carr in 1998 at a cost of $350 million but was never built. The massive growth in the area and the increase in property values has seen the construction bill skyrocket by $8 billion. This is the cost of inaction and broken promises. Regardless, Premier O'Farrell identified this as a priority piece of infrastructure. He promised the community his government would build it and he is already honouring that promise.

Labor governments state and federal have forged a strong reputation for broken promises on infrastructure projects. The Epping to Parramatta rail link is just another to add to this list. Thankfully the people of Bennelong saw through this promise in 2010 and on many occasions I have stood in this place to challenge the government to honour this election commitment. As is their political strategy—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

John Alexander (Bennelong, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

and they think it is funny—I have been accused by those opposite of fear mongering. Today's announcement exposes the truth and proves to us all that the only thing left to fear is three more years of this government. (Time expired)

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was going to talk about heritage today but the member for Bennelong's speech draws me to speak about the extraordinary hypocrisy I have just witnessed by the member for Bennelong. The member for Bennelong will know absolutely that the federal government has remained committed to building the Parramatta to Epping railway link and has left the money in the budget. If the money is not in the budget, as he claims, then he might wonder why his Leader of the Opposition has promised to remove the money from the budget for the Parramatta to Epping rail link and use it to build the Pacific Highway. Either the Leader of the Opposition is telling a few fibs about the fact—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Julie Owens (Parramatta, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was silent. I would like to be heard in silence if that is okay. The Leader of the Opposition has promised to take the $2.5 billion that sits there for the Parramatta to Epping railway link and use it for the Pacific Highway. I have sat in meetings with the Liberal Mayor of Parramatta and the Liberal state member for Parramatta and both of them have supported the Leader of the Opposition's plan to take the $2.5 billion out of the budget for the Parramatta to Epping rail link and use it for the North Coast. If the money is not there, then I think the Leader of the Opposition is telling a few porkies. Either the money to build the Parramatta to Epping rail link is there or it is not. You cannot take money that is not there and make a promise to build the Pacific Highway.

The member for Bennelong would also know that federal governments actually do not build railways; they provide money for them, but railways are built by state governments. It is the state Liberal government that has refused to build the Parramatta to Epping rail link. The money has sat there for that project until now. Every state Liberal member and federal Liberal member, including the member for Bennelong, campaigned at some point on support for this project and then withdrew their support when their leaders changed their mind or decided on something else—every single member. The state member for Parramatta, Geoff Lee, at one stage supported this project and now does not. The Liberal Mayor, John Chedid, supported this project and now does not. My opponent apparently stood for preselection on his support for building the Parramatta to Chatswood rail link, which is quite extraordinary since at that point his leader had already said he was going to take the $2.5 billion of the Parramatta rail link and put it into the Pacific Highway. So he actually campaigned against his own leader in his own preselection.

The hypocrisy of this member standing up here and trying to blame the Labor government, which has been committed to this project, for the fact that the state Liberal government will not build it is quite extraordinary. I am pleased to see though that he does still support it. Perhaps he should start saying so to Barry O'Farrell. He really should do that. Perhaps then we might get the thing. (Time expired)