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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. I remind the minister of his recent announcement that a long-promised grant to relocate the Mackay junior soccer grounds away from the local airport would be fast-tracked to contract stage. Will the minister tell the House what other grants in regional areas were left unfunded that this government is now delivering?

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

I thank the honourable member for Dawson for his question. Of all of the examples of Labor mismanagement, the Mackay soccer fields are certainly amongst those with the prizes. This is a $1 million commitment that the Labor Party gave to the Mackay football playing fields project. They made that commitment before the 2010 federal election, but nothing happened for three years, until finally the then minister for regional development wrote to the Mackay football club and said, 'I am pleased to advise you that I have approved funding of up to $1 million, GST inclusive, under the Community Infrastructure Grants Program for the Mackay regional football playing fields project.' That letter was dated 5 August 2013, after the election had been called, but it did not arrive at the soccer club until 23 September, two weeks after the election had been held. So Labor promised this project three years ago and promised it again, but the letter to say it was going to happen arrived two weeks after this government came into office. Isn't that typical! Labor promises and fails to deliver. The coalition will deliver this project.

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Quiet on my right and left!

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

The member for Dawson is able to assure his constituents that the project will be delivered. But of course there are dozens of those projects. Labor are telling everyone—

Mr Mitchell interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for McEwen will desist!

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

that the coalition should be honouring nearly 1,000 election promises that they made during the period of the election campaign itself or in the lead-up. If the Labor Party actually believe that one party should honour the other party's promises, why aren't you voting for the abolition of the carbon tax? Why aren't you voting for the abolition of the mining tax? Why aren't you continuing to vote for your own promise to cut university funding? This is hypocrisy on a grand scale. The Labor Party expect us to honour their promises, even though they vote against it. We will deliver our own promises, but now we have to also help out the former 2010 Labor government to deliver some of theirs.