Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. Will the minister update the House on infrastructure projects the coalition government is undertaking in Western Australia and elsewhere?

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

I thank the member for his question. He knows full well how important infrastructure development is, especially for states like Western Australia. Fortunately, so does the Prime Minister, who announced today the establishment of a new high-level cabinet committee which will oversight infrastructure development in Australia and introduce greater coordination and accountability and make sure these projects actually happen.

Ms MacTiernan interjecting—

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

The member for Perth has been warned and will leave the chamber under standing order 94(a).

The member for Perth then left the chamber.

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

The committee demonstrates our commitment as a government to make sure that infrastructure investment in Australia delivers projects that are worthwhile, right across the nation. Once more, they will be projects that are fully costed, fully budgeted and fully funded. We know that you have got to have real money if you want to build real projects. That contrasts a bit with the member for Grayndler, who said in the parliament last week:

Infrastructure development also requires imagination and creativity. If you can imagine the future, you can assemble the building blocks to deliver your vision. That is the Labor way.

The problem for Labor was that they tried to use imaginary money to build their projects! The money was not really there. It was coming from a mining tax that did not really raise any money and from a carbon tax that did not raise any money. It was imaginary money! I am sorry, but you cannot build projects, no matter how visionary they might be, if you are using imaginary money—it has got to be the real thing. This government has a plan in place to build real projects with real money.

In the same speech the member for Grayndler said another thing with which I agree:

Now that the coalition is back in government it has inherited a Labor legacy…

That is right. A Labor legacy of debt: $123 billion in deficit over the next four years. We have a program to build real projects in Western Australia: $686 million for the Gateway WA project in Perth, a project that Labor intended to build using the proceeds of the mining tax; $615 million for the Swan Valley—

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. The minister is talking about our program. He was asked about what they are doing.

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

The member will resume his seat. This is argument.

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

I have just pointed out how the real program that will deliver real projects is different from the imaginary program designed by the Labor Party. We will go onto the $140 million for the Tonkin Highway, $307 million for the Great Northern Highway and $174 million for the North West Coastal Highway—those last two projects Labor intended to fund out of imaginary money from the mining tax. We will deliver real projects with real money.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table one of the minister's own media releases about a project that is open.

Leave not granted.