Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, 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 Deputy Prime Minister outline the government's action to improve infrastructure in my home state of Victoria? How will improved infrastructure grow jobs and opportunity in my electorate of Corangamite?

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

I thank the honourable member for her question. She will have noticed as she travels around her electorate that the government is delivering on its election promise to build the infrastructure of the 21st century. A deal of it is in her electorate—for instance, the Great Ocean Road and the Princes Highway West Project are making a difference to the quality of the transport journeys that can be experienced in that part of Victoria.

We are getting on with the next tranche of transport infrastructure projects in Victoria, and delivering on these projects is very much in accordance with our commitment to build the infrastructure of the 21st century. Works have begun, for instance, also in Victoria, on the Princes Highway East, the Calder Highway and many other projects. In particular, the government has made a commitment to provide $3 billion for the East-West Link in Melbourne, which is an important project for Corangamite and the whole area of Melbourne because of the way it will revolutionise traffic flows through the city of Melbourne.

Quite amazingly, the Victorian Labor Party has promised to scrap this project. Labor wants to axe this transport-changing piece of infrastructure. I thought members opposite would be concerned about the 6,000 jobs that will not be required when this project is axed. Just before, members opposite were talking about how important it is to maintain business confidence. I noticed on 7:30 Victoria the other night, commentary from Mr Brian Kruger, the manager of Toll—

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

He is the CEO of Toll, not the manager.

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

Right, we will promote him to CEO. Even more importantly—and more reason for you to take some notice of what he has to say—what they were endeavouring to do is build a $200 million new freight forwarding centre at Tullamarine. Now the road network which was going to support this development is being undermined by the threat of a Labor government. He said that in reality this would 'damage business confidence'. Labor is a threat to business confidence in Melbourne, because they intend to axe the critical infrastructure projects that were going to create jobs and make a real difference to the economy of Victoria. The only real way to ensure that this infrastructure will be built is to re-elect Denis Napthine.