Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Will the Treasurer advise the House of the benefits to growth and jobs in Melbourne and wider Victoria, including my electorate of Corangamite, of the East West Link project? What risks are there to this vital infrastructure project?

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Corangamite for her question and I will advise the House of the benefits of the East West Link project. It represents 7,000 jobs in and around Melbourne—7,000 new jobs. That is a remarkable figure because, under the coalition this year, there have been 7,000 more jobs created per month in the Australian economy than there were in the last year of Labor, when the Leader of the Opposition was the minister for employment.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

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

The member for Moreton will now excuse himself from the House under the provisions of standing order 94(a).

The member for Moreton then left the chamber.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Under the coalition this year, as a result of our economic action strategy, we are delivering an extra 7,000 jobs a month through the economy. In one great example, by entering into an agreement with the Premier of Victoria, we are committing $3 billion to another 7,000 new jobs in Victoria in the construction of the East West Link. The only way those 7,000 jobs are going to be delivered is if you vote Liberal on Saturday.

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. In order to be relevant, he has to indicate that the $3 billion came from the cut to the Melbourne Metro.

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

There is no point of order.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yet again, that is a complete fabrication and completely untrue. But of course the member for Grayndler is in that place—he is just trying to hold on to yesterday. We are focused on tomorrow. Tomorrow is about building East West Link, creating 7,000 jobs. We know that the Labor Party in Victoria wants to tear up that contract—completely at odds with the statement by the member for McMahon that Labor honours contracts. They actually want to tear it up.

Mr Albanese interjecting—

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

The member for Grayndler is warned!

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The $3 billion that the Commonwealth government has committed will then come back to Canberra, and Victorians not only will lose out on the $3 billion from Canberra for new roads but will end up paying more than $1 billion in compensation to a building and construction company for a road that was never built. Even worse, if Labor is elected on Saturday in Victoria, 250 construction workers who are working on East West Link today will immediately lose their jobs. Why? Because Labor is tearing up the contract—a contract to build a more productive economy, a contract that is going to get rid of nearly two hours of travel time across Melbourne, a contract that is helping to deliver prosperity and opportunity to the people of Victoria. This is a classic and simple example. We are the people that help to create jobs in the economy. It is the coalition that helps to deliver jobs. It is the Labor Party that always costs jobs, it is the Labor Party that costs productivity and it is the Labor Party that hurts the economy.