Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Yesterday and today the Prime Minister said in question time that the East West Link will give inner-city residents their parks back. Can he please advise the House which parks.

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

I am glad the question was asked of the Prime Minister—I could not hear it because of the noise. If there is not silence then more people will leave this chamber. If they want to catch an early plane and do not want to represent their constituencies, so be it. The wall of noise has got to stop.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As the member for Melbourne should well know, Hoddle Street, Flemington Road and Alexandra Parade, which should be suburban boulevards, have become traffic canyons. That is what they have become—they have become absolute traffic canyons. The people who are living in and around these streets, the people who are living in the suburbs surrounding these streets, deserve to have their suburbs and their parks back. The Leader of the Opposition thinks East West Link is a good idea—or at least he did until he was intimidated by the need for Green preferences into changing his position. One of the many advantages of East West Link stage 1 is that it will mean that Royal Park is a much better park for the people of inner-city Melbourne to enjoy.