Melissa Price (Durack, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. I remind the minister that the ANAO investigation of the Regional Development Australia Fund reported that 'there was not a strong alignment between the minister's funding decisions and the panel's recommendations.' Will the minister inform the House on how many occasions the former government approved projects not recommended for funding?

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Durack for her question. It is a very important question about a very concerning subject—an audit report that was damning at best of the member for Ballarat and her decisions to overturn recommended projects in largely safe coalition seats in regional and rural Australia. Remarkably, the money ended up in projects which were not recommended by her hand-picked panel; it ended up in marginal Labor seats. I might just go through a few of these, if the member for Durack would be interested.

The $365,000 recommended by the panel for multipurpose consulting rooms for allied health services in the electorate of Gippsland got cut. The $500,000 for a Youth Off The Streets centre in the electorate of Riverina recommended by the panel got cut. The $500,000 recommended by the panel for an early childhood hub in the electorate of Parkes got cut. The $200,000 for an upgrade of the Keith and District Hospital in the electorate of Barker, a hospital which state Labor took the axe to a couple of years ago, got cut. The $1.7 million for the upgrade of transport infrastructure in the Dubbo regional livestock markets in the electorate of Parkes went. And $5.2 million for a marine offloading facility in the electorate of Grey went as well.

The panel made decisions on what was recommended for funding and what was not recommended for funding. But what did get up when it was not recommended was $1.3 million for a youth and community centre in McMahon. When Labor thought the member for McMahon was going under, they released a dirt sheet on the opposing candidate and they funded unfairly. They took money away from other projects and they gave it to the member for McMahon to try to sandbag him. There was a dirt sheet and a bit of rorted money. That is the Labor way. That is Labor for you.

But it was not just the member for McMahon, in fairness. There was $10 million given to the electorate of Fremantle to save the member for Fremantle. There was $10 million given to the electorate of Charlton to get the new member for Charlton elected. And there was $7 million given to our old mate the member for Wakefield, who is not here in shock news! They took money from safe coalition seats and they put it into marginal Labor seats to try to sandbag. It was a disgrace. The 'member for Ballarort' should stand in this chamber, at the dispatch box, and apologise and explain why it was she rorted Australian taxpayers' money to try to save Labor seats. She rorted Australian taxpayers' money to try to save Labor seats. You would not have done it, Member for Grayndler. You are too smart to do that.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The Assistant Minister—

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

What is the point of order?

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

cannot make accusations against a member without—

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

The member will resume his seat. The assistant minister has the call.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

And, what is worse, in her explanation yesterday, the 'member for Ballarort' forgot to mention that 65 per cent of the money that was awarded went to Labor and Independent seats. It is a disgrace and she should apologise.