Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development. I ask the minister to update the House on the benefits of the East West Link and outline the consequences of not building this vital project.

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

I thank the member for Casey for that question. I thank him and the members for Deakin, Aston and La Trobe for the campaign they are running on the eastern side of the East West Link and I thank the member for Corangamite for the efforts that she continues to put in on the western side—which, in fairness to the Leader of the Opposition, was his preferred option when he put in not one but two submissions to the Sir Rod Eddington inquiry at the end of the last decade. Sir Rod Eddington said that doing nothing was not an option. Melbourne needs another east-west crossing. That was made clear in Sir Rod Eddington's report, which the Leader of the Opposition supported twice—once as a union boss and once as the member for a western seat in Melbourne.

What has become clear since the Victorian election is that Daniel Andrews, the Leader of the Victorian Labor government, will tear up the East West contract. In an effort to hold the Greens at bay in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, he has said he would tear it up. It was an attempt he was half successful at; he lost to the Greens two of the seats they were trying to keep and he held onto the other two.

Ms Butler interjecting—

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

The member for Griffith will leave under 94(a).

The member for Griffith then left the chamber.

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

In recent weeks, through the Herald Sun's reporting, it has become very obvious that the Victorian government is now considering legislation to legislate away the rights of this consortium—a lawfully signed contract that they signed just before the Victorian election. The Victorian government is now talking about legislating that away, risking Australia's sovereign risk and Victoria's credit rating. Indeed, last week the international Infrastructure Investor magazine had on its front page: 'Can Australia be taken at its word?' These are the sorts of headlines we are now seeing internationally.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

The Leader of the Opposition says, 'What's it in reference to?' It is in reference to retrospective legislation for the East West contract.

Mr Burke interjecting—

Do you really want me to repeat what he actually said?

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, on a point of order the goes to direct relevance: the assistant minister has acknowledged that he is misquoting the Leader of the Opposition.

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

The member for Watson knows perfectly well he may not use a point of order for that purpose. He may do so at the end of question time, when the Leader of the Opposition will be quite able to correct his own record.

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

It was not the only publication. Arnold Dix, who is the chairman of the legal committee of the International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, said in a letter to Daniel Andrews—

Opposition members interjecting—

They think it is funny. These people think it is hilarious that they are going to rip up contracts. Mr Dix said: 'The impact on the perception of Victoria and Australia's sovereign risk is significant. It would certainly result in the decreased access of Australia to foreign capital, increased interest charges, degraded sovereign risk profile, degraded credit rating and less local opportunities for investment.' This is a serious issue and the Leader of the Opposition must tell the Australian public whether he supports legislating away the rights of this consortium or not.