Shayne Neumann (Blair, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On Tuesday night this week, the Treasurer, the member for North Sydney, delivered his second budget—viewed by friends and foes alike—as a desperate attempt to save his job and the job of the Prime Minister. So what did the second Abbott budget hold for the people of Ipswich in the Somerset Region, after the first budget with its promises, priorities and propaganda? Obviously, the jobs of people and the infrastructure needs in the western corridor outside Brisbane were neglected once again.

When I first ran for the seat of Blair in 2004, my then-incumbent LNP opponent opposed the upgrade of Ipswich Motorway from Dinmore. It took the election of the federal Labor government to get the Ipswich Motorway—from Dinmore to Darra—designed, built and completed at a cost of $2.8 billion. One-hundred-thousand vehicles a day travel between Ipswich and Brisbane, both ways.

It is important for jobs in the western corridor. It is important for the lifestyles of the people in that area. They are the farmers in the Lockyer Valley and the Somerset Region in rural Ipswich, the miners who take their produce, iron ore and other minerals to the ports in Brisbane, the farmers who take their goods to Rocklea markets and the people who travel to Brisbane for recreation and medical needs.

Before the last election, after we put $279 million in the budget to kick-start the last section, the last six kilometres of the Ipswich Motorway from the Oxley roundabout to Suscatand Street, the coalition finally had a road-to-Damascus conversion experience. After opposing, election after election, the upgraded Ipswich Motorway, they said, 'We will match them'. In fact, just a couple of days before the election, The Queensland Times had headlines that the coalition was going to fast-track the Darra to Rocklea section of the Ipswich Motorway. It is now 19 months later and we have nothing—and guess what? In the minister's press release listing projects for Queensland, there is not a mention of the Ipswich Motorway. They have done nothing in this region.

Have a look at the forward estimates. For Queensland projects under the National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport Infrastructure Projects, there was nothing in the last year. The estimates show $20 million, then $25 million, then $25 million, then $209 million for 2018-19. This is fast-tracking? They said before the election that they would fast-track it—yet another broken promise to the people of Brisbane, Ipswich, the Somerset region and the Lockyer Valley. Where is the member for Wright? Where is the member for Groom? Where is the member for Brisbane? They have said nothing about this. The minister, the member for Wide Bay, the Deputy Prime Minister—he should get off his backside and fulfil his promise to the people of the Western Corridor and South-East Queensland.