Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Regional Development and Local Government) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just over two years ago, in the lead-up to the last federal election, we had the former leader of the Liberal Party come down to Tasmania with his candidates and his Liberal senators promising a runway extension for Hobart airport in my electorate. You can imagine my surprise, two years later, in estimates this week when we asked some questions about this runway. Senator Carol Brown asked about the progress of this $38 million promise of more than two years ago, particularly in light of what happened with the Cadbury's promise during the same period. You can imagine our surprise when we were told that to date, at this stage, 'just over $1 million has been paid'—just over $1 million of $38 million for the extension of the runway. It is surprising, because I understand this runway construction is going to take about two years to complete. Eric Abetz said the 'extended runway could be operational in early 2016.' This is clearly nothing more than a joke. It was clearly nothing more than an announcement by the Liberals in the lead-up to the last federal election campaign. It would appear that they had been doing nothing constructive to assist the Hobart airport corporation to ensure this runway extension occurs. Indeed, there is no sign of any construction work. We understand there has been no tender announced to date. There is no detailed design, no contractor in place, no schedule for works. We still do not know when this runway extension is going to occur and the date for completion. This runway extension is critical to Hobart, and indeed our local newspaper has said:

It is increasingly a cause for concern that more than two years after $38 million was pledged to extend the runway … there remains no sign of the project on the ground.

The $38 million was, originally, supposed to be paid in three stages: $5.5 million in 2014-15, $26 million in 2015-16 and $6.4 million in 2016-17. For only $1 million to have been paid out to date shows that the government is not getting on with the important job of the extension to the Hobart runway.

This comes on top of another revelation during estimates this week about rail in Tasmania. In the lead up to the last election Labor had a commitment of $240 million for freight rail in Tasmania—this was promised by state and federal Labor. We understand that the Tasmanian Liberal government only put a project to the federal government of half that. So Tasmania is also missing out on more than $120 million of freight rail money because the Tasmanian Liberal government put up a project of smaller scope. I quote the department official who said in estimates:

… the Tasmanian government returned with a smaller scope of $119 million for the project …

When there was $240 million on the table for much-needed rail improvements in Tasmania, we are only getting $119 million. So, the runway is not happening and the rail upgrade is behind.