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

My question is also to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. I refer to the gap between the government's infrastructure rhetoric and its action. In the 2014 budget the government promised to invest over $8 billion on transport infrastructure in the 2015-16 financial year. Is the final outcome for this investment not $8 billion, but $5.5 billion? Was this cut of more than 30 per cent achieved by cutting the Pacific Highway, the Bruce Highway, Gateway North, South Road, black spots, heavy vehicles— (Time expired)

Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Deputy Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Grayndler for his question. The short answer is no. As the member well knows, it is not at all unusual for major projects to be rephased into concurrent years as projects that meet their various deadlines for the project. The member for Grayndler did serve in this role, and he well knows that there are occasions where major project funding is moved to the next year for those projects to continue.

I appreciate the member's question. It gives me the opportunity to reinforce that this government, the Turnbull-Joyce government, has a $50 billion infrastructure investment. That is a record investment in the future of our nation. In this year alone, as the member for Grayndler knows, there is $9 billion in our infrastructure investment program. That is a record investment in the 2016-17 financial year in the future of our nation.

The reason we are so committed to investing in our nation's future and investing in good infrastructure is that we recognise that, when you invest in good infrastructure, you do change people's lives and you can save people's lives. In terms of changing people's lives, it is reducing congestion through major projects in some of our urban environments. There are major projects that the Minister for Urban Infrastructure is delivering right across our nation. It is saving lives through projects like upgrading the Bruce Highway and upgrading the Pacific Highway to two lanes in both directions by 2020. That project alone will save in the order of 1,000 lives by 2040. That is an extraordinary result through investing in good infrastructure.

We recognise on this side of the House the importance of investing in good infrastructure. We have a record infrastructure investment program being delivered by the Turnbull-Joyce government. It is not just in our capital city; it is not just on our regional highways; it is in our small country towns as well. It is a program that we are very proud of right across the nation. We would urge those opposite, rather than stand in the way, rather than be obstructionist and rather than be negative about the future of our great nation, to work with us on investing in these extraordinary projects, which are going to provide for improved productivity, are going to reduce congestion and are going to save lives right throughout the nation.