Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, my question is to the Prime Minister. In last night's budget speech, the Treasurer announced $75 billion for national road infrastructure and financing, but only $3.1 billion of this money was earmarked for South Australia. Based on our population, an equitable share for South Australia would have seen us receive over $5 billion. Given South Australia is being short-changed on nation-building infrastructure, will the federal government at least guarantee that Australian steel will be used—

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mayo will resume her seat. Members on my right will cease interjecting. I was unable to hear the member the Mayo for the last 10 or 15 seconds. I will ask her to repeat question from the beginning.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Speaker. In last night's budget speech, the Treasurer announced $75 billion for nation-building infrastructure and financing, but only $3.1 billion of this money was earmarked for South Australia. Based on our population, an equitable share for South Australia would have seen us receive more than $5 billion of infrastructure money. Given South Australia is being short-changed on nation-building infrastructure, will the federal government at least guarantee that Australian steel will be used in its national infrastructure projects, and in particular South Australian steel for its proposed rail projects?

Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for her question. I will shortly ask another great South Australian, the member for Sturt, to add to this answer, but I would remind the honourable member that the government has made substantial commitments to infrastructure in South Australia, not least of which are the North-South Corridor, worth $1.7 billion; the Flinders Link rail project, which I announced in Adelaide not so long ago; the Oaklands Crossing and Marion Drive; and, of course, as the honourable member knows, massive investments in energy—the commitment to the solar thermal project in Port Augusta and the Cultana pumped hydro project, which has great prospects.

But above all the honourable member talks about nation-building. Right across the nation, but in particular in South Australia, we have made the largest commitment to building a sovereign defence industry in our nation's history. We are building the largest commitment to sovereign shipbuilding capability in Australia, and the bulk of that construction is in the honourable member's state of South Australia. I will ask the Minister for Defence Industry to enlarge on this, because this is vital. We are building substantial infrastructure at Osborne, delivering jobs and investment in the honourable member's state.

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just before I call the Minister for Defence Industry, the member for Mayo on a point of order?

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On direct relevance—I asked the Prime Minister whether he would use Australian steel, not what projects he is doing. Will he be using Australian steel, in particular South Australian steel, for the rail project?

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Mayo will resume her seat. As the member is aware, the Prime Minister has addressed part of her question and he has asked the Minister for Defence Industry to address the question. The Minister for Defence Industry has the call.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to answer the member for Mayo's question about Australian steel, because in fact one of the key commitments of the announcements around naval shipbuilding—nine frigates, 12 offshore patrol vessels, 12 submarines, 21 Pacific patrol vessels—was that we would use Australian steel, creating Australian jobs here in Australia. The member for Mayo might cast her mind back to when I was the minister for industry, in the golden age of the government, and we committed $70 million to the Adelaide-to-Tarcoola rail line using Australian steel. And in fact just recently the Carmichael mine in North Queensland announced that if the mine goes ahead there will be 800 kilometres of Australian steel railways from Arrium in our great state. So I am very disappointed the member for Mayo would join with the South Australian Labor Party in this canard about infrastructure in the budget from last night.

Not only have we secured $70 million for the proton therapy facility and $110 million for the solar thermal power station at Port Augusta, but the Darlington interchange, the Torrens to Torrens project, the Northern Connector—these are all part of the North-South Corridor, which this government is funding to the tune of $1.6 billion. The member for Mayo might like to do her research before she— (Time expired)