Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The expenditure on transport infrastructure in this budget grossly disadvantages Victoria. The ethos underlying Federation was that all states be treated equally. The transport infrastructure expenditure in New South Wales in particular, compared to that in Victoria, is, frankly, scandalous. The Financial Review today, in a graph, replicates the claims of the government that $10 billion has been spent on transport infrastructure in Victoria. That is not correct. It includes the East West Link, which has not been taken up by this government, democratically elected in Victoria, and falsely claims that the $3 billion for the East West Link is available to Victoria. The amount of money in this budget actually being spent in Victoria is $1 billion, which goes mainly towards regional rail, to help commuters from the great cities of Geelong, Bendigo and Ballarat have a smoother way into Melbourne.

James Campbell, a columnist with the Herald Sun, today wrote:

A FLICK through the Commonwealth budget papers is enough to make a Victorian taxpayer's blood boil. This year Victoria will get $12m from the Bridges Renewal Program—NSW gets $34m, Queensland $26m. There's $55m over the next three years improving cattle supply chains in northern Queensland and almost $400m on improving WA and Queensland roads.

Those funds are being disgorged as part of Developing Northern Australia, a strategy from the federal government to take money from the parts of Australia where people want to live (Victoria) and ship it off to the unproductive parts of Australia where self-evidently people don't want to live …

Then there is a thing called the Western Sydney Infrastructure Plan which the budget papers say is getting $1.8 billion over the next four years—and $2.9 billion over 10 years—"to enhance capacity and improve transport infrastructure in Sydney’s western suburbs".

Think about that the next time you are stuck in traffic between the ring road and the Westgate Bridge.

And don't even start me—

Mr Campbell says—

on the $5 billion we are spending building Western Sydney an airport to go with its improved—Commonwealth funded—infrastructure.

He further states:

My personal favourite is a table on Page 53 of Budget Paper 2, entitled National Partnership on Wi-Fi and Mobile Coverage on Trains which reveals that over the next three years the federal government will spend $12m establishing "mobile and internet connectivity along the train route between Hornsby and Wyong". And what will the rest of Australia get from this exciting initiative? Absolutely nothing.

Part of the imbalance between what Victoria is getting is our own fault. There's still $1.5 billion … for the bit of East West Link—between the Ring Road and City Link—

that the state government is willing to go ahead with. The article continues:

Some of it is historical: Sydney is going through a massive infrastructure boom which bizarrely could end up costing its state government power because voters in the regions feel they aren't getting their fair share.

It's hard not to imagine, however, that some of the neglect of Victoria comes from the fact that at any given election there are only ever three seats up for grabs here, whereas there are dozens of seats in play in NSW and Queensland. It's a problem without a solution in sight.

It is a problem without a solution in sight if one only considers politics. But, of course, politics is not what the underlying financial agreements of Federation should be based on. They should be based on equitable expenditure of taxpayers' money that should come back to the states in the forms of education, transport, infrastructure and hospitals.

Let me restate basically what three members from Victoria—me, the member for Gellibrand and Senator Kitching—have put in the Financial Review over the last three weeks. Victoria has 25 per cent of the population and gets $1 billion for transport infrastructure in this budget, while New South Wales gets $20 billion. Even according to the Financial Review, which is reproducing government graphs, that is unfair. Victoria has 25 per cent of the population and gets a tenth of public transport infrastructure. Similarly, we are getting 37 per cent of the immigration to Australia. The trains and the trams in Melbourne are bursting. The Turnbull government will pay the political price for this if they continue to ignore the ethos underlying Federation.

Bert Van Manen (Forde, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is my pleasure to rise in the chamber today to speak about how the 2017 budget, announced by the Treasurer on Tuesday night, will provide benefits to my constituents in Forde in terms of fairness, opportunity and security. This budget guarantees the services Australian families use and need. It guarantees quality education, a first-class health system, a well-equipped Defence Force and police force, improved infrastructure, and more opportunities for families, seniors and small businesses.

Importantly, it will provide more money for schools, including a total of $417 million over the next 10 years for the 41 primary and secondary schools in my electorate of Forde. Our needs based funding model for schools, endorsed by David Gonski, is all about fairness. Schools in every sector in every local community in the electorate of Forde will be receiving significant increases in funding through our needs based funding model. More importantly, our increased funding will be tied to reforms that evidence shows make a real difference to supporting our teachers and schools to improve student outcomes. This is a fair system that is good for students, good for parents and good for teachers.

During the 2016 federal election, those opposite ran a dishonest campaign that the government would privatise Medicare. As usual they were full of hypocrisy, grandstanding and the usual poor form from the Labor Party, scaring voters, particularly vulnerable, older voters, into thinking they would no longer be supported with bulk-billing and other vital services. Our budget assures Australians that Medicare is secure—it always has been under the coalition government and always will be. The coalition will continue to provide record funding for health and Medicare and will guarantee Medicare's future with a dedicated fund which will protect these vital services for this generation and the next. This budget provides $1.2 billion to provide cheaper access to vital medicines. We are listing more drugs on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to ensure families have access to vital drugs.

Supporting our veterans has always been a priority for the coalition government. There are some 1,163 veterans and their families in my electorate of Forde. I look forward to sharing the budget message with them. Importantly, it is about ensuring that past and present service personnel who undertake at least one day of full-time service have the benefit of easier access to free mental health and support services. Enhanced access to counselling for veterans and their families will provide benefits to the partners and dependants of contemporary veterans and also those currently serving today.

What I consider to be one of the most important measures in the budget is our government's commitment to secure full funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme. Once finally rolled out, more than 3,400 people in my electorate of Forde will benefit from the NDIS. Under the plan of Labor, those opposite, the NDIS was never fully funded. That caused enormous concern for many in our communities who were hoping to benefit. But I am glad to say that this budget puts those fears to rest. Australians with a disability deserve the best care we can provide, and this budget secures that funding for the National Disability Insurance Scheme into the future.

More than 14,000 small businesses in Forde will benefit from tax relief, as well as the extension of the instant asset write-off. The extra investment in apprenticeships is helping around 2,200 young people in my electorate of Forde. That is critically important because we have a high youth unemployment rate. I have no doubt the 2017 budget is fair and will help the Australian economy grow, create more jobs, provide opportunities and help us deliver a better Australia for future generations.

Question agreed to.

Federation Chamber adjourned at 12:56