Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for External Territories) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Deputy Prime Minister, why do the budget papers show that, of the $80 million allocated to the Northern Australia Beef Roads Program, less than half has actually been invested upgrading the roads the cattle industry rely on? How much of that money was spent in the Northern Territory, and how many kilometres of roads were addressed?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Lingiari for his question and note that the Australian government has committed $1.1 billion from 2013-14 to 2020-21 to fund infrastructure projects in the Northern Territory, including the $177 million in 2017-18. This is 1.9 per cent of national infrastructure investment for the period. The beef roads program has been going ahead with Minister Canavan and one of the key areas we are looking at there is, of course, The Outback Way from Winton to Laverton, to which the beef road package contributed about another $25 million. This program is vitally important. It's great to be part of a government that actually had the initiative to do the beef roads program.

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

The Deputy Prime Minister will resume his seat. Has the Deputy Prime Minister concluded his answer? Okay, I'll go to the member for Grey.