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

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the McCormack-Morrison government JobMaker plan is supporting and creating jobs in the construction industry as part of the recovery from COVID-19.

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

I call the Deputy Prime Minister and point out that's the only Deputy Prime Minister he can ask a question of in this place.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thanks for pointing that out, Mr Speaker! Good question; good member. He knows all about jobs, jobs, jobs; we all on this side know about jobs, jobs, jobs, I'm going to outline three projects in the member for New England's electorate which are all about JobMaker, all about job creation, all about the $100 billion 10-year pipeline of investment that we are doing in New England and right across this wide brown land.

85,000 jobs are being created by our vision, our plan, our blueprint for infrastructure for the rollout of jobs, jobs, jobs. There is the Bolivia Hill realignment on the New England Highway, 38 kilometres south of Tenterfield. There he was the other day, the member for New England, looking at what could only be described as a breathtaking piece of infrastructure. It's a prime example of government investment directly creating jobs. This project includes 2.1 kilometres of new road and a 320-metre long cantilever bridge. So far, piers 1 and 2, as well as eight of the 60 segments, have been completed. We have partnered with the New South Wales government to get this job done—an $80 million project. Tenterfield mayor Peter Petty said, 'The families who have lost loved ones on this stretch of road have been fighting hard for this. It was well known as a black spot.' The member for New England has been fighting hard for this, too. We are delivering. This project alone is supporting more than 750 direct and indirect jobs through the construction phase, and the flow on benefits are just enormous.

Then we've got Dungowan. The member for New England and I know how important this is. There we were on 13 October last year: the Prime Minister was there; the Deputy Premier was there—friends, all. We are getting on with this project, for this is going to provide water security for those on the Peel River. It's going to provide water security to enable agriculture, livestock, fodder, dairy, horticulture—all those sorts of things—and I know how important that is for the people in the member for New England's electorate. First built in 1958, the Dungowan dam that's there at the moment has been supporting farmers along the Peel, but this new structure, at three times the size, is going to create so many jobs and so much investment and so many opportunities.

Of course we're also getting an upgrade for the pioneer Calala Cottage hut. Now, it's not a big project in the scheme of things, but so important. It's so important for our nation's heritage. It's so important to remember the pioneers of New England—those hard workers who built New England by the sweat of their own brows.

These are good investments. These are creating jobs. This is the sort of vision that we on this side of the House are producing, are investing in and are making sure that we deliver.