Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development. Will the Deputy Prime Minister inform the House how the Morrison-McCormack government's delivery of regional infrastructure is securing our comeback from COVID-19?

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

I thank the member for Cowper for his question and acknowledge his tireless advocacy for road safety in his electorate and more broadly. By delivering infrastructure, we are delivering safer, more efficient networks for our regions, whether that's roads or any connectivity. The member for Cowper knows it.

Final works as part of the $5.64 billion upgrade of the Pacific Highway will be completed next week—657 kilometres. This project has delivered more than 14,000 direct and indirect jobs. The member for Cowper knows it. He has been fighting tirelessly for road safety and for better connectivity. The completed upgrade will deliver a time saving of 2½ hours from Hexham to the Queensland border. Whether you're a truck driver, whether you're a tourist, whether you're just somebody who is driving on that road for the first time, that is a considerable saving for your time. This is an incredible achievement. The completed upgrade is going to be celebrated by all who use that road, and, importantly, the delivery of the Pacific Highway will save lives. Already, fatal crashes have more than halved.

Ms Swanson interjecting—

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

The member for Paterson is now warned. The Deputy Prime Minister can continue.

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

Any life lost on the road is one too many, and we all know that. I know that that view is shared right across the chamber. We are delivering direct stimulus through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure Program. The 2,544 projects just approved under that mean 537 councils across the nation—

Mr Burke interjecting—

including yours, Member for Watson, are going to benefit from that program. In the member for Cowper's electorate, this funding has enabled the delivery of more than $15.4 million in local projects. In the Kempsey Shire there are currently four underway, one of which is the $400,000 central business district Crescent Head improvement project. The local mayor—a fantastic mayor, the mayor of Kempsey Shire, Liz Campbell—has welcomed the funding. She had this to say:

Council has invested a great deal of time to identify a range of projects that could be fast-tracked or implemented immediately to boost our local economy and provide real, tangible improvements for our community. … Paths, picnic and barbecue areas, bridges and carparks are some physical benefits this program will bring to our much-loved public spaces.

…   …   …

The fact that local jobs are being supported and work is going to local contractors is the icing on the cake.

This is building on our $100,000—100,000 jobs, sorry—supported by projects under construction as part of our $110 billion—I make no apologies for that—pipeline of investment in infrastructure. And whether it's local communities, no matter what state it is, right across the nation, that's what we're delivering. (Time expired)