Peta Murphy (Dunkley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] My question is to the Prime Minister. I refer to the Prime Minister's claim Australians are the winners from the Commuter Car Park Program. Does the Prime Minister think commuters who use South Morang, Balaclava or Seaford stations, who were promised car parks before the election which were cancelled before construction even began, are winners?

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do thank the member for her question, and I remind the House that our government, in fact, has committed additional funding to allow the Frankston commuter car park in her electorate to be able to proceed, as we recently discussed when she came to my office to raise this issue and to advocate in relation to the Frankston commuter car park. It's very confusing what Labor's position is. Do they support the commuter car parks? It appears they do support a commuter car park in Frankston, and I welcome that. And I welcome the fact that we are committed to delivering it—500 spots in that multi-storey commuter car park—and many people on the Frankston line will benefit from that.

We're committed to the Macarthur commuter car park in the seat of the member for Macarthur. Labor's position on commuter car parks is really mystifyingly schizophrenic because, on the one hand, they criticise the Commuter Car Park program; on the other hand, we certainly don't hear members standing up and saying, 'Oh, the commuter car park that the Morrison government has promised for my electorate—I don't want that, because we're opposed to commuter car parks.'

I'll tell you what our position is. Our position is very consistent: commuter car parks are delivering benefits to citizens because they reduce congestion on the road network, because they allow people to drive to a railway station to park their car and then get on the train, thereby reducing congestion. There's a very sensible policy reason for this program, no doubt the very same policy reason which motivated the decision of the opposition to commit to a park-and-ride fund at the last election. And, of course, there are 11 commuter car parks committed to by the Morrison government which are also committed to by the other side of the House. So it is really mystifying trying to discern what Labor's position on this is, but our position is consistent. We're getting on with delivering commuter car parks, and I'm pleased to say that, just in the last week or so, the Ferny Grove commuter car park—

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

The minister will resume his seat. The member for Scullin, on a point of order?

Andrew Giles (Scullin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Cities and Urban Infrastructure) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Relevance: the minister was asked about three projects; he could perhaps mention one of them.

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

I say to the member for Scullin: if he'd only been asked about that, the member would have a stronger position, but it had a preamble that quoted the Prime Minister, which did open it up. But I'm listening to the minister.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Scullin speaks of relevance. He's desperate for relevance. He thought this was his issue; he thought this was his moment in the sun.

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

The minister is now not being relevant to the question.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The fact is: we're getting on with delivering commuter car parks, including, just in the last week or two, the Ferny Grove commuter car park, a transit oriented development, indeed, in metropolitan Brisbane.

Mr Perrett interjecting—

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

The member for Moreton will cease interjecting.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We've commenced construction on that, joined at the opening ceremony by the member for Ryan—I congratulate the member for Ryan—the Minister for Defence and indeed the Queensland Labor transport minister. We're pleased to be working with state governments around the country delivering commuter car parks.