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

My question is to the Prime Minister. Three years after the Morrison-Joyce government promised $660 million for 47 commuter car parks, only six are operational. An Auditor-General's report found that 77 per cent of these projects were pledged to coalition seats at the last election. Instead of wasting taxpayer money on rorts, why hasn't the Prime Minister done his job and legislated for a national anticorruption commission?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

Mr Speaker—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

No, I haven't given you the call yet, minister. Members on my left. The minister has the call.

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

I thank the member for her question. I think that question earns the non-sequitur award of the afternoon. But, nevertheless, let me be very clear to the House that in communities around Australia where people turn up wanting to get on the train to go to work, they turn up at 6 or 6.30 or 7 in the morning and there are no commuter car parks available them. For example, I visited Watergardens in north-western Melbourne, where I saw today how commuters are forced to park up to a kilometre away, on the dirt on the side of a busy road, and walk to the station along an unpaved cutting. We are doing something about that. We are committing funding for the Watergardens commuter car park under our $70 million commitment to the northern lines of Melbourne, one of six commuter car parks under construction right now—Berwick in Victoria, Coomera in Queensland. I was with the Queensland Labor transport minister announcing the commencement of construction on the Coomera park 'n' ride, and I can tell you, Mr Speaker, that when people turn up to a location like that they're not asking about lines on spreadsheets; they're asking, 'How can we get a facility built so that we can get to work'—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bendigo.

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

'and get on and provide for our families, not turn up and find that there is nowhere to park?' It's a very similar story in Emu Plains in Western Sydney, where a commuter car park is under construction. It's a very similar story in Ferny Grove, where a commuter car park is under construction, and I know that the Minister for Defence was there at the opening event at the commencement of construction. It's a similar story in Revesby in New South Wales, where a commuter car park is under construction; in Beaconsfield in Victoria, where a commuter car park has been completed, funded under this government's program; in Craigieburn in Victoria; in Croydon; in Epping; in Hurstbridge; in Mandurah in Western Australia—we are getting on with delivering infrastructure projects around the country that are designed to meet the needs of Australians. We're getting on with it. That's what we're here to do, and that's what we're doing.

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's like this wall of noise has started to appear from the very, very far back—led by the member for Bruce. I'm sure. The member for Flynn has the call.