Mark Coulton (Parkes, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Everyone knows that infrastructure underpins the Australian economy. The previous government understood that and invested billions of dollars in highway upgrades and railway projects such as the Inland Rail. But the words of Paul Keating are starting to come through. Australia is going to be a banana republic under this government. Why do I say that? Because 'banana' means 'builds absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone'. That's what the government are doing—they are reviewing, they are hand-braking and they are stopping. They express their virtue for Aboriginal people while they rip the jobs away from them in Moree. The dozens of Gamilaraay people who were building that railway line, who were expecting more work, have now gone back on the dole queue.

This government is a disgrace when it comes to infrastructure. If the minister spent more time trying to get things built, rather than stopping local members from looking at the Inland Rail and using Senate estimates for small party politics, we would be better off. This government needs to get Australia moving. We now have councils that have projects in the pipeline and don't know whether the funding is there. They're waiting for the results of this review. Get on with it! Give them the money so Australia can be productive and continue in the very positive way it was under the previous government.