Ted O'Brien (Fairfax, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Labor's 90-day infrastructure review has just hit the 200-day mark. Amidst all of this dithering and delay, and amidst a hyperinflationary environment, the minister now says, 'I think it all costs too much.'

One of the projects that is rumoured to be on the chopping block is the $3.2 billion rail line to the Maroochydore CBD on the Sunshine Coast. This is the core project that formed part of our pitch to secure the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The Sunshine Coast, for example, will host the marathon. Can you imagine world visitors trying to get on buses and cars to go up the Bruce Highway to meet a 6 am marathon event? This will be an international humiliation.

But, most importantly, the people of the Sunshine Coast—indeed, of South-East Queensland—backed that bid because it was going to deliver critical infrastructure for a booming population. We must get infrastructure ahead of population growth. Labor is letting us down, and we should not have to cop it.