Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nearly three years ago, the member for Fairfax and I were able to secure $1.6 billion from the coalition government to build the North Coast rail line from Beerwah all the way up to Maroochydore. As a result of the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government's callous cuts last year, that $1.6 billion was somehow set aside, and then last night we heard—smoke and mirrors—about another $1.15 billion. That's good, but the problem is: we're only going to get a third of the railway line for twice the price. This is a result of the Queensland state government's so-called best practice industry conditions, a program that is driving up the cost of infrastructure by 30 to 40 per cent, just to appease their union mates in the CFMEU. Australian taxpayers are getting less bang for their buck, less railway for their dollars. Australians are waking up to this mob over there, who crow about infrastructure. I had the privilege, so-called, of driving through Melbourne on Friday, on my way to a defence facility. There was infrastructure being built everywhere in Melbourne, in the heartland of Labor. But what about regional Queensland? We are scratching around for dollars. It's time for this Labor government to invest more in regional Queensland.