Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Sadly, Senator Nash. Senator Nash, I have a couple of minutes left. I am happy to give you a couple of minutes and you can tell us more about the by-election in Lyne this week. It really has got you worried, obviously, because an Independent will take your seat. Anyway, we will wait until Saturday and we will see that.

That is $20 billion to undo 11½ long years of neglect. Worse than all of the past neglect of those opposite is their current attempt to raid the Building Australia Fund. Every cent that that side of the chamber knock off the surplus comes out of the Building Australia Fund. So, Senator Nash, when you are at your party room tomorrow with your colleagues I hope you think about that, and I hope you do, Senator Boswell and Senator Joyce: every single cent will come out of that fund, and that fund is put aside for building Australia. And a lot of that is for infrastructure in the areas that you purport to represent—that some of you do represent; some of you do not.

Every time that those opposite block a budget bill they block further funding for Australia’s national highways and rail networks—the very thing I hear them scream about. How can you put your hand on your heart and justify knocking us back on the budget that we had the mandate to put forward? How can you do that?