Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—The government understands the sentiment behind the motion. For 12 years the previous government ignored the plight of our major cities and absolved themselves from any responsibility for investing in public transport. They believed that public transport and urban congestion were not their responsibility. The government is disappointed that the opposition are taking this position.

In 12 short months the Rudd government has taken decisive action to address the neglect of the previous 12 years. The Rudd government recognises the importance of the seamless movement of both people and freight within and between cities. We have already taken action under AusLink to fund freight transport corridors in cities to clear congestion on our roads and free up lines for passengers. We have made public transport a critical component of the national transport policy being developed in partnership with the states and territories through the Australian Transport Council. We have allocated $75 million to do the planning work on projects that will relieve urban congestion and improve public transport.

The Rudd government recognises that tackling the challenges of our major cities, especially improving public transport infrastructure, is not just about funding; it will require national leadership and cooperation across all spheres of government. That is why we have also established the Major Cities Unit, co-located with Infrastructure Australia, which supports the Commonwealth focus on cities and more broadly on urban development, including public transport. For those reasons we are unable to support the motion as put but we do, as I indicated earlier, understand the sentiment that is contained within it.

Question agreed to.