Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I will give you a different explanation to the one the minister has given you. What this is saying is that we are increasing it today from 19-odd cents to 21c, so they are getting a lot of extra money. They have promised to use that on rest stops. What our amendment is saying is, ‘When you come back to us in a couple of years and want to increase that, we’re telling you now that we’re not going to increase that beyond the 21c unless you can show us that, for this year and for next year and for however many years it is until you come back to us, you have actually done what you have been talking about.’

You have been talking about 50 truck stops or $70 million—which we calculate to be 50. That is what you are promising to do today, and we take you at your word. But just because we are a little bit suspicious we are actually giving you notice in today’s bill not to come back to us in three years time looking for an increase unless you can prove to us that you have put in, on average, 50 truck stops a year. I say to the government: you are telling us that you are going to do that and we believe you, so why would you not agree to this being in there?

While I am on that, perhaps Senator Conroy is right when he says that Infrastructure Australia is not the appropriate body. Senator Conroy said to the Senate that there are more appropriate bodies. You are the government, so you have a team of advisers, whereas we have practically none, so you tell us what the body should be that assesses it and I will make the amendment on my feet as we go. We picked Infrastructure Australia because it was supposedly absolutely independent. We did not expect Rod Eddington to go out with his tape measure and measure up these truck stops, but we assumed that it would have some staff and a budget and it could employ contractors to go out and measure them up. But, if it is not the appropriate body, tell me which one is and I will seek the leave of the Senate to delete Infrastructure Australia and put in its place Senator Conroy’s suggestion as to who is right for it. That would overcome that.

I do not want to take it any further except to say that we are giving them an extra 2c a litre today on the basis that they have promised us they are going to build 50 truck stops every year for the next several years. We are just giving them notice with this amendment, which says, ‘Look, brother, don’t come back to us for an increase in four years time unless you can demonstrate to us that you have done the 50 truck stops a year and you have harmonised the state regulations.’ If you come back in four years and want to increase it to 23c a litre and you do your disallowable instrument for it, we could knock it off, as Senator Conroy said, but putting it in the bill in this way today makes it indelibly clear. The minister will not even be able to put in a determination in four years time unless Infrastructure Australia, or some other body, has said to the parliament: ‘These guys were true to their word. They have done the 50 a year. They have substantially harmonised with the states and territories, so you can therefore put in your determination.’ We can then knock it off for other reasons, but what we are saying is: don’t even bother with the determination unless Infrastructure Australia has told us that you have honoured your pledge to give us 50 truck stops a year and you have substantially harmonised.