Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Hansard source

These projects are not on the drawing board; these projects have started now. Stimulus projects are underway and people are in jobs right now. I just want to give you a couple of examples. In May, at Singleton, the first sod was turned on the Hunter Valley to Newcastle $135 million rail track. That is 150 jobs in the Hunter region. In South Australia work has begun on the line between Maroona and the South Australian border and in Victoria the line between Albury and Seymour. That is more jobs. That is two rail projects and more than 240 jobs. More than 200 jobs are being supported by the increased demand for concrete rail sleepers. There are 200 jobs there: 50 jobs in Geelong at Austrak’s factory, 65 people at Austrak’s Wagga Wagga factory, 60 people at the Rocla Sleepers Mittagong factory and 60 people at their Grafton factory. They are real jobs. There are 200 jobs from the F5 freeway upgrade; 140 jobs at the Alstonville bypass in the north and— (Time expired)