Guy Barnett (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

With regard to this report on Infrastructure Australia and infrastructure funding for Tasmania, can I say: we in Tasmania have been dudded. We have been dudded; we have been diddled; we have missed out totally. We have diddly-squat. It is not on; it is not fair; it is not right. The approach by the Gillard Labor government has been disgraceful.

They delivered a budget last year where there was $22 billion of funding for road, rail and port upgrade in and around Australia. How much money came to Tasmania out of that fund? Not one dollar. That is not good enough. We are being dudded in Tasmania because of the lack of advocacy, the lack of representation, the lack of fighting for Tasmania. It is not on. It is not good enough. I put the Labor representatives from Tasmania, state and federal, on notice: you must try harder. Members of the federal Labor government and the state Labor government must try harder. The state Labor government should hang their heads in shame. Did they put in an application to Infrastructure Australia for funding? Did they, Senator Bushby? He is shaking his head and he knows that they did not. Senator Carol Brown is across the chamber, listening in, and she knows the failure and the dismal performance of the state Labor government in terms of their lack of action.