Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Bill 2011 and related legislation, which will no doubt deliver historic economic reform to benefit all Australians. (Quorum formed) Thank you, Senator Macdonald, for drawing attention to the state of the chamber—you, of all the people in the Senate from whom I would welcome such a call. You and I have worked so closely together building up the profile and promoting the Outback Highway that will run, as you know, from Kalgoorlie right through the centre of this country and through to Queensland. Our joint aim, our joint ambition—our dream—to have that extended bit of road bituminised could be realised if you embraced this legislation.

So I welcome the fact that you wanted to intervene and call a quorum while I was talking, because it gives me a chance to proudly stand with you and say, 'Senator Macdonald, we've been working on the Outback Highway and drawing attention to the lack of the funds it needs to get itself bituminised for those many thousands of kilometres.' But of course if you had enough courage to actually support this legislation—many of the benefits of which will go to additional infrastructure projects in this country—that project might well be one of the projects that could benefit from the additional income this government and this country will receive through the passage of this legislation. Perhaps while I give my contribution you might want to rethink about your efforts to support this legislation and what this might mean to our colleagues and friends at the Outback Highway.