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

I will not be cheeky and seek leave to start again from the beginning, although it looks as though the clock is suggesting that I could do that.

Senator Ian Macdonald interjecting—

Because, Senator Macdonald, I want to give you as much time as I possibly can to get you to change your mind. If you could just change your mind and support this legislation, we would have enough money in the infrastructure budget for Regional Development Australia to bitumise the Outback Highway. You and I could get in that truck and drive from one side of this country across to the other and champion that success. I would not mind if you took all the glory for it and claimed that you were the one that managed to get it all bitumised and up to scratch. You could take all the glory that you like if you could just change. Maybe you want me to keep talking so I can give you more reasons why you should change your mind and support this legislation and get that highway off gravel and bitumised and get on it as quickly as possible.

Let us see where we are at. We have talked about exactly what this legislation is going to bring for the country. Let us home in on what it actually means for Territorians. The revenue from this legislation will lock in the benefits of the mining boom for Territorians, continue to create a sustainable economy that will go beyond the mining boom and support investment in infrastruct­ure and industries to grow jobs in the future. Particularly in the Northern Territory it is going to secure a boost to the superannuation of 62,000 Northern Territory workers, and 22,000 of those are in the seat of Lingiari, which will increase their pool of retirement savings by $6 billion—not $6 million but $6 billion—by 2035, according to the federal Treasury. What does the party opposite me—that rabble led by Tony Abbott—want to do?