Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. Could I thank my South Australian colleague for the question. It is quite extraordinary to hear a senator from the state of South Australia talking down the South Australian economy. Absolutely typical—because, unlike the opposition, the Gillard government has always had the best interests of South Australians in mind. In the infrastructure field all up we are providing an unprecedented $2.7 billion from our six-year Nation Building Program to rebuild and renew the state's road, rail and public transport infrastructure. Already federal Labor has more than doubled annual infrastructure spending from $109 to $272 per South Australian. On submarines, the federal government is committed to building 12 future submarines, which will be assembled in Adelaide. This is the biggest defence project Australia has ever undertaken. It means work for numerous Australian companies and for thousands of Australian workers, including boilermakers, welders, electricians, naval architects, engineers and many, many more. In the auto industry in March, the government has agreed to a $215 million co-investment deal with General Motors Holden. This co-investment will support— (Time expired)