Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That there be laid on the table by the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, by noon on Monday, 25 February 2013, submissions provided to Infrastructure Australia by the Western Australian Government for light rail and related public transport infrastructure development projects.

I seek leave to make a very brief statement.

Leave granted.

Before we put this motion to a vote, I am calling on the government, and the opposition as well, to seek leave—and I can assure you that the crossbenchers or I will certainly grant leave—to explain whether or not this motion is supported and, if not, why not. This is a proposal for a light rail infrastructure to be built in Perth, a proposal which is pretty popular. We are trying to establish whether the proposal that the state government has put forward has been costed, whether it is coherent, whether it is the best proposal that could have come forward and whether the state government is actually serious.

I can understand why the coalition might want to protect their Western Australian colleagues. I hope that we will have government support. If not, I would be very keen to understand why.