Jan McLucas (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Carers) Share this | Hansard source

I join this debate, like Senator Crossin and Senator Sterle, with some relish because this is an opportunity to really put down on the public record the differences between the former Howard government and their record, when they had 11½ years in government, and what they did for us and our Labor government. In my case, I am going to speak about Northern Queensland. We have heard a lot of bluff and bluster, a lot of very loud noise—I do acknowledge that Senator Heffernan was quite quiet, and I do appreciate that—and wild assertions, but these assertions in this motion that we are dealing with today are simply not based on fact. I encourage people to look at the record of the former LNP government under Mr Howard and make the comparison with our Labor governments' achievements and then make their decision.

Let us first go to roads. Since coming to office in 2007, our federal Labor government has committed $3.3 billion to maintaining and upgrading the Bruce Highway. This compares with the former Howard government, which could only manage to find in 11½ long years $1.3 billion. So $3.3 billion in the time that we have been in government compared to $1.3 billion in the time that the Howard government was in office. Let us go to some of those developments: $150 million, Bruce Highway upgrades south of Cairns, coming along fine; $160 million toward the Townsville ring-road; $50 million to upgrade the southern approach to Mackay; $25 million toward the upgrade of the Burdekin River Bridge; $90 million to flatten and straighten the Bruce Highway over the Cardwell Range; $95 million towards the Townsville port access road. Double the money in half the time: that is our commitment. They are the facts on roads.

Let us go to regional infrastructure. In the time we have been in government we have invested more than $101 million in community infrastructure in the Herbert electorate: more than $16 million for the Flinders Street redevelopment, $5 million for the Magnetic Island walkway. This is something that the people of Magnetic Island have been calling for for more than 15 years. Senator Macdonald, you know that and your member for Herbert tried to take the credit for a Labor government commitment to deliver the Magnetic Island walkway. There is $5 million for the Upper Ross community hub, $3.45 million toward the Murray sports complex, $4 million toward the Townsville cruise ship terminal and $2 million for the youth services hub, which will include the headstart facility.

In Leichhardt we have invested $297.5 million in funding for community infrastructure, including a $3 million upgrade to Cazaly's stadium, a $3½ million upgrade to Jones Park, $1.5 million for the Edmonton Leisure Centre and $1.5 million for the Cooktown Community Events Centre. We have also invested $4.5 million in the AFL Indigenous Academy and $9.37 million in the Daintree Rainforest Observatory. In the Dawson area we have invested $156 million for community infrastructure, including $8 million for Mackay's multi-use stadium; $6 million to upgrade the Mackay Basketball Stadium, which is also going along well; $5 million to upgrade the main street of Airlie Beach, which I inspected; and $1.5 million for the Bowen foreshore redevelopment, which I opened recently.

Compare those investments to what happened under the Howard government, when we had the notorious regional rorts program. In my area we have the allocation of $17 million to the Atherton Tablelands area west of Cairns. With the exception of the final round, that money was largely wasted. Who could forget the money allocated to the Black Stump hotel in Atherton for a so-called convention centre. The Black Stump hotel was given large amounts of taxpayers' money to establish a convention centre in a pub that has topless waitresses on a Friday night. It has never seen the light of day. Money was given to the wildlife park on the way to Kuranda and money was given to a company that went into receivership some weeks after this investment was made. Most of the $17 million was wasted.

In comparison, we have Regional Development Australia, which has taken the politics out of decision making about infrastructure projects. I commend our hardworking volunteer Regional Development Australia committees for the work that they have done to truly connect with communities to make recommendations about what infrastructure projects should be prioritised for the future.

In respect of that, let's talk about seawalls and climate change in the Torres Strait. Since about 2004 or 2005, I have been talking in this place about my concerns about the impacts of climate change on the outer islands in the Torres Strait.