Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I do appreciate your protection, Acting Deputy President, I need it from Senator Edwards. He frightens me dearly. I will try and compose myself while I go back to telling the truth and not to making stuff up. What they clearly said was, 'Well now, we don't know now because we don't know if the money is there. We'll see and hear how much heat will come out of WA and we may well fund them.' I asked Mr Mrdak, the secretary of the department, if it would be right to say that no minister could go out there and actually make these announcements? To which he said that they cannot say that because it has not been decided. What we are leading to here is that the government Australia voted for on September 7 is not the government they thought they were going to get.

Apart from the road funding in WA, there are other massively important road-funding projects that are not going to be delivered. It clearly came out at Senate estimates again that the Melbourne Metro Rail project, worth about $3 billion, will now not go ahead. The Brisbane Cross River Rail project will not be going ahead. The Perth urban rail public transport project, worth $100 million, and previously worth $500 million, is not going ahead. I know that would rile you, Mr Acting Deputy President, because you have been very vocal on public transport and rail infrastructure in WA, as we have.

For the South Australians, Tonsley Park public rail transport project is a no-go. There was $4½ billion worth of projects but Mr Abbott made it very clear before and after the election that he will not be building public transport or rail. Apart from road-funding projects that a lot of people do not know about yet that will not be going ahead, we saw last week one of the biggest backflips—I cannot think of another term—or bulldust statements we have ever seen from Mr Pyne on education. Prior to the last election, I think every Australian was well aware that I thought the Liberals were using the terminology—

Senator Edwards interjecting—