Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Hughes for her question and I recognise her strong passion to support infrastructure in New South Wales and especially in regional New South Wales. We are getting on with the job of investing in nation-building infrastructure in this country, which helps to boost jobs, cut travel times, make for safer roads and also unlock the enormous potential we have in our nation's regions. We are investing a record amount of more than $100 billion in infrastructure over the next 10 years, as I said in this place last week. The 130-odd projects we're investing in across Australia will support 85,000 jobs. That is more jobs than people who have come to watch the second cricket test match between Australia and Pakistan, in Adelaide, in the first three days. There's a lot of jobs in that. Also, I am sure Senator Colbeck can confirm that it is more people than the number who turned up to watch our politicians versus the press cricket match yesterday in Canberra!

Across New South Wales, we are investing $5.6 billion in the Pacific Highway, saving up to 2½ hours on that journey. That is going to support 2,800 direct jobs and 8,400 indirect jobs. We are investing in the WestConnex program in Sydney, which will save 40 minutes for people coming from Western Sydney into the city. That's a huge saving for those who have to put up with that commute. There are 10,000 jobs in that project alone. We're also supporting Western Sydney Airport, a real nation-building project for our country and a second major airport for Sydney. It is a $5.3 billion dollar project, with 11,000 direct jobs and, more than that, there will be 13,000 ongoing jobs in that project. All of these projects help to support jobs in our economy, directly in their construction, and, almost more importantly, they unlock our nation's potential over the long term to create even more jobs and stronger industries.