Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McMahon, for your question and your tireless efforts to represent the Territory here in this place. As you said, our government is investing more in infrastructure—a total of $110 billion—than any other government in our nation's history. Since 2013, we've committed over $50 billion in infrastructure to our regions because we believe in the capacity of our regions. And we believe in their capacity if you just add water. That is why we've committed $1.6 billion to co-fund the construction of 30 water infrastructure projects, which will actually provide water into the future and unlock the economic potential for new and expanded agriculture for regional Australians. We're driving investments in infrastructure that are enabling Northern Territory industries to grow and prosper—not just the croc industry, Senator McMahon! By doing, so we're charting a strong course to ensure the recovery from COVID-19.

The Liberal and Nationals government has committed $3.2 billion to infrastructure projects in the Northern Territory since 2013, and in this budget $323.9 million was committed to projects in the Territory that are expected to support more than 900 local jobs. We're upgrading vital road infrastructure, with $150 million for phase 2 of the NT national network highway upgrades and just over $173 million for the sixth corridor under the Roads of Strategic Importance initiative. This will support the development of the gas industry in the Beetaloo subbasin, which I know you're incredibly passionate about, which will increase our gas supply, create more jobs and provide significant economic growth not just for the NT but for the whole nation. Delivering improvements to roads used by rural communities within the Beetaloo will benefit the residents, workers and visitors. It's clear from the investment that it's the Liberal and Nationals government that's committed to delivering the infrastructure our nation needs to economically recover.