Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Is it any wonder that those opposite would attack an independent review into spending on infrastructure? This is a review that is only necessary because of decisions made by those opposite, including, memorably, Senator McKenzie.

Let's take a little look back, shall we? A former government that was all announcement and no delivery—a decade of waste and rorts. Sporting infrastructure was decided on a colour-coded spreadsheet, there were car parks where not a single one was recommended by the department of infrastructure and there were airport land rorts. Is it any wonder that those opposite never delivered on their own election promise for an integrity commission, with a record like that? The integrity commission which they promised would have been so weak that it wouldn't even have been able to commence its own inquiries—and they didn't even want to do that. Is it a surprise to anyone that the 'no-alition' is here today attacking an independent infrastructure review? These are the people who managed to leave an infrastructure pipeline that is an absolute mess, and these are the people who managed to leave Australia with $1 trillion in debt and nothing to show for it.

We on this side of the chamber are committed to delivering an infrastructure program that is fit for purpose—one that is fiscally responsible and, critically, one that is deliverable. This is the exact opposite of what appears in the coalition's so-called plan. We know that under those opposite there were announcements made without any clear benefit to the public which could be defended, and without adequate funding allocated. These were projects without merit and projects without a clear rationale for investment. The number of infrastructure projects under those opposite blew out from 150 to 800, without any real commitment or any real plan to deliver. Apparently—and no-one will be surprised by this—a large number of those announcements which were loading up this imaginary infrastructure pipeline were made just before the elections of 2016 and 2019. No surprises there! There are no surprises that the promises were made—promises that couldn't be kept. These were promises for political advantage and not to advantage the nation. The independent review has already found more than $33 billion in cost overruns—$33 billion in cost overruns! In fact, the reviewers found that if we continued down the path set by those opposite then the government wouldn't even be able to fund any new projects until 2033. Does that sound like sound economic management to you? Does it sound like a good plan for infrastructure development?

This is why this government commissioned this independent review: to ensure that the infrastructure program is delivering for this country. And while we do this work, we are getting on with the job of delivering critical infrastructure projects across the country—as Senator McKenzie has put so well: congestion-busting, productivity-enhancing and lifesaving projects. We are getting on with delivering them. There are over 300 Commonwealth funded major transport projects currently underway or under construction, including, proudly, many of them in my home state of Victoria. Australia deserves a pipeline of transport infrastructure projects that are genuinely good for the nation, as well as being economically sustainable. And that is exactly what we are delivering.

And, of course, it's important that we do all of this without contributing to inflationary pressures. As the Treasurer has said, we are working to get maximum value for money. We are working to get the right infrastructure for our economy and our people, and we are doing all of that without putting additional upward pressure on inflation. Our approach to infrastructure is like all of our economic plans when it comes to managing inflation: we are taking a strong and measured approach. We are getting the budget back on track, returning revenues to the bottom line and banking the first surplus in 15 years. We are delivering much-needed cost-of-living relief and targeting it to those who need it most, and we're investing sustainably in the future.

And the experts tell us that it's working; whether it's the RBA governor, the Treasury secretary, the ABS or the International Monetary Fund, all are in agreement that our economic policy is helping to drive down inflation. Our approach to infrastructure will continue to make that happen. We will deliver, we will invest responsibly and we will clean up their mess. (Time expired)