Matt O'Sullivan (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the Infrastructure Australia Amendment (Independent Review) Bill 2023. I want to support what Senator McKenzie was saying, that we'll work constructively with the government to get, hopefully, some amendments through.

This bill represents, at a minimum, a partial repudiation of the organisation's functions and governance structures. Back in 2008, the now Prime Minister, when he was minister for infrastructure under the Rudd government—the failed Rudd government—established Infrastructure Australia. I want to quote from Mr Albanese, the Prime Minister of Australia, when he was infrastructure minister and setting up Infrastructure Australia:

… replacing neglect, buck-passing and pork-barrelling with long-term planning where governments predict and anticipate infrastructure needs and demands, not merely react to them.

Under the changes proposed under this bill, Infrastructure Australia will be a less influential body under the Labor government than when the Prime Minister first envisaged it when he was the minister responsible for infrastructure 15 years ago.

This bill repeals most of the current functions of Infrastructure Australia and proposes a series of new functions. Irrespective of this review into Infrastructure Australia, it's crystal clear that infrastructure is not a priority of this government. In the May budget, there wasn't one mention of the word 'infrastructure' in the Treasurer's budget speech. The government appears to have problems in saying the word 'infrastructure'. They can't even say it! It's just like the other word that they can't bring themselves to say: productivity. There's no mention of infrastructure and there's certainly very little mention by this government of productivity. They aren't doing anything to aid productivity—in fact, this government's agenda is impinging upon productivity. This is ironic, given the fundamental importance of both in advancing the nation's prosperity.

On this side of the chamber, we know that infrastructure drives efficiency, supports our economy, improves productivity and delivers safety improvements for our community. When in opposition, Labor talked a big game on transparency—a big game! But, in government, it's been anything but transparent. Whether it's about the Mobile Black Spot Program or, more recently, about operating a protection racket for the airline industry or stifling aviation competition, it has been evident that this government is severely lacking in transparency. So it's hardly surprising that the reform in this bill will make Infrastructure Australia even less independent. Will the government seek to appoint union officials to Infrastructure Australia? Probably—that's what they do. We see it all over the place. That's what they do; they stack it out.

But why are infrastructure and productivity important? And why is it that the government can't bring themselves to say the 'I' word and the 'P' word? Why can't they? The recent Intergenerational report highlights the nexus between infrastructure and productivity. Those over there, the government, might want to listen to this because this is important. Even the Intergenerational report highlighted the importance of both. It said:

Infrastructure is important for supporting socio-economic development as the population grows. It enables economic and productivity growth by reducing congestion and allowing goods and people to move quickly and efficiently around the country and internationally.

So where does all this leave much-needed projects in my community—projects like the Nicholson Road and Garden Street upgrade in the seats of Tangney and Burt? It's right there on the border of those two very important electorates in Western Australia. I'll quote Infrastructure Australia's own website, which says:

Perth is experiencing worsening road congestion. The 2019 Australian Infrastructure Audit estimated that congestion in Perth will cost $3.1 billion per annum in 2031.

In March this year I spoke about this vital infrastructure project that's in my patron seats of Tangney and Burt and that's at serious risk of being cut or delayed by the Albanese Labor government. The roundabout on Nicholson Road and Garden Street is a significant bottleneck hotspot in Perth. The traffic congestion caused by the bottlenecks in and around this intersection significantly impacts on freight getting through and into Canning Vale and other parts of the electorate and on people getting to their job and then to their home every day. Quite simply, it negatively impacts on productivity, which, under this government, is at a seven-year low—and it's doing very little about it.

The former coalition government, in its final budget, secured the funding to get this project going. I pay tribute to the former member for Tangney Ben Morton, who championed this project for a long time and got it locked into the budget. It was committed in the budget, yet this government has dithered on this project for so long. The then Labor opposition thankfully matched this funding, and the Western Australian Labor government also matched it; they committed to a fifty-fifty arrangement to ensure that this vital project—that's what Infrastructure Australia identified it as—would go ahead for the total cost of $80 million. It was a win-win for the community because, irrespective of which party was going to go on to win government, this project would get done—it would happen. But, since then, this project has been wholly mishandled and bungled by the government from the time that they took office. This project, which has already been delayed since the October budget, is an example of the critical community infrastructure projects that are at risk of being further postponed by that ridiculous 90-day review that turned into a 200-plus-day review. Delays beget delays, and that's what we're seeing with this government.

Since I spoke about it March, I have visited this intersection—I travel through it all the time because my parents literally just live about 500 metres from there—in my capacity as a senator for Western Australia. I've gone there and met with people. I met with Senator McKenzie. We went down and had a look at this intersection, and Senator McKenzie saw firsthand the significant congestion and the danger that's caused as people get in and out of that intersection. It's a dangerous intersection. It's a Black Spot Program intersection in Perth, and people know it's dangerous. And families going through there are put at risk every time. Disappointingly, but unsurprisingly, zero progress has occurred. There's been absolutely nothing, except you just see some sand tumbling over the area from across the road, where you've got the future Nicholson Road train station that's getting built. Again, there are delays involved in that project, too. But that's a state government issue.

It was evident last year that this project would be delayed, as the Albanese government cut $3.5 million from the October budget. Planning works for this project should have begun in the second half of last year, but, in estimates just a few week ago, I asked the infrastructure department about this project. They had to shuffle through their books, and that's fair enough, as there are many projects going on around the place. But eventually they found the project in amongst their briefing papers, and they told me that nothing's occurred and there's been no planning. They just sought to blame Main Roads Western Australia. It's a good organisation, but, nonetheless, because no leadership has been provided by this government, this project's just sat idle for too long. There was the 90-day review, which ended up being 200-day review. It just further delays these things. It's absolutely disappointing because this is a vital project for this area.

The government is missing in action, just like the hapless state Labor government is missing in action. Their delivery of projects since they were elected eight or more years ago is dismal. The only significant project they've managed to open—a project that has been delivered and completed—is the Forrestfield link, which is the new train line that goes out to the Perth Airport. But guess what? That actually started under the previous government, so even the WA Labor government have got nothing to show when it comes to infrastructure. And it's a shame because Western Australians are missing out.

Now, where is the member for Tangney and the member for Burt? Where's their advocacy on this issue? This is right on their boundary, and they should be working together. There are two of them. You don't just have to rely on one of the members to advocate for this project; they've got the benefit of having two of them advocating for this project. Where is Mr Keogh? Where is the minister, no less? He's got the ear of the Prime Minister. He should be right in there. He should be advocating for this project to hurry up and get ahead. Why is there no planning? I've met with the local council. I thought maybe they would know what's going on. They said, 'No, there's nothing happening here.' Now the government has said they're going to continue with this project, but, because of their delays, because of their inability to lead, this project is delayed even further. They've got to get onto it. This is an important project for the community, and they're failing.

I could rattle off projects right across the metropolitan areas, right across the country areas. One project that I know you'll give credit to, Acting Deputy President Sterle—they've shown some leadership on this—is the building of the new bridge at Fitzroy Crossing. It shows that, when you're serious about something, when you get the right proponents behind it, you can make it happen; you can do stuff quickly. That bridge is phenomenal. I know you've been there, Acting Deputy President. That bridge is a big area, and they've been able to build that thing quickly. It demonstrates that, if you show leadership, if you put the effort in, if you work with the community, you can get the results. So it's possible to do it, but they've demonstrated time and again that they're not serious about infrastructure.

I spoke earlier about the importance of it—that, if you link infrastructure with a need to addresses congestion and safety, you improve productivity. And boy do we need that right now! We need a lift in productivity in this nation, otherwise we're going keep chasing inflation. Wage rises are just going to be trying to keep up with the rising costs of delivering, but, if we get a productivity dividend, then we can actually get real wages moving. We can actually provide for Australians in a meaningful way, and that's what needs to happen. But this government, sadly, is asleep at the wheel. They've got to get on with it, and the only way that they can do that is to show some leadership and some action.