Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery, Senator Arbib. Minister, why did Labor marginal seats in New South Wales receive three times as much money under the so-called community infrastructure program as marginal coalition seats?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Eggleston for the opportunity to talk about the community infrastructure program—a vital program that is providing vital funds to local councils that were neglected—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time for debating this is at the end of question time, not now.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is pretty clear that the coalition do not want to hear the good news. They do not want to hear the good news about infrastructure being rolled out to local councils. They neglected them for 12 years. Who are the biggest supporters of this program in the country? Liberal mayors. Every time I go out and help announce one of these programs, a Liberal mayor—

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! When there is silence we will proceed. If you want to debate the issue, the time is post question time.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, a Liberal Party mayor—and I have done a few of them—at the Mosman Drill Hall on Sydney’s North Shore—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Arbib, I draw your attention to the question.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am happy to answer the question because it is good news for the government. A Liberal mayor actually said to me at the time: ‘This is a fantastic program. The Liberals always neglect infrastructure.’ That was a Liberal mayor, and there are many of them.

Honourable Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

John Hogg (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We will continue with the answer when there is silence.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr President. It is an extremely successful program and the Liberals on the ground, in your own electorates, think it is fantastic. Just for the record, when you get out into your electorates—because you do not actually get out into them—talk to the mayors, because they think it is fantastic. In relation to funding, Senator Eggleston has raised a number of issues, so I am going to put on record that there are $800 million in this program. And when you do a partisan, party political analysis, the ALP gets across the country 53 per cent of the funding—shock, horror. But guess what? When you actually look at how many MPs we have, 55 per cent of the members in the House of Representatives receive 53 per cent of the funding. (Time expired)

Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Will the minister also explain why the four Labor-held seats in Western Australia receive nearly as much funding in total as the 11 coalition seats?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am actually surprised that Senator Eggleston, coming from WA, would be complaining about funding that is going to infrastructure in Western Australia. I have to say that the shadow minister for workplace relations was not complaining. He was out there with a jackhammer, remember? Senator Evans had a photo of him out there with a jackhammer and with the construction hat on. Mr Keenan thinks it is a good program. He has welcomed it. He is out there with thumbs up on the project. And so is the Western Australian government, who believe the stimulus is needed. It is in the interests of the country, it is in the interests of Western Australia and it is something that all Liberal and National Party senators need to keep in mind. If you want to roll back the stimulus, tell us what infrastructure projects you will cut. (Time expired)

Alan Eggleston (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Perhaps the minister can explain why Labor-held seats in Victoria received almost 25 per cent more per seat on average than coalition-held seats? And can the minister honestly deny that political considerations had no influence on the federal government’s decisions in how to distribute its $550 million so-called community infrastructure fund?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Government Service Delivery) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Again, I inform the Senate that the program was not $550 million. The total local government program was $800 million. Of that $800 million, 53 per cent went to Labor electorates—remembering that 55 per cent of members of the House of Representatives are Labor. It was 53 per cent funding for 55 per cent. The coalition seats received 41 per cent of the funding across the country and you make up 42.6 per cent of the House of Representatives.

I also put on record, concerning the $550 million competitive element of the fund, that 137 projects were assessed independently by external auditors such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and McGrathNicol. Independent assessments, again, are something the Liberal Party knows nothing about. (Time expired)