Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I make a brief statement on the vital project Labor is funding in south-west Victoria, which is the duplication of the Princes Highway between Waurn Ponds and Winchelsea. This is one of the most significant projects lobbied for, and won, by Mr Darren Cheeseman as part of his historic election victory in 2007 when he won the seat of Corangamite. Labor has committed $110 million to this project. Most Australians know this project now, as it is the project where the new Leader of the Opposition was very nearly killed when he tried to conduct a cheap and foolish political stunt a couple of weeks back. Mr Abbott made this project national headlines and, in doing so, showed up the appalling track record of the Liberals on road building and, in particular, on this project and other related road projects in regional Victoria. Members of the Senate may not know just how shabby the record of the Liberal coalition is on this project when they were in government and now in opposition. It is important to put it on the record.

Here are the facts. For a period of 76 years the Liberals held the seat of Corangamite, including 11 years under the most recent government under the former Prime Minister, John Howard. In all of that time the coalition refused to fund the duplication of the Princes Highway. Despite every business group, every local council, transport unions and every interest group in the region saying that this was the No. 1 project in the region, the Liberals point blank refused to fund it. Everyone knows the Princes Highway duplication project is vital to the economic development of towns such as Winchelsea and Colac and to the whole of the south-western part of Victoria. It seems everyone but the Liberals knows this. It is just the opposite; they do not get it.

The issue of commuter safety is also important on this project. People die on this road every year—year in, year out. That was one of the major motivations for Labor’s commitment to this project: commuter safety. But the Liberals watched this happen year after year and did nothing. They refused to fund the duplication. It was not just the Liberals’ 76-year-old record of refusing to commit to this project that needs to be put on the record. Their track record goes on. When Darren Cheeseman won a commitment to duplicate the highway in the lead-up to the 2007 poll, the Liberal Party again refused to match the commitment. They said, ‘No, we don’t care, we will not fund the duplication of the Princes Highway.’

This was of course on top of the fact that the Liberals also refused to commit to the funding of the later stages of the Geelong Ring Road, stages 4A and 4B. Importantly, these stages connect the Princes Highway duplication project. In fact, the Liberals and their National Party colleagues refused to commit to the ring road route that every interest group, including VicRoads, agreed was the best route for the completion of the Geelong Ring Road. That is probably because the Liberal Party never expected to lose the seat of Corangamite. They had held it for 76 years and had simply taken it for granted. Why should they do major road projects that were absolutely fundamental and necessary in a seat which they always thought they would simply own and would never have to work hard in? But of course they did lose the seat after 76 years of taking it for granted.

On top of this we have now had 2½ years of the Rudd government during which the Liberals have had every opportunity to come to their senses on any of these projects; 2½ years since the election and they have still refused to match our commitments on either the Princes Highway duplication or the Geelong Ring Road. They would not budge, with absolutely no commitments on anything. So that is the record of the Liberals on roads in this area: for 76 years nothing done, 11 years of the previous government and nothing done, they refused to fund the duplication of the Princes Highway, refused to fund the completion of the Geelong Ring Road and could not even agree on a route for the Geelong Ring Road.

Now, with trumpets sounding, here comes the Leader of the Opposition on his white charger to do a stunt: having a crack at Labor for not committing to the Princes Highway section between Winchelsea and Colac. What absolute gall. Darren Cheeseman has won the funding for stage 1 from Waurn Ponds to Colac. Darren Cheeseman has got the federal roads minister to now list the whole of the Waurn Ponds to Colac road as a national highway. Darren Cheeseman has worked his butt off to get all the planning done and the graders will be out there within just a couple of years of Labor coming to power. And here comes Mr Tony Abbott wanting to have a crack. What gall. Do you know the funny thing? You could either laugh or cry. Tony Abbott comes out to the Princes Highway. He holds a media conference in a 100 kilometre an hour zone, a notorious black spot. What an absolute goose. He nearly gets himself killed, and what did he say? He did not actually go there to give a commitment for any funding for the road; he went there to have a look, to do a political stunt with no commitments. His car turns right in a 100 kilometre an hour notorious black flat spot and he nearly gets himself and potentially everyone else killed. What a goose, but still no funding commitment—none at all. What a disgrace. What does he take the people of Corangamite for?

He was on every news bulletin in the country saying how important the issue was, but still would not commit a cent. It took him a whole week before any commitment was made. Maybe he had to go back and consult Senator Joyce on that. But that would be another first, wouldn’t it: Senator Joyce making any sense in relation to the funding of any issue. Well, they have now finally said they will match Labor’s commitment. Hallelujah! That is the Princes Highway, but they forgot about any commitments as to the ring road. Again the people of Corangamite have been shortchanged by the Liberal Party. Mr Tony Abbott has no credibility and the opposition as a whole have no credibility on this issue. They had no credibility in government and they have no credibility now.

I would like to finish my contribution on this issue by passing on my congratulations to Darren Cheeseman, the Labor member for Corangamite, the first Labor member for Corangamite for 76 years, who has now delivered to the people of Corangamite something for which they have been calling for over 40 years and 11 years of the previous Liberal government, which did absolutely nothing but a political stunt. It was not until Mr Abbott nearly got everyone killed that he had a think about it. He had a think about it for a week and then worked out that with all the publicity he would have to go back. So what does he do? He only matches the Labor commitment in part and forgets about the ring road. What a disgraceful performance it was by the opposition leader, Mr Abbott. That is the way he deals with all things: it is all stunts but no substance and he only matches what he barely has to do with no consideration for the genuine needs of the constituents of Corangamite. Darren Cheeseman, the member for Corangamite, is doing a wonderful job. He is doing a fantastic job for that region.