Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development and Local Government, Senator Watt. On 9 February this year the minister categorically ruled out any changes to the diesel fuel rebate in the May budget. Will the minister also categorically rule out further delays to road and rail projects in the upcoming May budget?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKenzie. Again, we could have a discussion about the funding cliffs that were littered throughout the budget that was run by yourselves in agriculture and infrastructure departments and things like that when it came to funding. But of course the future of all projects in the infrastructure portfolio will be revealed when the budget is revealed. I know we're about to enter that period where we're going to see scare campaign after scare campaign from the opposition about what may or may not happen in the budget. But we've actually got a government in place now that has responsible budget practices—rather than funding cliffs, rather than booby traps, rather than mirages of back-in-black budgets that turn out to be not so back in black at all. We're not out there preparing coffee cups, unlike some.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, the minister has already ruled in and ruled out the diesel fuel rebate previously with respect to the May budget. My specific question was around further cuts and delays to infrastructure projects in the upcoming budget.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, and I believe the minister was being relevant. Minister, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can say, to add to the comments I've already made, that the Albanese government is ensuring that infrastructure spending is targeted and aligned with current capacity and resource availability in Australia's construction market. I can also tell you that, unlike certain other people in this chamber and in this parliament, the Albanese government and our ministers will not be using colour coded spreadsheets when it comes to allocating infrastructure funding. You won't be finding reports from the Auditor-General about that kind of activity.

What we will actually be doing is allocating infrastructure funding on the basis of need. And do you know what? I know it's a bit of a touchy subject over in that little part of the building. I know it's a touchy subject—colour coded spreadsheets, sports rorts, infrastructure rorts, regional rorts, urban congestion rorts, car park rorts. I mean, there are so many rorts you forget the numbers. But this government actually takes the use of taxpayers' money seriously. We intend to use it transparently and honestly. That means we will fund projects that are not in Labor seats. What an incredible suggestion that would be! What an incredible suggestion, to have a government that is prepared to allocate money on the basis of need rather than on what colour they're coded on a spreadsheet.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, first supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 1 March 2023 the minister for infrastructure told the National Press Club that she wanted Infrastructure Australia to 'produce a more refined, more targeted infrastructure priority list'. Will Minister Watt categorically rule out projects being cut from the infrastructure priority list in the upcoming May budget?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKenzie, for reminding us of the important institution that is Infrastructure Australia—an institution that was created by a former infrastructure minister of this country, a fellow by the name of Anthony Albanese. The reason Minister Albanese, as he then was, brought in Infrastructure Australia was to overcome the rorts of the infrastructure budget that we'd seen under the Howard government, to bring back independence when it comes to decisions about infrastructure funding. I know it's a touchy—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance, again: to cuts to the budget for projects, the minister has gone nowhere near the question, either previously or now.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, perhaps I could make this submission. The senator herself referenced Infrastructure Australia. She can hardly complain when the minister utilises that reference in his response. He's clearly being directly relevant.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong. Senator Birmingham?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Further to the point of order—and this goes back to the change that was made a number of years ago to the standing orders that shifted from answers to questions having to be relevant to answers to questions having to be directly relevant—I submit that a history lesson on the establishment of Infrastructure Australia, just because Infrastructure Australia was mentioned in a question, is not directly relevant. Direct relevance actually required turning to the substance of the question asked, not picking one or two words out of it for the convenience of the minister.

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Thank you, Senator Birmingham. May I suggest to leaders that they allow me to rule on the point of order. Indeed, I was going to remind Senator McKenzie that the minister did reference Infrastructure Australia and was going to draw the minister to the second part of your question.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I can assure Senator McKenzie and all Australian people that they can rely on the Albanese government to make targeted infrastructure investments in a fashion that we haven't been used to over the last 10 years. As I was saying, it was a Labor government that invented Infrastructure Australia to overcome the rorting of infrastructure budgets we'd seen from the Howard government. We've now had to restructure Infrastructure Australia because it had been distorted by the stacking with Liberal Party and Nationals mates under the former government. There's a bit of a pattern here, isn't there? Every time there's a Liberal-National government, it's stacking with mates, it's rorts; every time Labor comes in, we have to clean up the mess, and we're doing it all over again.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator McKenzie, second supplementary?

Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister categorically rule out any further cuts and delays to regional Queensland road projects to pay for the Albanese government's $7 billion Olympic Games venue deal with the Queensland Labor Premier?

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator McKenzie. Senator Gallagher has reminded me about the funding that is going to be provided for Olympic infrastructure that is going to be happening in the great city of Brisbane, in the great state of Queensland. Where did that funding first come from, Senator Gallagher? Was there some commitment made by the former government about that? Was it the Liberal-National government that was going to contribute 50-50 funding to the Olympics? Was it just the Liberals who supported Olympic infrastructure funding and not the Nationals, or was it some of the Nationals and not the Liberals? Seriously, work out what page you're on. You are here asking us about funding that your own government committed to do.

Hon. Senators:

Honourable senators interjecting—

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Minister Watt, please continue.

Matthew Canavan (Queensland, Liberal National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'The Rocky Ring Road is where the funds came from.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Canavan, I have just called the chamber to order. Minister Watt, please continue.

Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am very proud of the fact that I, Senator Chisholm and Senator Green played an instrumental role in making sure that the Rocky Ring Road project is going ahead, and the contractors have actually supported the actions. We had a few people out there in their usual cosplay dress-ups outside the parliament who did absolutely nothing, and a few people who got to work and actually got the job done.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

President, I ask further questions be placed on the Notice Paper. If the chamber would indulge me, I can indicate lovely news that, whilst Senate question time was occurring, Senator Farrell's third grandchild arrived. Welcome to the world, Leo Farrell Malycha and congratulations to Mary and James.

Don Farrell (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Trade and Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Wong for those very kind comments.