Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is for the minister representing the Minister for Infrastructure, Senator Watt. In 2018, the coalition government committed $30 million to build a cableway at Cradle Mountain. That funding was withdrawn by Labor last year because the Tasmanian Liberal government failed to submit more information. Now Tasmanians are in the dark, with no-one willing to confirm if this project is still on the table or not. Is Labor still considering funding for this project or has the door been shut on federal funding for the Cradle Mountain cableway?

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

Thank you, Senator Tyrrell. I may have to wait for some more detailed information to be provided to me so I can address the specifics of your question. I have had some helpful commentary from a couple of my Tasmanian colleagues—and that's far better than any question time brief—who have informed me that the Tasmanian government has provided not just little information but, I think, no information to support their application.

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

It would seem that there's one Tasmanian senator over the other side of the chamber who's willing to defend the Tasmanian government, but I would prefer to rely on the information I'm getting from my colleagues here. As I say, Senator Tyrrell, it is incumbent on the Tasmanian government to provide the information that's necessary to support what is a fairly substantial commitment of taxpayers' funds. If they were to do so, I presume that we would consider that application for funding. I'd obviously need to double-check that with the infrastructure minister who I'm representing here, but if I have any further information that I can provide in response to your question, I'm very happy to do so.

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

Senator McKenzie! Senator Tyrrell, your first supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'll take that as a maybe. In a media release on 26 February 2018, the now Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said that Labor would invest $15 million to improve facilities at Cradle Mountain. If the full cableway funding is off the table—which we're not sure about yet—will Labor honour this promise?

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

Thank you again, Senator Tyrrell. I would need to get some specific details to address your question and come back to you on that as soon as I possibly can, but I am reminded that—and you've sort of referred to this yourself—the Commonwealth's actions have been largely based on the failure of the Tasmanian government to deliver the information required for us to be able to meet that commitment.

It's not unusual for Commonwealth grants to be made to state governments but it's dependent on state governments either providing business cases or providing information about the cost or delivery timetable for a particular project. My understanding is that the information that's required has not been delivered so it makes it difficult to therefore provide that kind of money—

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

Senator McKenzie!

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

to the Tasmanian government. As I say, Senator Tyrrell, if I can get some further information for you, I'll come back to you as quickly as I can.

Opposition senators interjecting—

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

I would ask that senators—particularly the Tasmanians—not interject across the chamber when there's a question on Tasmania. Senator Tyrrell, second supplementary?

Tammy Tyrrell (Tasmania, Jacqui Lambie Network) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will attest that Tasmanians are quite rowdy. The Tasmanian Liberal government have dropped the ball on this project. They didn't get the extra information in on time—or at all, from the sound of it. Cradle Mountain is one of Tassie's most important tourist attractions. Surely Labor doesn't think Tasmania should be punished because of the lazy state government.

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

That's right; just not your favourite state government.

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

Senator McKenzie, I've called you a number of times. This is not your question. I am asking you to listen in silence.

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

Thank you, Senator Tyrrell. I agree that Tasmanians shouldn't be penalised because of a lazy Tasmanian state government, and that's exactly why the Albanese government committed $2.2 billion towards infrastructure projects in Tasmania in this year's federal budget. I could take you through the details, but there are a range of different road projects, both new and existing, that we are contributing money for.

The point about the project that you're talking about is that, as I've said, the department of infrastructure did not receive the required information from the Tasmanian government by 28 April 2023, which meant that we were unable to complete an assessment of the project. I think many of us in this chamber know someone who might be able to do something about that. He was well known to many people in this chamber, and his name is Eric Abetz. He's particularly well known to Senator Duniam. Senator Duniam knows former senator Abetz very well. Senator Colbeck knows former senator Abetz very well as well. Maybe they could pick up the phone to Eric Abetz, if he will take their phone call, and get this fixed up. (Time expired)