Julie Collins (Franklin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this morning to put on the public record the massive infrastructure investment that will benefit the people of my electorate, Franklin, now and well into the future. Of course, I am talking about the Nation Building Economic Stimulus Plan, a plan that has been integral to ensuring Australia’s economy was cushioned from the effects of the global financial crisis and continues to be so.

Across my electorate there are more than 130 local infrastructure projects that are underway or just about to start, thanks to this nation-building plan. The investment in local infrastructure so far will inject up to $61.8 million into my local economy. It will build roads and social and defence housing. It will make improvements to dangerous black spots. And, of course, the largest school modernisation program is improving our schools—primary schools and high schools—with the construction of multipurpose halls and libraries and with refurbishments. It will provide both short-term and long-term economic stimulus for the local Franklin economy. The 130 individual projects are supporting local jobs.

I have spent some time during the break talking to the local businesses—the small businesses and the tradies—as I went around the electorate looking at some of the social housing that has already been constructed and is available for families in my electorate and as I visited some of the schools. The schools that I visited during the break include Blackmans Bay Primary School, which is having a complete refurbishment. We have the Snug Primary School, which is having a refurbishment and a hall constructed, and the Lauderdale Primary School, which is having a large hall constructed. Altogether, there is $6.26 million under the National School Pride program for 47 primary and secondary schools in my electorate. There is also, under Primary Schools for the 21st Century, more than $37 million for the transformation of 20 primary schools. Next week I have some other visits scheduled. I am going to the Howrah Primary School and the South Arm Primary School to look at their proposal for the third round of funding under the Building the Education Revolution and Primary Schools for the 21st Century programs. They are all really important projects. They are important to the schools and to the local communities.

What I have been concerned about this week is that the Liberal opposition voted against all of this investment in my electorate. They voted against these schools getting these projects, and now they want to roll it back after voting against it. I would really like to hear from the Tasmanian Liberal senators who are in my electorate, specifically Eric Abetz and David Bushby, about which projects in my electorate they do not support and would roll back. I call on them to tell the school communities and the people who are on the list for social housing which projects they will not be supporting that are happening in my electorate of Franklin now and, as I say, into the future.