Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Deputy Prime Minister. Will the Deputy Prime Minister outline to the House how the Morrison-Joyce government is ensuring strong economic recovery in the regions by investing in infrastructure projects that support communities and create jobs?

Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Cowper for his question. I note the tremendous work that he is doing. We have seats next door to one another. Projects, such as the Wollomombi to Kempsey road upgrade, are vitally important. It is a road held by the council. Obviously it's beyond their capacity to do much with it. Not much has happened on that road for a very long time, yet it's a vital connector between the two electorates.

It's not just that that he's working on. I also note the work he is doing on smaller projects, such as the Sawtell swimming pool. He got money through the BBR for that. At the Sawtell swimming pool we might get the next Maddy Gough, and wasn't Maddy Gough a great asset? She came fifth in the Olympics and smashed the Australian women's 1,500-metre record at 15 minutes and 47 seconds, if I remember rightly. That is the sort of asset that takes communities forward.

It is not just there, because we can't be parochial when we are building a nation. We build across the nation. We have $1.6 billion on the table in the Hunter Valley for the Newcastle bypass. That $1.6 billion will be complemented by $400 million from the state government. That goes to show that when we are building projects we build them across the nation for a national plan. We build them across the nation to make a better nation. And it's not just there. Also in the Hunter Valley we have the Singleton bypass, which we're putting about $560 million towards. Whether it's the Pacific Highway or the New England Highway, we are building to a national plan.

There is also the Coffs Harbour bypass, which I know the member for Cowper has put so much work towards. There is $1.4 billion—in fact, a little bit more—to continue the dream and the vision of people, such as Warren Truss, a former leader of the Nationals. He had the dream of making sure that you could drive a car on a dual carriageway from Melbourne to north of Gympie without seeing a traffic light. That is real vision, continued on admirably by the member for Riverina—that Nationals dream, which I am now very proud to be part of, and the conclusion of that dream. This is important: it goes up to the member for Wide Bay's electorate, for the Tiaro Bypass in the seat of Cowper, to Coffs Harbour and the seat of Hunter for the Newcastle bypass. This is a Nationals—and a national—vision, and the coalition is putting in the effort, putting in the money and delivering an outcome that does not just reside in seats of our leaning but resides in seats across this nation, for a national benefit.