Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

These actions are in line with the legacy of Mr Howard's 12 years in government. The Howard government left its mark on Australia's investment in infrastructure with the largest infrastructure deficit in this nation's history. The Howard government hardly spent anything on infrastructure. It did not spend it for the economic development of this nation. Under the Howard government, 90 per cent of roads funding in my home state of Tasmania went to two electorates, both held by Liberal Party members. It seems this is a lesson the Abbott government has taken to heart. Since coming to office this government has taken a new approach to infrastructure funding, which could best be described as slashing, cutting, reannouncing and pork barrelling. Those opposite, led by Mr Abbott and Mr Truss, have travelled around the country shamelessly reannouncing Labor projects such as the Gateway Upgrade North in Brisbane and the Bruce and Pacific Highway upgrades, claiming them as coalition projects. They have done the same with Labor's inland rail project, claiming it as a coalition project. They have also scrapped billions in Labor funding for critical transport infrastructure projects such as the Perth public transport system, Brisbane's Cross River Rail project, the Melbourne Metro and Adelaide's Tonsley Park public transport project. Mr Abbott has committed to Melbourne's East West Link and Sydney's WestConnex project. However, this has been done without cost-benefit analysis—in defiance, as I mentioned earlier, of his own election promise. Those opposite obviously do not understand how transformative investment in crucial infrastructure is for our nation's cities, for our regional areas and for our economic development.

Those opposite, led by Mr Abbott, appear to think that infrastructure funding is about buying votes in marginal electorates rather than making critical nation-building investments. In fact, we have already seen the start of this type of pork-barrelling from them in Mr Abbott's budget. An analysis of the budget's infrastructure spending by Fairfax media found that coalition electorates are favoured for new money by a ratio of three to one. In comparison, the analysis found that the majority of projects which lost federal funding after the 2013 election were in non-Liberal electorates.

It is clear that the government are already ignoring the professional and independent advice of Infrastructure Australia, and it will only get worse if this bill passes. In a Sydney Morning Herald article on 12 June, Monash University professor of transport Graham Currie said:

... whether they—

the government—

want to be a professional government or they want to pork barrel, and whether we'll forge the idea of trying to be professional about how we manage resources or just do it on a political basis.

He then went on to say:

I don't think that's how a country should be run.

This bill makes the answer to Professor Currie's question clear.

Stopping this type of politically motivated behaviour was one of the purposes of establishing the independent advisory body of Infrastructure Australia, which Labor has fought to protect. That is why, to respond to the questions posed or statements made by senators opposite about Infrastructure Australia, we have put forward this amendment. It is quite clear that this amendment is needed so that Infrastructure Australia's expert advice is sought, the way it should be. It is an independent body. It makes transparent decisions. We need to have it there. This is why we are putting forward this amendment to this bill.

Critical national-building projects are currently under construction right across Australia because of the investment in infrastructure made by the former Labor government. Across the states and territories, and particularly in my home state of Tasmania, vital infrastructure projects initiated by the former Labor government are providing jobs and boosting the economy.

This bill does little more than eliminate the term 'nation building' from the statue books as part of Mr Abbott's agenda of rebadging Labor government programs. It is clear that those opposite have no real vision for transport infrastructure in Australia. I ask the Senate to support the amendment that will be put forward by our shadow minister today.