Guaranteeing funding for infrastructure

Senator CANAVAN (Queensland—Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (14:52):
Thank you, Senator Rennick, for that very important question. There’s a lot going on in infrastructure in Queensland. It’s all part of our more than $100 billion spend—a record spend—on infrastructure. This government is making a record spend on infrastructure. That’s supporting more than 80,000 jobs in Australia at the moment, with projects under construction.

You mentioned the Inland Rail, Senator Rennick. I know you’re a big supporter of opening up agricultural opportunities in particular in this country, and the Inland Rail does just that. The Inland Rail is a nation-building project that will hook Melbourne up to Brisbane for the first time with a proper inland freight rail network. This will cut time, save money and support jobs.

      Opposition senators interjecting—

Senator CANAVAN:
It will create a steel Mississippi through the spine of our country, a corridor of commerce.

      Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT:
Senator Rennick on a point of order?

Senator Rennick: 
Point of order, Mr President: despite being on the same side of the chamber, I’m having problems hearing the minister because of the interjections from the other side.

      Opposition senators interjecting—

The PRESIDENT:
Order! I would urge senators to heed the request of other senators who would like to hear an answer.

Senator CANAVAN:
As I was saying, this will create a corridor of commerce in inland towns through our country. The CSIRO has estimated that this project will cut $76 a tonne off freight costs between Melbourne and Brisbane; it will allow it to be transported in under 24 hours. For the first time we’ll have rail journeys between Melbourne and Brisbane taking less than a full day.

It is a shame that the speaker of Queensland is no longer with us, because I know he takes a keen interest in rail projects in his home state. Last week we signed a bilateral agreement with the Queensland government to finally get this project going in Queensland, and a big part of the spend—about $6 billion of the $9 billion project—will be spent in Queensland—in your home state, Senator Rennick, and my home state. This fantastic project is supporting more than 7,000 jobs in Queensland; around 15,000 jobs will be created through the life of this project. But it’s not just about the jobs that are created during construction; it is about opening up our nation for commerce, it is about connecting up rural towns for better freight options, and it is supporting agriculture and the expansion of agricultural industries, because the closer they are to port then the closer they are to their customers in Asia, which will mean more production and more jobs here in Australia.

The PRESIDENT: 
Senator Rennick, a supplementary question?

Senator CANAVAN (Queensland—Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (14:54):
The only reason that this government has the capacity to make these nation-building investments—these game-changing investments for our country—is that we have managed our nation’s budget. It’s because we’ve managed other people’s money better than others have done before us. We are producing the first surplus in this nation in a decade, and that allows us to have the capacity to invest in things that will make this country stronger. So, yes, this Inland Rail project is a large project, at over $9 billion, but by managing the budget properly we can have the funding to open up these opportunities for Australian farmers and for Australian regional communities.

But it doesn’t stop there. We’re also investing—

A government senator: 
There’s more?

Senator CANAVAN:
There is more. We’re investing $44 million in a facilitation program—in an infrastructure improvement program—alongside the Inland Rail to help small projects, like to hook up with grain silos and sidings off this major trunk line. This will open up opportunities for small towns through rural New South Wales, rural Queensland and rural Victoria. This is a fantastic project that we are building on over many years to build a better, stronger—

The PRESIDENT:
Order, Senator Canavan. Senator Rennick, a final supplementary question?

Senator CANAVAN (Queensland—Minister for Resources and Northern Australia and Deputy Leader of the Nationals in the Senate) (14:55):
It will create thousands of jobs—thousands upon thousands of jobs will be created. I’ve already mentioned the 7,000 jobs from the Inland Rail. There are a lot of other projects as well. A few weeks ago we announced that we’d bring infrastructure funding forward to create more jobs sooner in Queensland. Around 28 infrastructure projects will start in Queensland next year. So as we go into Christmas—only a few weeks away from next year—we’re only a few weeks away from thousands of jobs being created in Queensland due to our infrastructure funding. For example, there will be upgrades on the M1 Pacific Motorway from Eight Mile Plains to Daisy Hill and from Varsity Lakes to Tugun. Those two projects will create over 1,500 jobs. On the Bruce Highway a range of projects—including the Mackay Northern Access Upgrade, the Cairns Southern Access project, the Saltwater Creek Upgrade, the Maroochydore Road Interchange and Deception Bay Road Interchange—will all start next year, creating over 1,300 jobs. I’m going to run out of time, but there are other projects creating over a thousand jobs as well. Jobs and jobs and jobs and new infrastructure programs—