Labor’s threat to infrastructure projects around Australia
4th September, 2008
Federal Labor must come clean on which crucial individual infrastructure projects it intends canning in the next few weeks, said Shadow Infrastructure Minister, Warren Truss.Federal Labor has already committed to spending more than $9 billion LESS than the Coalition on road and rail projects between now and 2014, which will have a serious effect upon rail and highway upgrades and new roads.
Now, because it was been unable to persuade senators to swallow a raft of new and increased taxes that were never mentioned before the election, the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese told Parliament today that local communities will have to pay the price for Labor’s incompetence.
“Everything is at risk. This is payback of the ugliest kind,” Mr Truss said.
“The arrogant display by Mr Albanese today, where he ridiculed 103 different projects supported in good faith by Coalition MPs, shows that local communities have much to fear.
“Incredibly, Mr Albanese called earlier this week for ‘all Australians’ to submit their infrastructure project ideas to his department for consideration. Sadly, that spirit of inclusion lasted all of four days.
“Other Labor MPs such as the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Small Business have arrogantly made it plain in the past few days: everyone else should just get out of their way as they seek to introduce whatever bad laws or taxes they like.
“If they don’t, then it’s goodnight Irene to infrastructure developments that have been long promised and expected by communities right around Australia.
“Labor must reveal which projects are in the firing line and stop trying to blame others for their own economic and political mismanagement,” Mr Truss said.
