Bills — Infrastructure Australia Amendment Bill 2013; Second Reading
Passed by a small majority
No rebellions 90% attendance
Pat Conroy
I rise to oppose the Infrastructure Australia Amendment Bill 2013. I follow on from excellent speeches from this side of parliament, which have drawn attention to some very significant flaws in this bill, mostly around the criteria, the granting of extraordinary powers to the minister, the politicisation of an independent process, a complete abandonment of any commitment to an evidence-based approach to infrastructure funding in this country and a clear bias against public transport funding. I would like to concentrate on three particular aspects of this bill, namely the politicisation of a very important process, the impact that this will have on private sector investment and the changes to Infrastructure Australia's role around climate change, which is a little known aspect of this bill and yet another example of the government attacking any independent authority that dares to advise on climate change.
Before I go to that, I would like to comment on the proud record that Labor has in this area compared to those opposite. When Labor came to government in 2007 the OECD had ranked Australia 20 out of 25 countries in relation to our investment in public infrastructure as a proportion of national income. I am proud that, because of Labor's record investment-particularly through the GFC, which the member for Scullin highlighted-Australia is now ranked second in the OECD in terms of investment in infrastructure as a percentage of national income. Among the advanced economies only South Korea is investing more in infrastructure.
Investment in infrastructure in Australia in 2011-12 was four per cent of GDP, which is the highest it has been in 30 years. Again in 2011-12, annual infrastructure spending was 59 per cent higher than the last full year of the Howard government when compared in real terms. This was a real achievement of the previous Labor government and something of which we should be justly proud-both the former minister responsible, the member for Grayndler; and Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard. Labor not only invested much more significantly in infrastructure; we also invested in aspects of infrastructure that were ignored and neglected by the previous coalition government-proudly so, if you believe the words of the current Prime Minister. Labor has invested more Commonwealth funding towards public transport than any other government since Federation, a great achievement that the member for Scullin was commenting on and urging an expansion of, rather than a retreat from.
Labor also appointed Australia's first ever federal infrastructure minister and created the federal infrastructure department. It is interesting to note that transport, such an integral component of infrastructure, no longer has a dedicated cabinet minister in the Abbott government. Instead, the Assistant Minister for Infrastructure has responsibility for transport. That is no reflection on that particular individual, but I think the loss of cabinet rank is a grievous move in terms of infrastructure priorities in Australia. I am proud to say that Infrastructure Australia was established by the former Labor government to ensure that the needs of the nation were put first, rather than petty political needs. Currently Infrastructure Australia has a great purpose: nation-building-not party-building, not electorate pork-barrelling but nation-building. However, this amendment yet again proves that the current government is pining for the past, when pork-barrelling was rife and politics stifled progress. There is no hiding from the fact that this government is seeking to politicise what is currently a well-functioning apolitical body that is guided by sound independent evidence and strong cost-benefit analyses. The proposed amendments will give the minister the power to redirect funds-
Bronwyn Bishop
Order! The member will resume his seat. I call the parliamentary secretary.
Jamie Briggs
I move:
That the member be no longer heard.
Opposition Members
Opposition members interjecting-
Bronwyn Bishop
There is no point of order.
Nobody rebelled against their party.
Party | Votes | |
---|---|---|
Adam Bandt Melbourne Australian Greens | No | |
Australian Labor Party (89% turnout) | 0 Yes – 48 No | |
Anthony Albanese Grayndler | No | |
Sharon Bird Cunningham | No | |
Chris Bowen McMahon | No | |
Gai Brodtmann Canberra | No | |
Tony Burke Watson | No | |
Mark Butler Port Adelaide | No | |
Anthony Byrne Holt | No | |
Jim Chalmers Rankin | No | |
Nick Champion Wakefield | No | |
Lisa Chesters Bendigo | No | |
Jason Clare Blaxland | No | |
Sharon Claydon Newcastle | No | |
Julie Collins Franklin | No | |
Pat Conroy Charlton | No | |
Michael Danby Melbourne Ports | No | |
Mark Dreyfus Isaacs | No | |
Justine Elliot Richmond | No | |
Kate Ellis Adelaide | No | |
David Feeney Batman | No | |
Laurie Ferguson Werriwa | No | |
Andrew Giles Scullin | No | |
Alan Griffin Bruce | No | |
Jill Hall Shortland | No | |
Chris Hayes Fowler | No | |
Ed Husic Chifley | No | |
Stephen Jones Throsby | No | |
Catherine King Ballarat | No | |
Andrew Leigh Fraser | No | |
Jenny Macklin Jagajaga | No | |
Alannah Mactiernan Perth | No | |
Richard Marles Corio | No | |
Rob Mitchell McEwen | No | |
Shayne Neumann Blair | No | |
Brendan O'Connor Gorton | No | |
Clare O'Neil Hotham | No | |
Julie Owens Parramatta | No | |
Melissa Parke Fremantle | No | |
Graham Perrett Moreton | No | |
Tanya Plibersek Sydney | No | |
Bernie Ripoll Oxley | No | |
Amanda Rishworth Kingston | No | |
Michelle Rowland Greenway | No | |
Joanne Ryan Lalor | No | |
Matt Thistlethwaite Kingsford Smith | No | |
Kelvin Thomson Wills | No | |
Maria Vamvakinou Calwell | No | |
Tim Watts Gellibrand | No | |
Tony Zappia Makin | No | |
Anna Burke Chisholm | Absent | |
Joel Fitzgibbon Hunter | Absent | |
Gary Gray Brand | Absent | |
Bill Shorten Maribyrnong | Absent | |
Warren Snowdon Lingiari | Absent | |
Wayne Swan Lilley | Absent | |
Natasha Griggs Solomon Country Liberal Party | Yes | |
Bruce Scott Maranoa Deputy Speaker | Yes | |
Cathy McGowan Indi Independent | No | |
Andrew Wilkie Denison Independent | Absent | |
Bob Katter Kennedy Katter's Australian Party | Absent | |
Liberal Party (92% turnout) | 67 Yes – 0 No | |
John Alexander Bennelong | Yes | |
Karen Andrews McPherson | Yes | |
Kevin Andrews Menzies | Yes | |
Bob Baldwin Paterson | Yes | |
Bruce Billson Dunkley | Yes | |
Jamie Briggs Mayo | Yes | |
Russell Broadbent McMillan | Yes | |
Mal Brough Fisher | Yes | |
Scott Buchholz Wright | Yes | |
Steven Ciobo Moncrieff | Yes | |
David Coleman Banks | Yes | |
Peter Dutton Dickson | Yes | |
Warren Entsch Leichhardt | Yes | |
Paul Fletcher Bradfield | Yes | |
Josh Frydenberg Kooyong | Yes | |
Teresa Gambaro Brisbane | Yes | |
Ian Goodenough Moore | Yes | |
Alex Hawke Mitchell | Yes | |
Sarah Henderson Corangamite | Yes | |
Peter Hendy Eden-Monaro | Yes | |
Luke Howarth Petrie | Yes | |
Greg Hunt Flinders | Yes | |
Eric Hutchinson Lyons | Yes | |
Dennis Jensen Tangney | Yes | |
Ewen Jones Herbert | Yes | |
Michael Keenan Stirling | Yes | |
Craig Kelly Hughes | Yes | |
Andrew Laming Bowman | Yes | |
Craig Laundy Reid | Yes | |
Sussan Ley Farrer | Yes | |
Ian Macfarlane Groom | Yes | |
Nola Marino Forrest | Yes | |
Louise Markus Macquarie | Yes | |
Russell Matheson Macarthur | Yes | |
Karen McNamara Dobell | Yes | |
Scott Morrison Cook | Yes | |
Andrew Nikolic Bass | Yes | |
Kelly O'Dwyer Higgins | Yes | |
Tony Pasin Barker | Yes | |
Christian Porter Pearce | Yes | |
Melissa Price Durack | Yes | |
Christopher Pyne Sturt | Yes | |
Rowan Ramsey Grey | Yes | |
Don Randall Canning | Yes | |
Stuart Robert Fadden | Yes | |
Wyatt Roy Longman | Yes | |
Philip Ruddock Berowra | Yes | |
Fiona Scott Lindsay | Yes | |
Luke Simpkins Cowan | Yes | |
Tony Smith Casey | Yes | |
Andrew Southcott Boothby | Yes | |
Sharman Stone Murray | Yes | |
Ann Sudmalis Gilmore | Yes | |
Michael Sukkar Deakin | Yes | |
Angus Taylor Hume | Yes | |
Dan Tehan Wannon | Yes | |
Alan Tudge Aston | Yes | |
Malcolm Turnbull Wentworth | Yes | |
Bert Van Manen Forde | Yes | |
Nickolas Varvaris Barton | Yes | |
Ross Vasta Bonner | Yes | |
Brett Whiteley Braddon | Yes | |
Lucy Wicks Robertson | Yes | |
Matt Williams Hindmarsh | Yes | |
Rick Wilson O'Connor | Yes | |
Jason Wood La Trobe | Yes | |
Ken Wyatt Hasluck | Yes | |
Tony Abbott Warringah | Absent | |
Julie Bishop Curtin | Absent | |
Joe Hockey North Sydney | Absent | |
Steve Irons Swan | Absent | |
Jane Prentice Ryan | Absent | |
Andrew Robb Goldstein | Absent | |
National Party (100% turnout) | 14 Yes – 0 No | |
Andrew Broad Mallee | Yes | |
Darren Chester Gippsland | Yes | |
George Christensen Dawson | Yes | |
John Cobb Calare | Yes | |
Mark Coulton Parkes | Yes | |
David Gillespie Lyne | Yes | |
Luke Hartsuyker Cowper | Yes | |
Kevin Hogan Page | Yes | |
Barnaby Joyce New England | Yes | |
Michelle Landry Capricornia | Yes | |
Michael McCormack Riverina | Yes | |
Ken O'Dowd Flynn | Yes | |
Keith Pitt Hinkler | Yes | |
Warren Truss Wide Bay | Yes | |
Clive Palmer Fairfax Palmer United Party | Absent | |
Bronwyn Bishop Mackellar Speaker | Absent | |
Totals (89% turnout) | 83 Yes – 50 No |
Turnout is the percentage of members eligible to vote that did vote.