LATEST INFRASTRUCTURE ANNOUNCEMENT MUST DELIVER

Scott Morrison’s latest announcement sees him join his predecessors in making big promises when it comes to infrastructure, now he needs to deliver to get our economy back on track.

Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull both wanted to be remembered as infrastructure prime ministers, but they delivered nothing but empty promises.

There’s no doubt that Australia’s economy is crying out for investment, but the Prime Minister has a long way to go before he can prove to Australians that he offers anything more than simply reheated copies of his predecessors’ yet to be delivered promises.

Too much of today’s announcement is based on busting red tape on already funded projects like inland rail, when in reality spending on new or accelerated projects will be far more modest.

The Prime Minister today told us he’d have more to say regarding specific projects over the coming days, it is essential that these projects drive recovery across the country and aren’t simply targeted at Coalition seats.

Even before this crisis, Labor, senior economists, industry leaders, state governments and the RBA were calling on Scott Morrison to invest in Australia’s infrastructure to get our struggling economy back on track.

RBA Governor Philip Lowe has called on the Government to lift investment in infrastructure on at least 20 separate occasions. Hopefully, this is the time that the Government finally listens.

This Government is great at the press release, but too often it has delivered nothing but disappointment.

MONDAY, 15 JUNE 2020