CATHERINE KING – MEDIA RELEASE – ANOTHER EMPTY ANNOUNCEMENT FROM A GOVERNMENT THAT CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THEM – MONDAY, 10 MAY 2021

Today’s infrastructure announcements are the latest in a long line of overhyped promises from a government that loves nothing more than making commitments they will never deliver.

The Morrison Government averages an infrastructure underspend of $1.2 billion a year. In the last financial year alone they underspent their promises by $1.7 billion.

Which projects announced or re-announced today will join the many others over the years that have fallen by the wayside?

Already this morning, the Deputy Prime Minister has failed to answer when projects will begin, when money will start to flow and how the Morrison Government will ensure that these latest announcements aren’t plagued by the same underspends which have typified their previous promises.

There are also questions about which projects are new and which are simply covering up overspends on previous rounds of big announcements. For example, an extra $90 million announced today to cover overspends in the chaotic Commuter Carpark Program.

What Australians need is real infrastructure delivery that boosts productivity, reduces congestion and improves public transport across our cities and our regions. That isn’t what we’re getting from the Morrison Government, but it is exactly what Labor would deliver in government – as we have before.

Labor has a proud record on Infrastructure.  We established the nation’s first ever Minister for Infrastructure when Anthony Albanese took on the position in 2007. 

We will continue to detail our policy offering before the next election but Australians know we are on their side when it comes to making the right investments that deliver long term benefits for people in every part of Australia.   

MONDAY, 10 MAY 2021