Ms MARTIN - 1999-06-02
The minister knows Kim Beazley pledged up to $300m to the rail …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Calm down boys - if it was needed. Does the minister expect Prime Minister Howard to do the same today?
ANSWER
I will be brief because this is an old argument that’s been around for some time. In fact Mr Beazley said there is $100m for the railway, that he would match the Commonwealth, and there was $200m available if it was needed. Now, neither the Leader of the Opposition or the Prime Minister of Australia are stupid. They didn’t want to get laughed out of the place by putting $200m or $300m on the table if it wasn’t needed. That’s really the basic strategy. You can ring up Mr Beazley and I’m sure he’ll confirm that with you and also with Prime Minister Howard.
So we had to get to the stage we are at today, where we have a bid that can be seriously assessed just to see the amount of capital grant required for the project. And that’s why Kim Beazley said $100m and there is $200m if it’s needed. He really has just matched John Howard’s $100m offer.
But I take up the retorts from my colleagues on this side of the House. There were 13 years in which the Labor party could have built this railway if they really wanted to do it and we all remember the television ads: ‘Only a Hawke government can be trusted to build the railway’.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr COULTER: You didn’t move very far from that particular point in time. There were 13 years in which Labor could have built this railway had they wanted to, and they chose not to.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order!
Ms MARTIN: Calm down boys - if it was needed. Does the minister expect Prime Minister Howard to do the same today?
ANSWER
I will be brief because this is an old argument that’s been around for some time. In fact Mr Beazley said there is $100m for the railway, that he would match the Commonwealth, and there was $200m available if it was needed. Now, neither the Leader of the Opposition or the Prime Minister of Australia are stupid. They didn’t want to get laughed out of the place by putting $200m or $300m on the table if it wasn’t needed. That’s really the basic strategy. You can ring up Mr Beazley and I’m sure he’ll confirm that with you and also with Prime Minister Howard.
So we had to get to the stage we are at today, where we have a bid that can be seriously assessed just to see the amount of capital grant required for the project. And that’s why Kim Beazley said $100m and there is $200m if it’s needed. He really has just matched John Howard’s $100m offer.
But I take up the retorts from my colleagues on this side of the House. There were 13 years in which the Labor party could have built this railway if they really wanted to do it and we all remember the television ads: ‘Only a Hawke government can be trusted to build the railway’.
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! Order!
Mr COULTER: You didn’t move very far from that particular point in time. There were 13 years in which Labor could have built this railway had they wanted to, and they chose not to.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016