12-December-2008
Portfolio Media Releases, Infrastructure, Funding
The Coalition supports any funding for quality infrastructure projects.
Today’s announcement by the Rudd Government is made up almost entirely of road and rail projects that were initiated and supported by the former Coalition Government.
Many of them have been thoroughly considered over a number of years.
“We believe this approach to infrastructure spending is a much more sensible and appropriate method than Mr Rudd’s announcement a few months ago at COAG to rush the $12.6 billion Building Australia Fund out the door without proper planning and assessment,” said the Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, the Hon. Andrew Robb AO MP.
“Mr Rudd is now funding his infrastructure plans from the Coalition’s surplus and using it to fund Coalition projects.”
“While the old saying was that Australia was built on the sheep’s back, when it comes to Mr Rudd’s nation building plans they seem to be built on the back of the Howard Government!”
“Before the last election, Mr Rudd made claims in a number of areas that he would do more than the Howard Government – everything from whaling to emissions targets to a Department of Homeland Security,” said Mr Robb.
“Yet just like all of those promises, Mr Rudd’s promise a few months ago to rush the outlay of the Building Australia Fund to the states was again just a headline grabber that he has had to back off from.
“The Coalition supports infrastructure spending as long as it is well considered and transparent.”
Media Contact: Stuart Eaton, 0433 298 620