Mr BRIGGS (Mayo—Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development) (15:24): I love September. September is the time of footy finals. This weekend the AFL footy finals begin and there will be some fantastic games. There will be a terrific game at Adelaide Oval on Sunday with Port Adelaide versus Richmond. Mr Albanese interjecting— Mr BRIGGS: I'm coming to you, Son! That will be a cracker at the great Adelaide Oval on Saturday. My Mighty Blues did not make the finals this year, unfortunately. There are, of course. local footy finals on, too, and the SANFL finals in South Australia. We will see the Mighty Double Blues this weekend playing against South on Saturday at Adelaide Ovals also. What happens at footy finals time, at the end of the season in September, is that many of the players on the sides who do make the finals—many who have been around and some have been absolute stars of the game, some have been dominant forces for over a decade—think about whether it is time to go on. They think about whether their body can handle another pre-season, whether their capacities can keep up to the modern standard of the game, whether they are able to make the effort yet again to push and get through to the start of another season and battle up, particularly if their side is not likely to make the finals for some time. They think to themselves, 'It might be time I retired, before it becomes really sad, that I am nowhere near the player I once was when I was the dominant play for a decade, maybe it's time that I retire. Maybe it's time to give someone else a go. Maybe it's time to think whether it is worth spending more time at home, away from the hard yards of the training track. Maybe it's time to retire. Maybe I can't do it again.' For people who are looking at this pre-season and thinking about it, if their side is not likely to make the final next year, the draft picks will not home, that they might go home over this break and think to themselves, 'Can I go on again?' The reality is, some players just lose it. That happens in politics, too, would you believe. There is a parallel with politics. There are people in politics who did at one time contribute substantially to the national debate. At times they contribute to the national debate in a substantial way. In fact, they tried to save a government. There were some reflections in a recent book by Paul Kelly which talked about some advice which was given on a certain night in June, advice which should have been followed. He was a very smart political operator who understood that what the factions were doing that night would destroy two Prime Ministers—I think that is the exact quote. That was a time for a former senior player to think about whether it is time to retire. We see the complaints desk on the other side, those who cannot bring themselves to accept the fact that the government changed 12 months ago, that they cannot handle the fact that a new government is getting on and delivering on infrastructure across the board when it comes to government. They really need to start to think about whether it is time to give another young, up-and-coming player the chance to have a go. All we just heard from the member for Grayndler was from someone who has refused to accept the reality of what happened 12 months ago. We know the anger. We heard the screaming just then and all the anger coming through. We have heard the anger today where he is yelling at business leaders, 'You're too bloody polite.' We have heard about the phone calls to industry associations after the budget when they praised the government's infrastructure agenda, criticising them heavily about what they had said publicly about the infrastructure commitments made by this government. The reality is the opposition have put themselves outside the mainstream debate. They are no longer relevant. It is absolutely clear that the Labor Party continues to take the tactical advice from geniuses like the member for Batman who put themselves completely outside the debate. An opposition member interjecting— Mr BRIGGS: You are the guy who refused Anthony's advice on the end of June 2010. You are the one who avoided Anthony's advice so let's go back to what Paul Kelly wrote this week. Ms Bird: Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise on a point of order. The assistant minister, having come to the front bench, should know that he has to direct comments through you, that you have been doing none of the things he has been accusing you of, and he should refer to people by their titles. The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I thank the member for Cunningham for her advice. The assistant minister should of course refer his remarks through the chair. Mr BRIGGS: What this government has done in 12 months is get on and deliver infrastructure for the 21st century, across the country. In the budget, there is a $50 billion commitment to infrastructure—new projects across the country that will drive jobs growth, that will drive productivity growth, that will ensure that we have a stronger economy. We have talked about many of them today. WestConnex stage 1, which we committed to in the election, is moving on at a rapid pace, and serious construction work will get underway soon. That is another project that the member for Grayndler is obviously opposed to. Mr Albanese interjecting— Mr BRIGGS: Because we are going through a proper process, Member for Grayndler, to ensure we get the best outcome. We brought WestConnex stage 2 forward by 18 months, with the use of the first ever federal government concessional loan. That is another project that will get underway in a real hurry. Serious construction will be underway next year. This opposition has made itself so irrelevant to the debate. It is now opposed to all these projects across the cities. We will make it very clear to people in these cities that the opposition is opposed to the East West Link, that it is opposed to WestConnex. We have members from Victoria nodding their heads in furious agreement that they are opposed to the east-west project. When the Victorian government signs contracts in the coming weeks, they will know— Opposition members interjecting— Mr BRIGGS: Yes, they will. Don't you worry about that. They will sign contracts in the coming weeks and they will ensure that we have a fantastic outcome for the city of Melbourne, lifting productivity, lifting outcomes. Mr Giles interjecting— The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Mr Craig Kelly ): Order! The member for Scullin should be aware that, if he wants to interject, he should be in his place. Mr BRIGGS: This opposition has put itself so far out of the debate it is not funny. In addition to that, we have had a Productivity Commission review into public infrastructure which found that the infrastructure system that this government was left with was broken. The best example of how it was broken is the NBN. The Productivity Commission goes through, comprehensively, what a disastrous series of decisions were made by the former government when it came to the NBN and the amount of waste that has been revealed by the Minister for Communications when it comes to that policy. We are getting on with delivering on our commitments. We said we would build infrastructure, and we are getting on and delivering on infrastructure. We said we would stop the boats, and the boats have all but stopped. Mr Snowdon interjecting— Mr BRIGGS: We said we would fix the budget, and we are well underway, Member for Lingiari, with fixing the budget. It is breaking their hearts. It happens to all oppositions, but they have realised this week—after a year—'Hooley dooley; we're in opposition. The reality is: we're irrelevant.' Mr Conroy: Not for long if you're in charge! Mr BRIGGS: The member for Charlton says, 'Not for long.' We will see. If you continue to behave as you do as an opposition now, you will be in opposition for a very long time. The reality is, we have got on. We have stopped the boats from arriving, and the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection is to be given enormous credit for the work that he has done. He was told by those on the other side that you could not do it. Those on the other side, who broke the system in the first place, said: 'You can't do it. You can't stop the boats. What they're saying won't happen.' And we have delivered it. We said we would fix the budget. We are working through our way fixing the budget. We have abolished the carbon tax, even though those on the other side desperately want to bring it back. And this week we delivered upon abolishing the mining tax as well. We are getting on and delivering infrastructure across the country. We are creating jobs. We are building a stronger Australia. What we will continue to hear from those who want to call names, who want to yell out, who want to try and knock everything, is complete opposition. A couple of weeks ago the member for Grayndler said in a speech that, if the Labor Party is elected at the next election, he wants to put more money into public transport projects. Well, he is going to have to tell us which projects are going to go, which taxes are going to rise or how much more they are going to borrow.