Mr COULTON (Parkes—Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:53): I thank the member for Shortland for his contribution. In actual fact, he has just been a warm-up act for a National Party minister and, with a bit more practice, he might get there. I was going to comment that I feel that the member for Shortland should spend a little bit more time in his electorate and a bit less time in front of the TV. One of the advantages of being around here for a while is that you have a memory. I sat here through the entire time when the member for Grayndler was infrastructure minister, and I saw other ministers in that era that were responsible for government expenditure. Mr Hill: You didn't learn much! Mr COULTON: Well, I learnt one thing. I learnt that one of the biggest forms of infrastructure that was important for regional Australia was the Regional Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, and I remember sitting there while the member for Grayndler and others removed that and turned it into a $900 cash splash in 2008. It disappeared. There was not one mobile phone tower in two terms of government. I sat here in this place as I watched members spend money on infrastructure in schools—school halls that didn't fit the schools— Opposition members interjecting— Mr COULTON: I'm certainly against the spending of money that is not value for money. The member for Shortland talked about the time of rolling things out. It's because the coalition government does look at responsible spending of taxpayers' funds, not just rolling them out. But, if you want to have a look at real expenditure, have a look at the inland rail. The member for Grayndler spoke about it a lot. You can look at it now: there are railway lines lying along the side of the track, they are driving pegs into the ground and there is work. Mr Albanese: You haven't done anything. You haven't dug a hole yet. Mr COULTON: You should come and talk to some of my farmers who have railway lines coming through their place, member for Grayndler, and ask them if they think it's going ahead. It's going ahead all right. This is real infrastructure that's being rolled out, not just talked about. There's the completion of the duplication of the Pacific Highway and the relationship with New South Wales. The federal government, from my memory, reneged on their share of the expenditure. It took a coalition government to bring it up to 80 per cent funding of the Pacific Highway. There was the announcement last week of the bypass around Coffs Harbour—real spending. It's not only on inland rail, which runs across my electorate, but some is on infrastructure that has a great effect on communities. There is the $10 million that we're contributing to the Bourke abattoir—a small animals abattoir that will employ a couple of hundred local people in that western New South Wales town. There is the infrastructure spending going into the Dubbo airport at the moment—a large project in conjunction with the Dubbo council and the Flying Doctor Service to increase the capacity at that base, not only to service the people of western New South Wales through the Flying Doctor Service but also to help Dubbo grow as a regional hub for freight. So this government is getting on with proper spending and diligent management. It's not just talking about cash splashes and not actually getting the job done. There are practical things like the heavy vehicle bypass around Warialda that will get those large, high-mass vehicles out of the main street, stop a bottleneck that's dangerous and help productive farmers in the northern part of New South Wales and Queensland get to markets in a more efficient way, with cheaper freight and in safer measure. I find it quite incredible that the member for Grayndler would bring about this matter of public importance—the member who oversaw five years of incompetence. He had a great amount of cash lent to him by the Howard government and he squandered it. Mr Albanese: Go talk to your mayors. Mr COULTON: Member for Grayndler, you had your turn. I just sat there quietly and listened to your dribble. The other thing that the member for Grayndler did was in the way of funding things. There was the Roads to Recovery strategic fund. That was one of the first things removed. It's been replaced in this budget.