Ms McBAIN (Eden-Monaro—Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories) (15:23): The Australian people do deserve better, 100 per cent, and they voted for better in May 2022. What they voted for was transparency and a government focused on doing more than talking—on delivering. We on this side of the House don't need to issue a thousand press releases or say the word 'infrastructure' to actually focus on it. All those opposite did—frequently—were press releases. That's all they still do. I've had the shadow Treasurer, the shadow energy minister and the shadow veterans affairs minister issuing press releases in my electorate that have absolutely nothing to do with Eden-Monaro. I find it interesting that that is still their shtick: press release, press release, radio grab, defer, delay, deny—all of that. In the nine years of your government, you added so much to the infrastructure pipeline, but you forgot that you actually have to do more than just add some projects and do a press release and a 30-second radio grab, because none of those things actually work. None of those things actually get us things in our electorates. What you did was deny communities what they had come to expect. You said, 'We will deliver you this,' and each and every time what happened was there was not enough money put towards it. You mishandled transport and infrastructure policy. Communities were left with projects that weren't properly funded. The real benefits to communities were not approved. You left the pipeline clogged with delays and overruns, and nation-building projects didn't go ahead. There were so many projects committed to that you never had enough money to fund them. Communities rightly expected that they were going to get something, and they didn't. But we all know that the infrastructure pipeline was very much clogged with a spreadsheet that was colour coded, and there was no fairness or transparency in it. Mr Chester: You don't have to use your whole 10 minutes. Ms McBAIN: Thank you very much, Member for Gippsland, but I will use my whole 10 minutes because that's my right in this chamber and I'm elected to speak here, so I shall do that. There is a new approach to the funding and delivery of infrastructure projects by this government. We are not going to pull out the tired, colour coded spreadsheet and deny members of our communities things because they don't have a particular member of government. We saw the pipeline blow out from 150 to 800 projects, but no additional dollars were put towards it. Decisions of the previous government were all pork-barrelling—commuter car parks, sports rorts and the entire list goes on. It was the same strategy over and over again: underfunding, mismanagement, poor delivery. The Inland Rail project is a joke. You ignored the advice on robodebt. You left funding holes across essential public services. So lectures from those opposite about mismanagement are ridiculous, to say the least. The Albanese government is focused on delivering transformational transport and infrastructure in this country. Our government's investment in the 2032 Brisbane Olympics and Paralympics will leave a legacy for all Australians long after the closing ceremony. The Suburban Rail Loop is a once-in-a-generation infrastructure project which will transform how Victorians move around the state and will reshape the way Victoria grows. We're investing in projects that deliver resilience right across the country, such as sealing the Tanami, which will contribute to flood immunity, among other benefits. The new Richmond Bridge project in New South Wales will improve flood resilience, improve road safety for users and reduce congestion. The Kuranda Range Road upgrade in Queensland will improve road resilience and safety. And it it's not just in the cities; it's right across the country, in our regions, because we know how important they are for our economy. We are investing in a stronger, more resilient economy, which means more opportunities for business and more opportunities for skills, jobs and infrastructure that will deal with our changing needs. Our government is committing $672.7 million over seven years from 2022-23 and $1.9 billion in equity to implement a number of major enabling public infrastructure projects which will harness competitive advantages while providing diverse and improved employment opportunities across the country. There are investments in marine, logistic and green technologies in Darwin, Alice Springs, the Pilbara and the Port of Bundaberg, and there's $100 million to support the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter region to become hydrogen ready. Mr Joyce: The Nats did that. What are you talking about? Ms McBAIN: No, you didn't. Member for New England, you talked a lot; you didn't deliver much. You were committed to making sure that you were up at the top of the leadership chain and did so by undercutting other people. If that's your record in government and you're happy with it, that's fine. But, when you go out there and talk to people, they're not interested in the political power games you want to play in the Nationals party room. What they're interested in is government delivering for regional Australia, something you talked about but didn't actually do because you were too interested in your leadership games when you were over here. We are committed to investing, in partnership with regional communities. We want our communities to value what we help them deliver. We are improving livability across the regions. We're focused on responsible, deliverable programs and projects which will help our regions to grow their economies, to build skills and opportunity and to improve connections between and within the regions. And I have to say it again: it takes a Labor government to deliver regional communications—the largest investment in regional telecommunications and connectivity since the introduction of the NBN, which was also a Labor initiative. Who would have thought! Those opposite, who say they champion—'we're here for'—regional Australia, couldn't deliver regional telecommunications like people on this side can. It's absolutely ridiculous. We take a strategic and holistic approach to what we do across government, and we know that means more than just grants programs in our regions. We know it means delivering services, we know it means making sure people have access to skills and training and we know it means diversifying our local economies, and that's what we're focused on. The Regional Investment Framework will help our government realise the ambition of no-one held back and no-one left behind. It requires specific investment across all portfolios, not across one. Our regions and their economies are diverse. We want to back them. We want to back their unique strengths and challenges. We want to make sure that we are collaborating with them. We are doing things differently on this side of the House. On this side of the House, our Regional Precincts and Partnerships Program is now open, and we're going to work with local governments, state and territory governments, regional universities and not-for-profits. We want to make sure that we are utilising the expertise and the skills on the ground and delivering local priority projects, not projects that are thought of before an election campaign, to win votes. On this side of the House, our Growing Regions Program is helping our communities unlock some of the investment that they want to see in their communities. Every local council across the country is now eligible for a grants program, unlike what happened under those opposite. We are delivering more for this country than those opposite did. We are taking people's unique skills and putting them to work. We are making sure that the infrastructure pipeline can be delivered and does not have random things like someone's local roundabout in it. An election commitment of a local roundabout going in a nation-building infrastructure pipeline—it just seems ridiculous! We want every community to be able to fulfil their potential, and on this side of the House we can do that by investing in them directly. We're going to do so transparently and fairly. We don't need a colour-coded spreadsheet to make sure communities get their share of investment. Mr Chester: You just need red pens! Ms McBAIN: That's very interesting. We're delivering on the potential of our communities and making sure that we work collaboratively with them, with place based decision-making that draws on the experience of those communities. Alongside local governments and regional bodies, we want to make sure we're working to deliver the priority projects that they want. Our government, as I said, is delivering transparently, accountably and fairly, right across this country, whether it's in the regions or the cities. I am more than happy to take you through the numerous investments that this government will make, without a colour-coded spreadsheet, without the need for the carry-on or the pork-barrelling or all of the things that those opposite want to talk about but fail to deliver. Mr Chester: Name one project! Ms McBAIN: Give me some more press releases, guys, because we know that's what you're good at. We know that the thing that you guys weren't good at was the actual delivery part. On this side, in the government, we're delivering for the whole country. The DEPUTY SPEAKER ( Ms Claydon ): Before I call the member for Gippsland: in MPIs, I allow robust discussion, but I got pretty tired by the interjections in that debate. Mr Joyce: I won't interject to him! The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I don't know if I'd take your word for that, but I do want to remind you. And, Member for Gippsland, you encouraging interjections was not helpful recently either, so let's just try and listen to the debate.