Mr BILLSON (2:33 PM) —My question, and that of my colleagues from Aston and Deakin, is addressed to the Acting Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services. Is the Acting Prime Minister aware of recent statements by the Victorian government regarding the proposed Scoresby Freeway? Did Victoria consult the Commonwealth government on these major announcements? Would he also advise the House how these latest developments will affect the federal government's commitment to the Scoresby Freeway project?

Mr ANDERSON (Minister for Transport and Regional Services) —I thank the honourable member and note his very real interest in this matter. We do believe indeed that the Scoresby Freeway is a vitally important project for the development of Victoria. I can see people in the gallery who plainly want it to happen. We want it to happen as well. It is good to see some Victorians here. That is why we put serious money on the table for this project, including $68 million for this financial year to kick it off, and that is on the table now. I record my very real disappointment that we are not going to be able to spend our $68 million this year.

The honourable member has asked whether we had been kept up to date by Victoria on what was happening. I have to say that that is a good question. I had to write to the Victorian government twice, asking for a copy of the business case. Last Friday, six months after it was originally due, my department was finally briefed on the Victorian business case. I have to say we still only have part of it. But they told us at that time that they were considering combining the state contribution not for Scoresby alone but for two projects, Scoresby and the Eastern Freeway extension, together into a private partnership. At the same time, they reassured us that they would be kept separate for the purposes of us and our commitment.

Something must have happened over the weekend because yesterday the Victorian transport minister announced their intention to combine the Eastern Freeway extension into the Scoresby development. Not only that, in what I think would have to be described as a very transparent move, they renamed the project without consulting us. They renamed it after two marginal Victorian seats. There you go: if that is not opportunism, I do not know what is.

But there are some serious problems with this. By rolling the Eastern Freeway project into the Scoresby Freeway, regrettably construction will not begin on either project—remember, we do not construct these things; Victoria does—until mid 2004, two years away. That is two years after we were told construction would begin, when we have our money on the table. We want to see bulldozers on the ground working and that is what we have put our money up for. This is just another excuse, it seems to us, for Victoria not to put its money up. That is a real concern. The honourable member asked me how this development would affect the Commonwealth's commitment. I just want to say that we remain committed to the original project, despite the incompetence of the Bracks Labor government.

Let us work through a couple of other issues. Less than 12 months ago, we were told that the Scoresby Freeway would cost $890 million. Now we are told it will cost $1.4 billion. That is a more than 50 per cent increase. The question needs to be asked: how can we trust these figures when the goalposts keep moving on us? I know that the members for Deakin, Aston, La Trobe and Dunkley, not to mention other people in Victoria, want this project delivered. They want it under way. I have to pose the question as to whether the Leader of the Opposition has been doing his job and having a quiet word to his cronies in Victoria, because he lives very near them: `Just get on with it, Steve. You look a bit as though you can't deliver, Steve.'

Ironically, and in conclusion, I note that this announcement has come at the same time that the Bracks government has been running self-congratulatory advertisements on television in Victoria, telling people how the state is doing so much in building infrastructure. The ad says: `The Scoresby Freeway is a huge incentive. It will save heaps of travel time. Faster access to the port, Melbourne airport and the Hume. You can't get better infrastructure than this.' The ad should say: `You can't get better infrastructure than this because Steve Bracks is a ditherer and can't make a decision.'

The SPEAKER —Order! I warn the member for McMillan!

Mr ANDERSON —That is what it ought to say. If Steve Bracks cannot make a decision, he ought to move aside for someone who can and who can get on with this project.