SENATOR KRISTINA KENEALLY
DEPUTY LABOR LEADER IN THE SENATE
SHADOW MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
SHADOW MINISTER FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY
SENATOR FOR NEW SOUTH WALES
ANDREW GILES MP
ACTING SHADOW MINISTER FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT
SHADOW MINISTER FOR MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CITIES AND URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE
SHADOW MINISTER ASSISTING FOR IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP
MEMBER FOR SCULLIN
The Australian National Audit Office’s report into the Morrison Government’s trouble-plagued Commuter Car Park program has uncovered ineligible projects, rampant under-delivery, the political targeting of projects and secret spreadsheets shared between the then-Minister Tudge and the Prime Minister’s Office.
This inquiry, launched following a referral from Labor, once again underlines everything that is wrong with the Morrison Government’s infrastructure program.
The findings of this inquiry are truly shocking. They include:
- 87 per cent of funded projects being in Coalition-held or targeted electorates,
- None of the 47 project sites selected being proposed by the department,
- A project selection process that included canvassing projects with Liberal MPs, duty senators and candidates,
- 10 commuter car parks not even attached to a train station,
- At least one ineligible project being selected for funding, and;
- Only two car parks have actually been completed.
Most damningly, this rorting goes right to the top with the Minister’s office advising the Department that they would “go through the spreadsheets with the Prime Minister’s Office” ahead of a meeting between the then-Minister for Urban Infrastructure and the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister needs to urgently explain what went on in that meeting and release the spreadsheets shared with his office.
And if Minister Tudge cannot adequately explain his part in this appallingly partisan abuse of due process, he should resign.
We’ve had Sports Rorts, Building Better Regions Rorts, female change room rorts, and now we’ve got car park rorts.
There isn’t a single fund that this Government is not determined to rort.
The Commuter Car Park fund is a component of the Urban Congestion Fund – a $4.8 billion program that has in total delivered 83 per cent of its funding to Coalition-held and targeted seats.
This is Sports Rorts on an industrial scale.
Labor will continue pursuing the Government to get the answers that Australian taxpayers deserve. And in Government, and Albanese-led Labor team would actually build productivity-boosting infrastructure we so badly need.