PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS
Mr GOSLING (Solomon) (12:40): As my good friend the member for Lingiari said, there is enormous potential for economic growth and social development across the Northern Territory, and it will be to the benefit of the whole nation. But potential in and of itself doesn't create jobs; investment does, and that's what our government is committed to: building the north and building Australia's future by investing in the infrastructure that Australians need and deserve.
As of the budget of 2026-27, the total Australian government commitment to the Northern Territory under the IIP over the next 10 years is $2.8 billion—with a B—including $2.4 billion towards major road and rail projects, over $340 million for smaller projects and programs such as Roads to Recovery, safer local roads and infrastructure and the Black Spot Program.
These infrastructure investments are delivering nationally significant projects for the territory that provide jobs, boost the economy and improve the lives of locals. This funding will make NT roads and transport networks safer, stronger and more efficient. Through the 2026-27 budget, the Australian government committed $24 million towards upgrading the two intersections in my electorate of Bagot Road with Fitzer Drive, which is a very dangerous intersection, and also Totem Road with Osgood Drive on Bagot Road, to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and, most importantly, enhance safety.
The Australian government is making a substantial investment in the NT transport network, with major commitments across nationally significant freight corridors, remote access roads and regional connections. This includes but is not limited to the Tanami Road, the Central Arnhem Road, the Carpentaria Highway, the Outback Way, the Buntine Highway and priority sections of the Stuart, Victoria, and Barkly Highways.
When complete, these investments will improve safety, reliability and resilience across the territory's road network, supporting communities, industry and tourism. The Australian government is investing in these priority upgrades in the NT that will also support population growth, freight efficiency and safer travel. A key federal Labor commitment is $200 million to duplicate priority sections of the Stuart Highway between Darwin and Katherine.
So that's road upgrades to our Stuart Highway. But we are still waiting for the CLP NT government to give us their plan. They have got to give us the plan about what they intend to do.
That money is there, waiting to make the Stuart Highway better and safer. But, meanwhile, territory businesses and territory workforce just wait for the territory government to do their job. Those opposite, the coalition, spent years announcing projects that didn't have any funding attached.
They had no timelines and no delivery plan, neglecting the regions, like the Northern Territory. The Liberals, Nationals and One Nation have no plans and no vision for regional Australia, and, for too long, they neglected to invest in essential road upgrades and maintenance that now our government, the federal Labor government, are funding. Again, if only in the Northern Territory, we had a Northern Territory government that was getting after the job of making those roads better and safer.
It was a coalition government that, in 2013, froze road maintenance funding for national highways. Our government's doing exactly the opposite. We have reversed that freeze and we continue to fix the mess of uncosted and unsustainable projects that they left behind.
Under the infrastructure investment pipeline, our government is investing in nationally significant infrastructure projects that provide jobs, boost the economy and provide an improvement and an upscaling of the standard of living that people can enjoy in regional Australia. We know that's important, that we need to keep our country moving, and that's the way to do it: by investing in road infrastructure.
It's good for the economy. It's good for people who live in regional Australia. And it's good for people who live in the Northern Territory, which is what I'm most passionate about, and that's what we're focused on.