Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has reached absurd levels of hypocrisy by congratulating himself for the restoration of $40 million in local road grants which he himself voted to cut in 2014.
In Question Time today Mr Pyne said he and other South Australian Liberal MPs had fought hard for $40 million in supplementary roads funding for South Australia in Tuesday’s Budget.
Mr Pyne boasted that the decision was “a big win’’ for South Australia.
What Mr Pyne failed to mention was that the funding boost simply reversed cuts that he and his colleagues voted for in the disastrous 2014 Budget.
The brutal truth about Budget 2017 is that it did not provide a dollar of funding for any new infrastructure projects in SA.
In particular, the Government ignored the much-needed AdeLINK light rail project, which would ease the traffic congestion that is acting as a hand brake on SA’s economic growth.
The people of Adelaide deserve new tram lines, not lines a speech.
No wonder the Civil Contractors Federation of SA today attacked the Turnbull Government for offering SA “ a pittance’’ on infrastructure and warned the Liberal Party to expect a backlash in next year’s State election.