With the economy floundering, wages stagnant, and Australia still in a per-capita recession, now is the time for the Government to invest in infrastructure to get our economy back on track.
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This is a view shared by the Governor of the RBA, states and business groups who have urged the Prime Minister to bring forward his infrastructure promises from the never never to stimulate Australia's floundering economy.
Just this week business leader Tony Shepherd - the architect of the Liberals' own Commission of Audit - has also called on Prime Minister Morrison to invest urgently in infrastructure maintenance.
With so many pointing to the need to invest in infrastructure, why won't Prime Minister Morrison listen?
Over their first five budgets, the Liberals delivered $5.1 billion less for infrastructure than they promised.
The 2019 Budget continued this shocking record, with big promises on the never never and just a fraction of the needed investment budgeted. According to the Government's own Budget Papers, more than 70 per cent of the "new" funding announced in the Budget will not flow for at least another four years.
In our own region, the $14 million project to bring Ballarat Airport into the 21st century remains a priority.
Investing at Ballarat Airport to expand the main runway's length to at least 1,800 metres will not only deliver a boost to the economy, but will also give our city a significant, long-term infrastructure asset.
This expansion will be the first step towards developing Ballarat Airport into a facility appropriate for a growing regional city.
While such an investment won't turn our airport into a major hub, it will allow for an expanded emergency services hub, protecting our region and all of western Victoria from bushfires and other natural disasters.
The expansion of the runway at Ballarat Airport will also allow aircraft, such as the Dash 8 and SAAB-340, to fly in and out of Ballarat, encouraging further economic development across our region.
It is time for the Government to stop playing games and invest in the urgent infrastructure needs of Ballarat and our region to get our economy back on track.
Catherine King is the federal member for Ballarat and Opposition spokesperson for Infrastructure
