Senator Joyce welcomes Mr Rudd’s agreement today with his statement on the 23rd of September, in which Senator Joyce said, “We have a $21 billion surplus sitting out there for infrastructure funds, let's start nominating exactly what we're going to do with it.”

Senator Joyce said today, "Mr Rudd must take immediate action to earmark the fast tracking of true national infrastructure issues such as the Inland Railway from Gladstone to Melbourne; the construction and expansion of Australian port facilities; the construction of direct rail interconnectivity from Brisbane through the coal fields of Queensland to iron ore ports in the hub of Western Australia; and the development of a strong bio-renewable fuel project to mitigate the export of Australian wealth.

"These issues increase the income and potential volume of our exports, reduce fundamental costs across our nation and develop strategies to curtail the wholesale export of wealth that an imported oil-based economy causes."

"Now is the time to be looking at such projects," Senator Joyce said.

"The danger for Australia is the feeding of the recessionary flame by extra taxation imposts, such as the emissions trading scheme which would further stifle our economic investment window and flow right back to main street as the downturn tips the economy upside down and puts sections of the mortgage belt out of their house and onto the street."

Ends