MEMBER for Riverina Michael McCormack has rejected suggestions by Labor the government is dragging the chain on building the inland rail link between Brisbane and Melbourne.
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Last week, Shadow Infrastructure and Transport Minister Anthony Albanese issued a statement that suggested, based on figures supplied to a Senate Budget Estimates hearing last week, progress was stalling on the rail link, which will pass through the Riverina.
"Based on Senate Estimates evidence about (Prime Minister Tony) Abbott's expectation that he will spend $11.3 million this financial year, it is clear that if Labor was still in office, inland rail would be further advanced than it is now," the statement said.
Mr McCormack, however, stressed the importance of laying the groundwork for the project properly, to ensure it doesn't hit any hurdles down the line.
"You've just simply got to get it right - we know inland rail is a project we have to get right and (Deputy Prime Minister) Warren Truss said recently, 'we need it sooner rather than later'," he said.
"It's better to get it right and do the necessary groundwork now, than get it delayed later on because you didn't do the preliminary work in the right detail."
Questioning Mr Albanese's track record on dealing with regional issues, Mr McCormack took a swipe at the Labor frontbencher for being out of touch on affairs beyond the nation's metropolitan areas.
"This is the same bloke who just last month suggested that 80 per cent of Australia's GDP comes from the cities," Mr McCormack said.
"That's just not right."
