SOUTH ROAD UPGRADE

Dr McFETRIDGE (Morphett) (15:23): Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Dr McFETRIDGE: My question is to the Minister for Transport. Has the $300 million South Road/Port Road/Grange Road underpass project been scrapped and replaced by a $28 million road widening project? The 2006-07 budget papers show that $28 million is to be spent on the reconstruction and upgrade of South Road, between Grange Road and Torrens Road, to allow South Road traffic to continue uninterrupted past the Grange Road-Manton Street intersection, the Port Road intersection and the Outer Harbor corridor.

In evidence given to the Budget and Finance Committee on 8 October 2007, Rod Hook stated that the $28 million is being used for property acquisition. At the same meeting, Mr Hallion stated that, 'It is a road widening project.' When referring to the Port Road underpass project, Mr Hook, 'We are unlikely to progress much further on any design works, concept design work or engineering design work.'

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (15:24): The question (although the explanation did not bear any great relationship to it) was: have we abandoned the South Road/Grange Road underpass work? No, definitely not. I cannot imagine what would lead you to that conclusion. In fact, I would go so far as to say that, if the opposition spokesperson had paid any attention to what was going on in the federal election, he would have found that not only have we committed to those future works but, as a result of a campaign that we ran with the major lobby groups in South Australia—the freight council, the RAA, SARTA, the Committee for Adelaide Roads—we have a commitment from the federal Liberal government and the federal Labor opposition to become our partners in fixing the north-south corridor. Both have referred to committing a billion dollars with us for the project. I have to say, those are not the circumstances when you stop doing something.

This was one of the most successful joint lobbying campaigns ever undertaken. It was done even with the begrudging support of the Leader of the Opposition and, believe me, it was very begrudged. But, the truth is that we are now in a position where we will have a very significant partner in those works. So, far from it being the case that we have abandoned them, I would have thought that we should be congratulated on that achievement, for tackling a problem that your government, of course, never went near because it was much too difficult. I got an interesting email the other day about the tram project. It said, 'Thank God, it wasn't built by the Liberal government; it would have gone one way in the morning in a different way in the evening.' It was very good.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The interjection, 'If we had a Treasurer that could manage a budget'—with six surpluses in a row against nine deficits in a row. Six surpluses against nine deficits, and they want to compare budgets! The truth is that, not only are we committed to the north-south corridor, there are also processes of road widening in it. The member for Morphett's question was as notoriously difficult to understand as they always are. I will try to discern what his true meaning was, but there are undoubtedly roadworks in the north-south corridor. We will have a big partner in the commonwealth, and there are road widening works on South Road as well, some of which I know have the enthusiastic support of the member for Croydon, who is the local member. I will try to discern a meaning from the member's question and bring some detail back for you.