Question Time

TRAMLINE EXTENSIONS

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:15): My question is to the Premier. Does he know how much his proposed tram extensions to Semaphore, Port Adelaide and West Lakes will cost? The Premier promised in his budget in June 2008 that he would build trams to West Lakes, Semaphore and Port Adelaide, which were described as 'coast to coast trams'. No costings were provided in the budget papers and none have since been provided.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (14:16): Yes, I am the Treasurer; I am in charge of the finances. All of the government's electrification and extension plans for rail and tram are fully costed.

Ms Chapman: How much?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: We have announced a global number.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I am happy to give an answer but it is very difficult if they choose to interject every time I try to give a constructive answer. We have put a global number out. We have costed all the lines but, as we said in the budget and have said repeatedly, the Outer Harbor extension is in the out years. They are beyond the forward estimates. No government, since budgets have been produced, have produced budget numbers beyond the four-year rolling forward estimates. You never did when you were in government and it—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for MacKillop is warned.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Absolutely provided for.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have already warned the member for MacKillop.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: For members opposite who do not understand the budget process, which is very clear, given the incredible path to bankruptcy outlined by the Leader of the Opposition yesterday, we have a four-year rolling program of forward estimates. As the fourth year comes into the—

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: How long has that being going on?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: For as long as I can recall: 20 or 30 years. I do not know how long, certainly the eight years of the Liberal government. The extensions to Outer Harbor and West Lakes are beyond the forward estimates. They are in the budget numbers. Treasury have them in the data that they hold, in terms of beyond the forward estimates, as does the department for transport. To further confirm that, when we have gone to Infrastructure Australia (IA), where we have asked for more money and for a bring forward, we have had to give all of that information to Infrastructure Australia.

I will have more to say on this a little later in question time. We have committed this state to—what is he laughing about? It is in there. Are you going to scrap that to fund your path to bankruptcy? Here we are being asked to justify whether or not we have money in our forward estimates when Mr Bankrupt over here walks out into the media and says, 'I've got this plan. I don't know what it's going to cost. I don't know how we're going to pay for it. I don't know who's paying for it but we can do it.' I will have more to say on that matter a little later.