SOUTH ROAD UPGRADE

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure. When will the promise to provide $500 million towards an upgrade of South Road from the Port River Expressway to the Southern Expressway be delivered? In a media release on 19 February 2009, federal minister Albanese said:

The Australian government will provide $500 million in funding between now and 2014 towards construction of South Road flyovers; at major bottlenecks at Grand Junction Road, Cormack Road and Wingfield railway line; and Sturt Road.

However, in Tuesday's federal budget there was no mention of that funding.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Energy) (14:13): It was most alert of the Leader of the Opposition to notice that it was not in the budget. It was a little less alert to have failed to notice that it was a deal signed some months ago. If you know anything about the funding, the AusLink funding is already factored into the budget. The announcements that came in the budget were the Infrastructure Australia ones. What he is talking about is—I cannot remember what they call it now, but it is the old AusLink program. That is a deal we signed with Anthony Albanese.

I seem to remember Anthony Albanese doing a press conference one Sunday morning. He did it with the other leader of the opposition, and that was amusing too, as I recall. He was out in that true opposition leader style opening a project that he had voted against in his own chamber. So, very shrewdly observed, but it would have helped you if you had also observed that we had already—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The funding is committed.

Ms Chapman: When?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: It was committed some time—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: You are embarrassed. You have asked an embarrassing question. Do not make it more tedious with your interjections. The funding is already committed; that is why it was not a highlight—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: If I understand the Leader of the Opposition, having been embarrassed by asking a dumb question, he is now suggesting that I am misleading people and we do not really have the $500 million. Get real! About the only capacity the Leader of the Opposition has is a great capacity to endure his own embarrassment, because having been embarrassed by asking a question that someone on that side should have known the answer to—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Here we go! We've got the mouth from the deep south going now. No doubt as soon as we say, 'It's already funded,' we'll get some—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order!

The SPEAKER: Point of order. The deputy leader.

Ms CHAPMAN: The minister is debating. The question was not whether something was in the budget. The question was: when will it be delivered? It is very simple, and the minister is debating.

The SPEAKER: Order, the deputy leader! The minister has answered the question. The member for Ashford.