Ministerial Statement

SOUTH ROAD SUPERWAY

The Hon. M.D. RANN (Ramsay—Premier, Minister for Economic Development, Minister for Social Inclusion, Minister for the Arts, Minister for Sustainability and Climate Change) (14:00): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Today I joined Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Energy and the federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in announcing the South Road Superway. The superway will connect from the Port River Expressway to Regency Road, reducing travel times by up to seven minutes and improving safety for the up to 45,000 vehicles that currently use this section of the road every day.

It will also improve productivity for the 17 per cent of vehicles using the road that carry freight, including B-doubles and freight trains, by linking Adelaide's industrial precinct, the Adelaide Airport, the Islington rail terminal, Port Adelaide and Outer Harbor. The project will include:

a 2.8 kilometre road bridge elevated 10 metres above the existing road between Wing Street and Taminga Street;

grade separation over four signalised intersections and one railway crossing;

modifications to the 1.7 kilometre section of South Road between Taminga Street and Regency Road; and

upgrades to the local road system, including Naweena Road and Hanson Road between Grand Junction Road and Cormack Road.

The South Road Superway will form the backbone of a dedicated north-south transport corridor for Adelaide and come in addition to the Gallipoli Underpass and the Glenelg Tram Overpass. A planned study for the South Road upgrade at Darlington is now also underway.

The federal government has committed $500 million to South Road as part of a $2.5 billion investment in South Australian transport and the state government has committed $430 million to the upgrading of South Road. Advance construction on local roads is expected to commence in March 2010. The South Road Superway is expected to be opened to traffic in late 2013.

Today's announcement is another example of the strong relationship we have with the commonwealth government. Together we are rolling out the biggest infrastructure partnership since Federation. We are investing record amounts on infrastructure for the future that will also create thousands of jobs.

Members opposite can oppose record expenditure on infrastructure and roads if they like. What we are doing is getting on with the job. We are getting on with the job of building this state—we are building for the future, investing in the future and creating jobs now. Our partnership with the commonwealth—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —is delivering the $1.8 billion Port Stanvac desal plant to guarantee our water security for the future and 50 per cent of Adelaide's water supplies. Just compare the level of infrastructure spending now with the past—seven years ago, when you did not have a AAA credit rating, when you did not have surpluses, and when you had no investment in rail, road or trams that was significant.

We have a joint investment in our public transport system which includes $294 million from the commonwealth to accelerate—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. RANN: —the electrification of the Gawler line upgrade by two years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is too much noise on both sides of the house. The Premier.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: We have a joint investment in our public transport system, which includes $294 million from the commonwealth to accelerate the electrification of the Gawler line upgrade by two years. An amount of $291 million has been allocated by the federal government to build another 5.5 kilometres of rail line from Noarlunga to Seaford, and $61 million from the federal government will also go towards a dedicated O-Bahn bus corridor into city, significantly reducing travel times for commuters.

A further $2 billion has been provided to South Australia as part of the federal government's economic stimulus package, including education and housing projects, and we have invested $400 million in the Techport precinct at Osborne to secure the South Australian construction contract for the air warfare destroyers and the next generation of submarines. That is more than $40 billion worth of defence projects.

Before today, I am reliably advised that we have seen six times more investment in infrastructure than seven years ago; more than when the Liberals were last in power. The construction of the South Road Superway will underpin what this government is doing in defence but also in mining. It is about linking up the Northern Expressway and the Port River Expressway, improving traffic flow and making it safer for motorists; getting rid of bottlenecks, easing congestion.

It is an infrastructure investment that is about reducing travel times and investing in our economic future. We are investing in infrastructure for the future and, in this case, also creating 2,750 jobs in the construction of the Superway. Let the Liberals, federal and state, come out against this infrastructure spending if they wish. This is our priority, rebuilding the state.

There could not be a better working relationship than we have with the commonwealth on infrastructure, and today's announcement is another celebration of that.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. M.D. RANN: Members opposite do not like good news about this state. They have to make up their mind; they have to put their state before their party. There are two AAMI stadiums full of jobs more than there was under the Liberals lack of leadership. This is about advancing for the future in a partnership with a federal government that shares our vision for this state.