Ministerial Statement

NORTHERN EXPRESSWAY BRIDGES

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) (14:03): I seek leave to make a ministerial statement.

Leave granted.

The Hon. M.D. RANN: This morning I announced the naming of five northern Adelaide bridges along the $564 million Northern Expressway, the single largest road project undertaken in South Australia in the past 50 years, of which the Minister for Transport and Minister for Infrastructure is justly proud. The Northern Expressway is a new 23-kilometre road and is a joint initiative by the Australian and South Australian governments under the Australian government's Land Transport Investment Program. In keeping with the state government's commitment to healthy living, a recreational cycle and pedestrian pathway will follow the expressway. The bikepath, when it is opened, will be named after Stuart O'Grady. The 110 km/h expressway will slash travelling times and provide a boon to the northern regional economy, while cutting the impact on suburban areas from freight transport.

The naming of the five bridges acknowledges and serves as a tribute to those brave Australians who fought valiantly during the battles of Hamel, Tobruk, Kokoda, Kapyong and Long Tan. We consulted with the Veterans Advisory Council, including the RSL, on the naming of the bridges, and I am grateful for the advice and support they provided. I particularly thank Sir Eric Neal for his guidance. The bridge at the Penfield Road interchange will be known as the Hamel Bridge. The battle of Hamel in France was fought on 4 July 1918 during World War I. It commemorates the significant and strategic gain to the allies and was the first time that all Australian divisions had fought together under an Australian commander (Lieutenant General Sir John Monash). The battle was spectacularly successful and all objectives were achieved in 93 minutes.

The bridge at the Heaslip Road interchange will be known as the Tobruk Bridge. This marks a notable military achievement in North Africa during World War II. The siege of Tobruk took place from 10 April until 27 November 1941. The allied forces were besieged by Rommel. For much of the siege, Tobruk was defended by the reinforced Australian 9^th Division. Instructed to hold the fortress for eight weeks, the Australians held it for over five months. Maintaining control of Tobruk was crucial to the allied war effort and marked the first time that the blitzkrieg of the German Panzers had been brought to a halt. In a telegram from then British prime minister Winston Churchill to Australian Major General Leslie Morshead, Churchill wrote, 'the whole Empire is watching your steadfast and spirited defence of this important outpost of Egypt with gratitude and admiration'.

Further honouring our diggers during World War II, the bridge at the Curtis Road interchange will be known as the Kokoda Bridge. This honours one of the most significant battles fought by Australians in World War II, with more than 600 Australians killed and more than 1,600 wounded during the Kokoda Track campaign in Papua between July 1942 and November 1942. The campaign consisted of a series of battles fought between Japanese and Australian troops along the Kokoda Track, a single file track that crosses some of the most rugged and isolated terrain in the world. The aim of the Japanese was to capture Port Moresby to give them a base from which to prosecute their attack on Australia, and the campaign was a series of heroic stands by Australian soldiers, assisted by what became known as the Papuan fuzzy wuzzy angels as they staged a controlled withdrawal until reinforcements allowed the Australians to halt the Japanese advance.

The bridge at the Angle Vale Road interchange will be known as the Kapyong Bridge, honouring those who fought the battle of Kapyong in South Korea from 22 to 25 April 1951 during the Korean war. This year is the 60^th anniversary of the commencement of hostilities of that conflict, which some still regard as 'the forgotten war'. The battle was fought between UN troops (primarily Australian, Canadian, Chinese and North Korean forces). The 27^th British Commonwealth Brigade, which included the 3^rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, was ordered to the valley of the Kapyong River, where they established a blocking position on a key route south to the capital of Seoul. Regarded as one of the most famous battles fought by the Australian army in Korea, the 3^rd Royal Australian Regiment was awarded a US Presidential Citation.

The fifth bridge at the Two Wells Road interchange will be known as the Long Tan Bridge. The Long Tan Bridge commemorates those who fought in the battle of Long Tan on 18 August 1966 during the Vietnam War. A total of 108 Australian and New Zealand soldiers battled more than 2,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan in torrential rain. Commanded by Major Harry Smith, most of the battle was fought throughout the hours of darkness. In all, 18 Australians lost their lives and 24 were wounded in what was the largest casualty impact of a single operation during the Vietnam War.

The naming of the five bridges best reflects the most important conflicts in which Australia has been involved. It honours every Australian service man and woman, not only those who served in the campaigns and battles mentioned here but any man or woman, past or present, who has offered their life in the service of our nation. This way, anyone who uses the Northern Expressway will get a visual journey through our nation's military history from World War 1 to Vietnam over a distance of 16.9 kilometres. They are battles which helped define our character, as well as define the sacrifice that gives us the way of life we enjoy today.