Question Time

SOUTH ROAD UPGRADES

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Is the minister aware that it is not just Mike Rann who had abandoned his promised tunnel under Port and Grange roads in 2006 and to deliver an underpass at Sturt Road when the acting minister Weatherill said, on the 4 April 2006, that planning continues on the $122 million South Road—

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order. It seems to me that the deputy leader is seeking to explain a question before she has asked it.

The SPEAKER: Would the deputy leader please not refer to members by their surname, and would she also get to the nub of the question?

Ms CHAPMAN: When acting transport minister, the member for Cheltenham stated on 4 April 2006:

...planning continues on the $122 million road tunnel under Port and Grange Roads and the government will honour its election commitment to build a $140 million South Road/Sturt Road underpass.

The SPEAKER: What was the question?

Ms CHAPMAN: The question was: was the minister aware?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:26): What no-one is aware of is what the opposition's point of view on all this is. Which one do they support? South Road, Port Road, Grange Road or Darlington? Which one is it? Which one do they support?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: I take it that that is not really telling us much about the minister's awareness.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Are you going to ask a question this year? When?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister for Transport, just because you have announced a $1 billion program in my electorate it does not mean you are entitled to any favours, so I call you to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: He has been waiting months for that.

The Hon. I.F. Evans: Reannounced for the second time.

The SPEAKER: That is a tautology.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The state government has undertaken a two-year planning study to seek a solution for a non-stop South Road between the superway and Anzac Highway and identified that an upgrade to the nine-kilometre section could be effectively delivered in three stages: the superway to Torrens Road, Torrens Road to the River Torrens, and the River Torrens to Anzac Highway. The Torrens Road to the River Torrens section is the area of highest priority.

The study enabled the South Australian government in August 2012 to make a detailed submission for funding to the Australian government under the Nation Building 2 program. The submission was scrutinised by Infrastructure Australia (you may have heard of them) and the commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Transport. A fifty-fifty funding commitment by the state and commonwealth governments has been agreed to.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You have stopped me from speaking because you do not like hearing about it. The section of the highest priority is Torrens Road to the River Torrens, estimated to cost $896 million. The project will deliver the next stage of Adelaide's strategic non-stop north-south corridor, improve freight and business transport efficiencies for all of Adelaide, delivering between—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Is the point of order that we are not learning much about the minister's awareness?

Ms CHAPMAN: Not only that, but it is repetition, because he has actually just given a ministerial statement saying all the same things.

The SPEAKER: No; he didn't get that out, did he?

Ms CHAPMAN: No; he did, two pages of it, so repetition and relevance.

The SPEAKER: Minister. I will listen carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —a 40 per cent to 60 per cent reduction in travel times for this section of South Road during peak hours—as you would be aware it is a very busy road—and improve east-west travel on Grange Road and Port Road, allowing—

Ms CHAPMAN: Point of order, sir. I know that you would have been listening diligently to this ministerial statement. This has all been stated in the ministerial statement, so if it is not on relevance I would ask you to sit him down for repetition.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: There is no standing order that would forbid a minister to regurgitate material in questions that were in his ministerial statement, but I will listen carefully on the point of relevance. Minister for Transport.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We are improving efficiencies for public transport services, including fewer delays and intersections. Am I aware that this program was initially announced? Yes.