Infrastructure Projects

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (14:31): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on infrastructure projects in South Australia?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:31): I thank the member for Light for his question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is on thin ice.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: This year, in 2017, a record number of South Australians will be working on new infrastructure projects worth more than $1.5 billion here in South Australia. These projects include:

the $238 million Torrens rail junction project;

the Festival Plaza redevelopment, which ramps up after the northern promenade works started at the end of January;

the Gawler line electrification, which is of keen interest to the member for Light;

the Flinders Link extension, which is extending the electrified Tonsley rail line to Flinders University;

the extension of the tram down to the other end of North Terrace and to the Festival Centre;

the $55 million Gawler East link road, also of interest to the member for Light;

the $32 million upgrade to the Upper Yorke Peninsula road network, which has been of keen interest to the member for Goyder; and

an upgrade to Her Majesty's Theatre.

Together, these projects will support more than 1,300 jobs. These projects are in addition to the more than 130 infrastructure projects already underway as part of the government's $12.1 billion investment over the next four years.

Important projects, like the Torrens to Torrens upgrade of South Road, the Darlington upgrade of South Road, and the Northern Connector project are well underway, with construction to continue this year. But there are other projects around the rest of South Australia: the APY lands road upgrade; the Mount Gambier and Port Augusta prisons upgrade; the new city high school; the Flinders, QEH and Modbury Hospital upgrades; and the 1000 Homes in 1000 Days new home-build project, as well as the 4,500 Housing Trust homes that will be upgraded under the Renewing Our Streets and Suburbs program. Upgrading the north-south corridor is vital to improving not only freight transport productivity but access for local communities as well as safety on the road transport network.

It was pleasing to see yesterday in Canberra that officials from the commonwealth Department for Infrastructure and Regional Development confirmed the commonwealth's commitment to completing the corridor over a 10-year period, between 2013 and 2023. In just the first three years of that time period, we have secured over $2½ billion of funding from both the state government (with $750 million) and $1.75 billion from the federal government.

But it was a very different story when these same officials were asked about the Globe Link project. The commonwealth department responsible for evaluating, planning and investing in infrastructure confirmed yesterday during Senate estimates, 'We don't have information on Globe Link.' Again, they were asked by a Senator, 'So, you don't have any information on that?' The official said, 'I don't have any information on that.'

Not only has this opposition not consulted with key industry groups, including the Freight Council, the Adelaide Airport, the Australian Airports Association, not only have they been criticised by local councils, like the Coorong District Council, but the federal government responsible for disbursing funds for infrastructure projects here in South Australia knows nothing about it—nothing, no information whatsoever. Such is the hard yakka the Leader of the Opposition has put into his infrastructure projects. We can still see he is but a hair's breadth away from his core belief that infrastructure is a false economy, both now and into the future.