Blackwood Roundabout

Mr DULUK (Davenport) (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister advise the house what his government plans to do to address the structural deficiencies of the Blackwood roundabout?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:06): I'm glad the member for Davenport has raised the work that the state government has been putting in to improving traffic conditions in the area of the Mitcham Hills leading up to the Blackwood roundabout. As the member would be aware, some time ago a road management plan was developed for improvements throughout that area and, as funding has become available, we have been progressively rolling out improvements to the road network in that part of the metropolitan area.

I do concede that sometimes there are competing priorities for the set amount of roadworks that are required across the metropolitan area. While we have been able to find the resources for incredibly important upgrades—such as Springbank Road, for example, in the electorate of Waite—that has meant that some other projects, notwithstanding some of the improvements that have been made on that aforementioned road management plan, have needed to be accommodated elsewhere.

Mr Duluk: They didn't offer me a job on that side of the house, did they? They did to you and you took it. That's the irony of it.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: The member for Davenport is right: he was never offered a position in this cabinet. Yes, I can confirm that to the parliament, and certainly he is unlikely to be at any time or at any point in the future. However, we are committed, as we have been with Springbank Road, to continuing road improvements in this part of the metropolitan area. In fact, I think in the budget a bit over 18 months ago, nearly two years ago, there was a commitment for an extra $70 million of road rehabilitation funding. Of course, the day after the budget, it was my great pleasure to attend with the member for Fisher to talk about the upgrade of some of the roads in her area.

This part of the metropolitan road network in the southern suburbs, in the Mitcham Hills, or even around the member for Fisher's electorate, remains incredibly important to this government. That's why we continue to budget more and more funding for roadworks, for road maintenance. As the member for Mitchell would know (because he asked me this question in estimates), it has been necessary because we had a $9 million a year cut from the federal government for road maintenance, and that was at the same time that they removed $18 million a year of road maintenance funding to councils—$27 million per year is what they cut from road funding in South Australia. Of course, you will hear from those opposite, just like they do every time the federal Coalition government does over this state. Who runs to their defence but the leader and his caucus, always defending those who do over the state's interests.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: He is even barking out across the chamber now. He is even defending not only those road maintenance funding cuts but the health cuts, the education cuts and the attempt to offshore the submarine build to Japan. He was out there defending them hook, line and sinker. When they dared Holden to leave, there was the Leader of the Opposition saying, 'I think it's a good thing. Why do we need automotive manufacturing in South Australia?' That's the position of the South Australian Liberal Party. They do not care one iota about the fortunes of this state economically or when it comes to road maintenance.

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition may curvet, but the caravan moves on.