Agriculture Transport System Project

Mr PICTON (Kaurna) (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on the progress made on the 90-day project for agricultural transport?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (14:57): I thank the member for Kaurna for his interest in the transport of goods across our state, including access arrangements for agricultural machinery. Stage 1 of the 90-day project, A Modern Transport System for Agriculture—A New Partnership Approach, has delivered some outstanding results for heavy vehicles and agricultural machinery. Just last Saturday I attended the annual South Australian Road Transport Association conference at the Convention Centre, and heard first-hand from the heavy vehicle industry how pleased many of them were with the benefits flowing from the outcomes of this 90-day project.

As I have previously advised the house, and some members may be aware, there is a range of projects currently underway as part of stage 1 of the implementation of the recommendations of this project, including:

enabling road train access to the grain facility at Roseworthy;

enabling road train access and B-double access to the Jamestown saleyards;

the introduction of permits to allow movement of oversize or overmass agricultural machinery at night;

the introduction of quad road trains between Port Augusta and the Northern Territory border;

the introduction of tri-axle dollies after many, many years for use in road train combinations across South Australia; and

the introduction of a primary production work diary exemption.

Further, as part of the $40 million road improvements package on Upper Yorke Peninsula provided by this government, projects underway, or just about to commence, include the upgrade of the Ardrossan to Port Wakefield route for 36.5-metre road train access, including:

a roundabout at the junction of the Yorke and the Copper Coast highways (known locally as Federation Corner);

$5 million towards two overtaking lanes on the Yorke Highway, north of Ardrossan;

$2 million junction upgrades along the Yorke Highway with Port Clinton Road, Gardiner Street, and One and All Road-Crowell Road; and

$1 million bridge widening, south of Port Clinton.

I am pleased to advise the house that a $950,000 package of works has also begun at the intersection of the Wimmera Highway, Carters and Bells roads, to allow safe turning movements for B-double trucks. That will increase productivity and efficiency in transporting stock to and from the Naracoorte saleyards, which may be in the electorate of the member for MacKillop or perhaps the member for Mount Gambier. Weather permitting, these works are expected to be complete by June.

It is estimated that the first 90-day project will help South Australian primary producers, and transport operators servicing them, to realise more than $56 million in productivity benefits. This is an enormous sum of money for what has been, so far, relatively modest levels of investment to fix up access arrangements in a range of locations across regional South Australia. Stage 2 of the 90-day project is now open for consultation across South Australia to try to build on the success that we have had, so far, of stage 1.

I would like to thank, and put on the record, all those people involved in stage 1, including quite a few members sitting on the other side of the chamber and also including road transport associations, including the South Australian Livestock and Rural Transporters Association and the Road Transport Association, which I mentioned earlier. I particularly thank former premier and former member for Frome, the Hon. Rob Kerin, who is currently Chair of Primary Producers SA.