Question Time

Joy Baluch Bridge

Mr KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure. How much money has been allocated over the next four years of the forward estimates for the duplication of the Joy Baluch Bridge, and when will construction begin?

The SPEAKER: Minister. A very specific question.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:45): This is fantastic.

The SPEAKER: Maybe so.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: There is no way to answer that question. There is no way to answer that question because this project—when I came into this role, sworn in six weeks ago, 6½ weeks ago—is still a stage 1 business case. Stage 1 of business case development is identification of the problem.

Mr Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is on two warnings.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: What is interesting is that the former government already had this in the budget last year based on a stage 1 and no commitment from the federal government, but they put it in the budget anyway because it makes it look good. That's fine. I've actually got the $160 million commitment from the federal government's side of the aisle. It's fantastic. Great news.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: But, again, I'm being asked to answer a question—6½ weeks, seven weeks, after the new government was sworn in—that the other guys had 16 years but could not even get past stage 1. It's like saying, 'How fast do you think you're going to run—

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order. Let's hear the point of order.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Relevance. I'm asking about the commonwealth government's contribution of the forward estimates, and I would ask the minister to respond to the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not need to hear an impromptu speech or interjections from the government. Standing order 98 has been raised. Minister, please better address the substance of the question.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It's like the recent Commonwealth Games. There is a 4 x 100 relay race. The first runner is running around the bend, he's got the baton in his hand and then—

Mr MULLIGHAN: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, minister.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There's a point of order. The member for Lee.

Mr MULLIGHAN: Point of order: you have just ruled that the minister was engaging in debate, and as soon as he starts resuming his answer he breaks the standing order again.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, I will again ask, for the last time: please direct your answer to the substance of the question. Thank you.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: And this is very much to the substance of the question, Mr Speaker, very much to the substance.

The SPEAKER: Please wrap it up, minister.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: But I'm trying to—

The SPEAKER: Wrap it up.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I'm being asked the same questions over and over again, so now I'm trying to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will be heard in silence or members will be departing the chamber.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —use a metaphor to try to help those opposite explain the answer. It is like asking the first leg of a relay race how fast they are going to run the race. You've got to really wait until the baton is in the fourth guy's hand and he is running towards the finish line before you can get a decent estimate. The answer is—

The SPEAKER: Let's hear the answer.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —it will be done as soon as possible.

The SPEAKER: Wrap it up, minister.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It will be done as soon as possible. We are going through the works. We have to go through stages 2, 3 and 4 of business case development. That does take some time. In fact, I've got examples of former business cases that do take over a year to develop. But here is the point: it is infinitely more close to being done than it was two days ago because we actually have federal government money to deliver it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: We actually got federal government money to deliver it. They are on the hook and have committed to delivering this funding.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Those opposite just can't handle good news. Zero—$160 million. The real answer is: infinitely quicker than it was two days ago.