Infrastructure Funding

Mr KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:14): My question is to the Minster for Infrastructure. Given the minister has repeatedly spoken about his special relationship with the commonwealth government, why did the federal budget cut federal infrastructure grant funding to South Australia by 80 per cent?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (15:15): I would like to thank the member for West Torrens for his question and for how I can highlight the fact that his government did not do their job when it came to this. Let me tell you what has happened in the 10 weeks since we have come to government: $1.8 billion worth of new money into South Australia. That is what has come into South Australia: $1.8 billion of new money has come into South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Prior to us coming into government, zero dollars—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —after us coming into government and meeting with the federal government, $1.8 billion. Now, $1.8 billion is more than zero. In fact, it is infinitely more than zero, and that is what we have been able to deliver.

I look so very much forward to these projects being delivered and rolled out over the course of these next four years for work to continue on the north-south corridor, for us to actually deliver these very difficult technical stages and for those opposite to actually maybe, at one point in their lifetime, consider that $1.8 billion worth of new money into South Australia is good news.