Road Trains

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:37): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the important recent approval for the 36½-metre road trains to travel on the Yorke Highway?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:37): I thank the member for Narungga for his question. I don't mind pointing out that we on this side of the house continue to and will always support ways to deregulate our economy to help drive efficiency in our economy. I am happy to say that this is a continuation of a policy that has been in place for some time.

The reason I think I need this opportunity—and I thank the member for Narungga for his question—is that it seems that those opposite seem to forget what happened when they were in government, so maybe we need to remind them of even the good news from time to time. The Yorke Peninsula and the Mid-North region is extremely important to South Australia: $3.2 billion of gross regional product, $766 million of that in agriculture.

As we see a very clear trend away from using trains towards using trucks as a way to get agricultural produce around South Australia, our roadwork needs to keep up. So I was extremely pleased to be able to announce that 36½-metre road trains will be able to travel down the Yorke Highway and essentially provide that missing link between Ardrossan and Port Wakefield to really help unlock that part of South Australia being able to have bigger trucks taking loads of grain and other exports down to our ports. This productive efficiency has delivered tens of—

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: A point of order. The minister will be seated. Let's hear the point of order.

Mr KOUTSANTONIS: In the interests of the tradition of the member for Schubert, I believe this information is publicly available in the Gazette.

The SPEAKER: I would like to see that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order while I rule on the point of order! The point of order has been about publicly available information being quoted. As the member for Schubert and I were reminded by the former Speaker, if there is additional information that the member speaks about, in addition to the available information, the answer will be allowed, but I remind the minister that he must reply to the substance of the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will be heard in silence.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I would invite members opposite, if they have a copy of the speech that I don't have in front of me, then they can feel free to give that to the Speaker. It was something that I had to do on many occasions over the last four years, but interestingly I stand up here speaking off the cuff, not from a series of pre-prepared notes.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: If I am allowed to continue on—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —to talk about the great work that the new government is doing, can I say that this is one step in what we are going to see is a radical deregulation agenda here in South Australia. Those of us who listened to the Premier on many occasions over the course of the election campaign would know this phrase well. We are not here to just nibble at the edges of reform: we are here for wholesale deregulation.

Whilst I am extremely proud to be able to allow this road train access for this very important part of Yorke Peninsula, what I am even more proud about is the ongoing work and the initial work being done within the department to help change the way we deliver services and reduce the regulatory burden for South Australian businesses. I am also excited that on 1 June, when the road traffic amendment act changes come into effect, we manage to scrap a whole heap of new bureaucracy that the former government was trying to put in place, charging millions of dollars' worth of new permit fees on poor unsuspecting people trying to do roadworks and just fix up our road network.

I was extremely excited that, in the same way that we have seen people within the road transport industry excited about the increased access and deregulated nature of improving road train access to Yorke Peninsula, we are also seeing the same people get really excited about the fact that we are committed, and showing that we are committed, to stripping out regulation right across the transport sector and right across the infrastructure sector as well.

I look forward to these announcements becoming commonplace and regular. More and more, as the productive components of our economy see the whites of this government's eyes and the fact that radical deregulation is not just a phrase, a slogan that is used during a campaign—it is something that we put into practice in government—I think we will start to see the benefits of that, the millions of dollars' worth—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —of benefits delivered to our economy, resulting in new jobs, more investment and a better and more productive South Australia.