Parliamentary Committees

Public Works Committee: Port Road Drainage Project

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (11:01): I move:

That the first report of the committee for the 54^th parliament, entitled Port Road Drainage Project—Stage 2, be noted.

The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works are a continuation of the works identified in the City of Charles Sturt Port Road Rejuvenation Stormwater Management Plan (SMP). The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works comprise the installation of approximately 2.6 kilometres of underground twin cell trunk drainage between Old Port Road, Cheltenham and Park Street South in Woodville. The relocation of other utilities and services as required to accommodate the trunk drain alignment is also work contemplated by the stage 2 works, and naturally there are associated streetscaping and other works within the works program for this project. The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works are an integral part of the Port Road Rejuvenation SMP.

As part of that SMP, there are a number of key aims for the works, the first being flood management. This is to provide existing properties at the floor level with flood protection at or above the 100-year average recurrence interval (ARI) and ensure that new development does not degrade the level of flood protection for existing properties within the precinct. The second aim is management of stormwater quality. The objective is to improve the quality of stormwater discharges to West Lakes and, in particular, in recognition of the high recreational value of West Lakes, provide a reduction in gross pollutants, nutrients and sediments entering West Lakes.

Third, the objective is to manage stormwater re-use to encourage opportunities for the on-site retention of stormwater and/or the beneficial use of stormwater for wider purposes in and around the precinct. Fourth, there is a focus on environmental protection and enhancement as maximising opportunities for urban biodiversity and amenity. The estimated capital cost of the works is $19.7 million.

The works were initially scheduled to be completed in December 2018, although an updated project schedule has been received and now brings the expected completion date forward to August 2018. The Public Works Committee has examined written and oral evidence in relation to the Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 and been assured by stormwater management officers and the City of Charles Sturt officers that acquittals have been received from the Department of Treasury and Finance, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Crown Solicitor that the works and procedures are lawful.

The committee is satisfied that the proposal has been subject to the appropriate agency consultation and meets the criteria for examination of projects, as set out in the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. Having regard to the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends the proposed public works.

Mr MULLIGHAN (Lee) (11:05): I thank the member for Kavel for reporting to the parliament on this important project and doing so in such a detailed manner. It is an important project for the western suburbs. Some members may be familiar that these sections of Port Road, particularly between Woodville and Port Adelaide, have been regularly subject to flooding of various severity over the last 30 to 40 years, and I am sure people who have been around longer than I have would say it goes back even further.

It is a great credit to the City of Charles Sturt that as a council they have bitten off such a large infrastructure project. Of course, they are not doing it on their own but with the assistance of the Stormwater Management Authority, which I think was a terrific initiative of the former Labor government in its very early days. It has assisted councils across South Australia try to address flood mitigation works, particularly in the metropolitan area where there has been a greater risk of flooding.

This project is only one of a number of key projects that are of great concern to local government. Members opposite are probably more familiar with the Brownhill Creek flooding issue and how challenging that has been to deal with, from its tributaries all the way out to the sea. The Stormwater Management Authority has been of great assistance to councils with that project and also with this project in particular.

Before the boundary redraw, which preceded the last state election, there was another very significant flood mitigation project undertaken by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield and the Stormwater Management Authority, this time around Birkenhead and Peterhead. It had to be fast-tracked after the significant flood event of February 2014—in fact, I think it was Valentine's Day 2014—when hundreds of homes were inundated with floodwaters in those two suburbs. That was an $8.8 million investment.

It is good to see councils in the western suburbs that are prepared to invest in these critical projects. For a council, a $20 million project—in fact, it was originally anticipated to be a $24 million project by the City of Charles Sturt, and I think the member for Kavel now reported that it was a $19.7 million project—or that $8.8 million project at Birkenhead and Peterhead is a big investment by local government. Of course, that may be grist to the mill if legislation is ever passed about the much-heralded rate capping reform of the government, but I digress.

I did want to speak particularly about this project's impacts on the road network and the surrounding homes and businesses. I was engaged in very serious discussions with the member for Flinders during some of the member for Kavel's contributions about an event that will be occurring at 1 o'clock today, so I was distracted and did not hear whether he made reference to the fact that the aim of these works is to prevent an inundation event, a one in 100 year flood event inundating up to 3,800 homes and causing an approximately 600-millimetre deep inundation in the proximity of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which would of course preclude emergency access to that hospital. So it is an important project from that perspective.

It is a project that spans a couple of key intersections along the Port Road and Old Port Road corridor. In particular, I am thinking of the nexus of Port Road and Old Port Roads, heading further towards the city, getting to the West Lakes Boulevard, Cheltenham Parade and Port Road intersection—one of the busiest intersections in the metropolitan road network. Over 70,000 vehicles approach this intersection on those three roads each day. I am talking particularly about the West Lakes Boulevard approach, which is a great frustration for the more than 22,000 vehicles that use what is currently configured as a single lane until it approaches that intersection.

These stormwater works have cleared the wide median in the middle of Port Road. The City of Charles Sturt had been in discussions with the government and the various agencies that the member for Kavel made reference to, seeking the appropriate approval for these works. Given the City of Charles Sturt had been in communication with the government about these works, coordinating them with things like traffic management but particularly the upgrades to various rail infrastructure as part of the Torrens Junction and Torrens to Torrens works—two initiatives of the former Labor government—the Department of Transport took it upon itself to think about whether there might be an opportunity to address the capacity of this intersection and make some improvements to this intersection.

Bear in mind the works that the City of Charles Sturt's contractors—T & J Constructions, I believe, a proud South Australian company—have already undertaken. They had effectively cleared the site of vegetation and also undertaken works for car parking arrangements, which were used by some of the businesses around there like CMI Cheltenham, the Toyota dealership, of which I am sure some members are increasingly becoming familiar as they undertake their new roles in this place.

Getting this intersection upgraded has been a great concern to me while the City of Charles Sturt has made the provision for works to more easily occur at this location. So I am very pleased that in the most recent Mid-Year Budget Review the former Labor government committed $6 million for the upgrade of the West Lakes Boulevard, Port Road, Cheltenham Parade intersection. That $6 million would enable a widening of the approach of West Lakes Boulevard to the intersection, with two lanes of traffic to approach and more lanes within the intersection both for right-hand turns from West Lakes Boulevard but also through traffic to Cheltenham Parade.

That would significantly ease the congestion that a lot of people experience from suburbs like West Lakes, Woodville West and Seaton and the surrounding communities when they try to make their way into the city, particularly each weekday morning. Traffic congestion does get severe. It can take up to five or six changes of lights for a vehicle trying to turn right onto Port Road to head toward the city to get through that intersection. The $6 million for this project was not an election commitment. It was locked into the state budget, the funding is provided and the appropriation from the Department of Treasury and Finance was made to DPTI. It is absolutely critical that this project gets underway.

I recently met with some of the executive team from the City of Charles Sturt to ask them about how a range of projects in the council area was going. Of course, I have spoken in this place—indeed, I think on our first day—about traffic management issues within the City of Charles Sturt, in particular in Grange and Seaton. I have asked them about how some of these projects were going. We had a long discussion about the progress of this particular stormwater upgrade project and also the coordination between it and the promised intersection upgrade of West Lakes Boulevard, Port Road and Cheltenham Parade.

I am very disappointed to hear that, while these stormwater works are being undertaken, there has unfortunately been radio silence from the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure about this intersection upgrade. Given that works had not started on the ground for this intersection upgrade, but they had been funded so that they could be planned to be delivered in time with this stormwater upgrade, I am very concerned that the $6 million committed by the former Labor government may be taken off the table by the new Treasurer, or maybe even by the new transport minister, and that this intersection upgrade will not be delivered.

It would be a great shame if the 70,000 people who use this intersection each weekday and the nearly 25,000 people who use it from the West Lakes Boulevard approach continue to be held up in traffic, despite there being money available and the department being ready, willing and able to deliver this project. I hope that the Minister for Transport and the Treasurer recommit to the $6 million provided by the former Labor government.

Mr PATTERSON (Morphett) (11:16): I would also like to speak about the report into the Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works. I sit on the Public Works Committee as well. These stage 2 works are a continuation of the works identified in the City of Charles Sturt Port Road Rejuvenation Stormwater Management Plan. The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works comprise the installation of approximately 2.6 kilometres of underground twin-cell trunk drain moving between Old Port Road, along past Cheltenham, and finishing at Park Street South in Woodville. There will also be some service relocation as required to accommodate this trunk drain alignment, either gas or electricity, and also associated streetscaping.

These Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works are an integral part of the Port Road Rejuvenation Stormwater Management Plan. The stormwater management plan has key aims for the works and I will list them. Flood management is to provide the existing properties with flood protection at or above the 100-year average recurrence level for one in 100 year events. It should be worth pointing out that it is not a definite to happen once every 100 years. It is more that the probability is that there is a one in 100 chance of that happening. This flood management will also ensure that new development does not degrade floor level protection to existing properties, so there is something quite sensible there for new development.

Another aim is to improve stormwater quality because it improves the quality of the stormwater discharges that flow along Old Port Road and out to West Lakes, which, in particular, recognises the very high recreation value of West Lakes. Often you see people out there doing triathlons and you will see them even swimming in West Lakes. I myself have swum in West Lakes, as a young athlete. You also have rowers in there as well and, while they are probably unlikely to fall in, it is always good to have good water quality should they fall in.

Stormwater quality will provide a reduction in gross pollutants, nutrients and sediments that enter West Lakes. This will also encourage some key aims for stormwater re-use by encouraging opportunities for the on-site retention of stormwater and the beneficial use of it so it does not just get flushed out eventually to sea. A final aim is environmental protection and enhancement, which will maximise opportunities for urban biodiversity and also amenity. You can see also that the stage 1 works have certainly given a higher amenity value to that section of Old Port Road.

The Stormwater Management Authority has referred the Port Road Drainage Project to the Public Works Committee, which is pursuant to the requirements of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1991. The report that has been so moved by the member for Kavel, the Chairperson, examined the history of the proposal and also the efficacy of the application of South Australian taxpayer funds to the Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works.

The report structure itself is guided by and largely limited to the terms of the Parliamentary Committees Act. It describes in summary the evidence that was presented to the committee, both written and oral, and then concludes with a brief summary incorporating the findings and the recommendations, which has been discussed also by the Chair. On Thursday 17 May, witnesses provided oral evidence to the Public Works Committee in regard to the stage 2 works of this project.

The witnesses present included David Trebilcock, the General Manager of the Stormwater Management Authority, as part of the Department for Environment and Water. The Stormwater Management Authority is the statutory authority established under schedule 1 of the Local Government Act. This authority provides grants and subsidies, mainly to local government, to undertake stormwater management planning and stormwater infrastructure works.

The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 works are the subject of a successful grant application to the Stormwater Management Authority, which then means that the authority will be funding 50 per cent of the cost of this project, with the other 50 per cent provided by the City of Charles Sturt. It is worth congratulating them because it is a significant sum of money to put in for a project, but I think the benefits of this project will be received well by the ratepayers of Charles Sturt.

Also present was Matthew Kildea, who is the project manager from the City of Charles Sturt, as they are also funding a significant amount of these works. Mr Kildea was specifically brought in to the City of Charles Sturt to manage this project, supervise the construction and manage budgets—all the usual project management roles. These two gentlemen gave the committee an overview of the project and the current progress to assist with our deliberations.

It is worth pointing out, and I have mentioned previously, that it is a multistage project. Stage 1 of this project was Waterproofing the West, which some in the house will be familiar with. It is the wetlands that go down Old Port Road, for those of you who know the area. Stage 2 is the upstream drainage works of that project, to actually get the water into the wetlands but also mitigate flooding within the stage 2 boundary along Port Road. Currently, Port Road floods in a one in three months event, which is reasonably common. This drainage project will increase the standard to a one in five years event. There will still be some flooding in the area, but certainly a lot less frequently than has been experienced previously.

The biggest benefit of this project, from a regional perspective, will be access to The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. At the moment, in a one in 100 years event the entrance to the hospital will be inundated to a depth of up to 900 millilitres, which would make it impossible to access the hospital. This project, once completed, will enable that entrance to remain open during major storm events. It just so happens that The Queen Elizabeth Hospital is in the worst location it could be in this catchment area. The City of Charles Sturt also presented some photos of various flooding events that affected local businesses. One photo showed a restaurant that got up to about a metre depth of water at their front door, so they have to close every time there is a major rain event.

As I mentioned earlier, this is the stage 2 component of the overall project, which essentially runs from Old Port Road down to Park Street South, which is the city side of Woodville Road. We were informed the project had an initial cost estimate of $24 million but, through some design optimisation and some positive tender results, that has been brought down to an approximate amount of $19.7 million. As I said earlier, the Stormwater Management Authority will provide half of that.

As part of our deliberations, a costing comment was sought from the Department of Treasury and Finance and they noted that the stage 2 works will not have an impact on the general government net operating result, net lending position or general government sector debt.

The committee was also shown pictures of the construction taking place. I can inform the house that it basically takes up the whole median down Port Road and twin pipes are installed in the middle. At the same time, as I mentioned earlier, gas and overhead and underground power need to be worked with; in fact, the 275-kilovolt main feeder into the city goes through there. This resulted in a substantial amount of complexity for what really was two pipes to go down that zone.

At the same time, the City of Charles Sturt and the Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources Management Board collaboratively worked together and identified opportunities to apply water-sensitive urban design into the reconstruction of the Port Road median strip once the pipes have been put in place. They have identified that the median strip can be reconstructed to drain to vegetated swales, which will reduce the frequency and volume of flows into the underground pipe drainage system. That delays peak water flows into the underground pipe drainage system and helps improve the stormwater quality.

In closing, I will say that the project is ahead of schedule. It is scheduled to be completed in August 2018 and, while there is landscaping that will follow after these works—and it may appear that it is still going—that is a separate council project. In terms of outcome, there are 250 properties within this stage 2 that currently flood that will not flood after these works, and it will also result in significant improvements along Port Road, as a road. Based on the evidence considered and pursuant to section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act, the Public Works Committee reports to parliament that it recommends that this proposed public work proceed.

Mr MURRAY (Davenport) (11:26): As a member of the Public Works Committee, I too wish to speak to the house regarding the report. I commend the member for Kavel and the member for Morphett for their work and their contributions this morning. Prior to talking about the project itself, I want to point out to the house the preamble in the report itself, which talks about the functions of the Public Works Committee and in particular the legislative basis for the work we do at the behest of and at the direction of the house.

Section 12C of the Parliamentary Committees Act is the basis upon which we carry out our work. Essentially, it charges the Public Works Committee on behalf of the parliament and therefore on behalf of the people of South Australia to ensure that public funds are properly directed and that appropriate oversight is given to proposed public works. I will not step through every subsection of section 12C of the committees act, but I note that in particular it does charge the Public Works Committee with responsibility for looking at the efficiency and the progress of construction work and the reasons for any expenditure beyond the estimated costs of the construction. That is a very important role of the committee.

I note also that the committee can undertake other functions at the behest of either the act or a resolution of both houses. Section 16A of the act automatically refers works of a value in excess of $4 million to the committee. As has been pointed out, the subject work of this particular report is estimated at some $19.7 million, and therefore the project is automatically referred to us, as members of the Public Works Committee, for our consideration.

I will close my consideration off insofar as the function of the committee is concerned with a recap of the point that I am delighted and honoured to be charged with the responsibility for ensuring that South Australian taxpayers' money is properly and appropriately expended and that there is oversight at all stages of the works so that there is no waste and, to the extent that there are overruns with cost, that the reasons for those overruns are investigated and reported to the house and therefore to the people of South Australia.

The Port Road Drainage Project stage 2 is a continuation of a broader project of some $60 million worth of work, undertaken primarily to address significant storm-related and/or flooding issues in the area of Port Road. The stage 2 works, the subject of this report, apply to approximately 2.6 kilometres of underground twin-cell trunk drains between Old Port Road, Cheltenham, and Park Street South in Woodville. As the member for Morphett has elucidated, there are enormous complexities involved in the works, given the pre-existing services, not the least of which is the power cable from the state's major power source into the city, which, subject to the use of renewable energies and what have you, provides power for the city and the state.

Before I move on, I point the house to section 1.2 of the report, which not only refers to the section of the act that deals with the reference of these works to the Public Works Committee but also points out that section 16(1)(c) of the Parliamentary Committees Act enables the Public Works Committee to reopen investigations into any project for the purpose of further examination and monitoring. So it is a serious task we undertake on behalf of the long-suffering South Australian taxpayer, and, as I said, it is something I am delighted to be charged with. Having partial responsibility for it is something I look forward to, working on behalf of the South Australian taxpayer into the future.

As has been previously indicated, the project is designed to essentially address flooding in the Port Road catchment. The catchment itself comprises some 657 hectares of land from the City of Charles Sturt, with a small amount in the City of Port Adelaide Enfield. The practical issue is that at present the drainage system in place has a likelihood of having its capacity exceeded in any given year by a factor of more than 99 per cent. I note with some interest that the report refers to an 'exceedance' that will typically occur four to six times a year, which, I am delighted to inform the house, actually means that it floods quite a lot. So exceedance, at least in this context, means it does flood and it floods on a regular basis.

As part of the evidence given to it by the two witnesses referred to by the member for Morphett, the committee was provided with some quite graphic photographs of some of the flooding suffered by businesses and home owners in the area. To the extent that this mitigates the loss and trauma associated with that, it is a marvellous thing. The aim of these works is not just about floods and flood management, but typically that is a major consideration. As has been pointed out by speakers before me, it also addresses issues of stormwater quality, stormwater re-use and environment protection and enhancement, with the maximisation of opportunities for biodiversity and amenity.

The works have involved a considerable amount of dislocation in the Port Road area. In section 3.2 of the report I note detailed references to the quite extensive consultation undertaken by the project managers. Again, the committee was given evidence about consideration made and advice provided to local residents and businesses regarding the partial lane closures on Port Road, in particular the impacts on parking and therefore the impacts on local businesses.

I also note, for the benefit of the house, the considerable investigation that has taken place insofar as matters of state and Aboriginal heritage are concerned. The report indicates there are no Aboriginal heritage issues, and to the extent that there are heritage issues they are not deemed to be impacted at all. I note wryly a recommendation from the Department for Environment and Water—which was not taken up by the program managers—recommending the provision of electric vehicle charging points as part of this work. I also note the provision of car parking spaces and associated electric charging points will not be part of the report's remit.

As discussed, the primary value of the proposed project is to offset the impacts of a one in 100 year flood. The benefit to cost ratio, which is a primary consideration of the committee, is about 2:1 for the project in its entirety with anticipated savings of around $120 million, on a conservative basis, for the investment of $60 million. The project procurement is being managed by the City of Charles Sturt and is being conducted in an open and transparent manner with multiple tenders and prices selected. I commend the report and the proposed public work to the house.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:36): I rise to speak to the first report of the Public Works Committee in the 54^th parliament regarding stage 2 of the Port Road Drainage Project and commend the committee, with members from both sides of the house making sure we get the right outcome as far as drainage works on Port Road are concerned. This is a continuation of the works identified in the City of Charles Sturt Port Road Rejuvenation—Stormwater Management Plan.

The stage 2 works comprise the installation of approximately 2.6 kilometres of underground twin-cell trunk drain between Old Port Road, Cheltenham, and Park Street, South Woodville, as well as service relocation. I note that it has been mentioned there is a major powerline relocation that has to be been done as part of these works, as these services need to be relocated to accommodate the trunk drain alignment. Obviously, there is the associated streetscaping along with this.

The stage 2 works are an integral part of the Port Road Rejuvenation—Stormwater Management Plan. As part of that stormwater management plan, the key aims of the work are flood management, providing existing properties' floor levels with flood protection at or above the 100-year average recurrence interval, and ensuring that new development does not degrade the level of flood protection to existing properties.

Stormwater quality is obviously something that needs to be looked at, improving the quality of stormwater discharges to West Lakes in particular, and, in recognition of the high recreational value of West Lakes, providing a reduction in pollutants, nutrients and sediments entering West Lakes. In the past, we have had blue-green algae outbreaks in West Lakes, and there are probably not many in this place who can remember when the area was essentially swampland. It is now quite a picturesque suburb. However, according to the report, this stormwater management will only improve the quality of the water in West Lakes.

There is also the opportunity for stormwater re-use, so it is about encouraging opportunities for the on-site retention of stormwater and the beneficial use of stormwater, and that is always a good thing. When we have a year like this where it has been quite dry coming into winter—certainly at home at the farm at Coomandook we have not had a lot of rain. We have had almost enough, but it is probably never enough in a year like this that has been a very tight year, in an agricultural sense, in a range of areas.

That reflects right through to the city, to our catchments and to the ability to have enough water to utilise not just for critical human needs in regard to drinking water but, obviously, water that we need for other things. As I said, we need it out in the country for our farmers, but in the city the water that is needed for parks and gardens and other uses, quite rightly, could be re-used stormwater, just to save the drain on the Murray.

I was heavily involved in discussions during the time of drought. We were not getting those flows down the River Murray through 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, and some big decisions were made around the size of the Desalination Plant. It was built at 100 gigalitres per annum, which obviously was twice the size of what we proposed at around 50 gigalitres per annum. It is costing us all a fortune to keep it running, because the plant has to run at somewhere around 8 per cent or 10 per cent capacity to keep the membranes wet so that if we do need—and let's hope this does not happen—to wind that plant up to 50 per cent capacity or even full capacity, which I doubt but who knows, we need to know that the membranes and the whole state of that plant will function appropriately.

The appropriate use and re-use of stormwater is vital. The extended drought was a turning point in our state's history, which was not relieved until September 2010 when the Darling water first flowed down the river for the initial recovery and then we had the water from the Southern Basin come through the Murrumbidgee and the other rivers that feed in to the Murray and, once again, it came back to being the 'mighty Murray'. However, let's not forget that if it does not rain then we do not fill the dams that are needed for Adelaide's water supply, the next option is pumping out of the Murray, and the next option after that is the Desalination Plant.

I understand it is always a balancing act for the operators of the water system, SA Water, about how much is pumped and how much will we get to fill those dams. I sincerely hope that we get a good winter but, because of the way this season has come along, it does concern me greatly. We need to make sure that any works like these that go into place maximise the capacity of the stormwater that we can re-use. It is absolutely vital that that happens.

As part of this report, there is the appropriate environment protection and enhancement, which is maximising the opportunities for urban biodiversity and amenity. The capital cost is close to $20 million, at $19.7 million. As has been stated, 50 per cent of this money is coming out of the City of Charles Sturt council, and that is a huge commitment. There are flooding issues along this road, so the work does need to be done.

Along with this work is the associated site clearing, demolition, disposal, bulk earthworks, backfilling and reinstatement of some land and associated service relocation, as I discussed earlier, to accommodate that large trunk drain alignment. Also needed is the supply and installation of all associated pits and internal connections, tree protection and removal where required, completion of new paved car parking bays and landscaping, comprising trees, shrubs, irrigated grassed areas and associated streetscaping.

I commend the members of the Public Works Committee for their work in regard to this proposal. It looks like the completion of the project may be in August instead of the previously forecast completion in December, so that is something to be celebrated. Any works that can be done in a timely manner, even pre time instead of on time, are a bonus for everyone involved. I hope these works continue speedily and we get the best outcome for managing stormwater along these roads, including the appropriate vital re-use of stormwater, as I indicated before in my contribution. I commend the works.

Motion carried.