Regional Roads And Infrastructure Fund

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:06): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the establishment of the regional roads and infrastructure fund?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:07): I do thank the member for Narungga for his question as one of the pesky regional MPs in this place who is on at me constantly, one would say, about ensuring that regional road funding in South Australia is prioritised. It is why we took to the election, member for Narungga, a policy to institute a regional roads and infrastructure fund, to guarantee that 30 per cent of mining royalties is quarantined for regional road and infrastructure maintenance. It is an extremely important signal to regional South Australia that we are locking in, that we are guaranteeing, their share of road funding going forward.

As a regional MP sitting on the side of the house where almost all of us are, we know full well that we have been the poor cousins—long been the poor cousins—when it comes to getting infrastructure money spent in our districts. It is why we are proud on this side of the house to be part of a government that is now delivering for regional South Australia exactly as we said we would: another 100-day commitment is delivered.

I have issued the instructions to the Treasurer to establish the fund. That has taken place, and I look forward, over the coming year, to starting to deliver the money that we promised in the election for regional South Australia. But South Australians need not have waited for us to set up this fund because we've also had the chance to show our cards and put our cards on the table by some other commitments we have made and also work that we have done with the federal government to deliver.

I am talking about the Penola bypass, which I look forward to delivering as soon as possible. On this longstanding project, the former government sat on their hands for years—years—because they were too pigheaded to get on and deliver what is an extremely important project. But, more than that, we also cleaned up their mess in relation to the Joy Baluch Bridge in Port Augusta.

Speaking about another one of these pesky regional MPs, the member for Stuart has been on at me constantly. I wonder whether or not he may have even been talking at me just upon being sworn in on the garden lawns, saying that this is an important project that needs to be delivered. Again, this was part of one of the projects that we were seeking to achieve federal funding for as soon as possible.

I can't call him pesky because we all serve at the Premier's pleasure but, upon being appointed to this role, he said, 'Stephan, you've got to go to Canberra. You've got to repair the relationship with the federal government, and I want you to deliver on these early commitments.' So that's what we went and did, and we managed to secure $160 million worth of money for South Australia. Work has already begun to improve the design on the Joy Baluch Bridge. I look forward to getting the member for Stuart off my back and delivering this project as soon as possible.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: What I want to impress upon South Australians, especially those who are listening to us over the live feed, is that regional road funding will always be higher under a Liberal government. Regional South Australia will always be better off under a Liberal government. South Australia will always be better off because we know that investing in country South Australia delivers for all South Australians by improving productivity, improving job creation, improving our important export industries—giving them greater ability to get their products interstate and overseas—and creating the wealth and prosperity that South Australia has been crying for after 16 long years of hard, arduous Labor.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the leader, I call to order the Minister for Education, the Minister for Industry and the member for Playford. The Leader of the Opposition.