Transport Infrastructure

Ms LUETHEN (King) (14:17): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the Northern Connector project and how many jobs have been created in the north?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:17): Thank you—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is called to order.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —Mr Speaker. I was going to say that, in relation to my portfolio, especially long-term infrastructure projects, there is a degree of bipartisanship that needs to exist in this portfolio.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It's necessary because these projects exist for longer than the lifetime of governments. What the South Australian people really want to see is that, when a new government comes in, instead of just scrapping all the things that were happening before because it was what the former guys were doing, we actually take each project on its merits and continue forward to make sure that we don't—in the case of the Andrews Victorian government—spend billions of dollars trying to wind up projects before they begin or ones that are in construction and actually continue to move forward and help grow South Australia.

The Northern Connector project is part of the continuous north-south corridor, which has been a bipartisan objective of not only this state parliament but also the federal parliament for the better part of a decade.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens has interjected at least three times between the first warning and this second warning. He is now warned for a second time.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It's exciting that this project does continue to move forward. I was lucky enough to go out on site with the Premier a couple of weeks ago and look at the first pouring of the concrete slabs that are going to make up the 15½ kilometre road, with the vast majority of that being concrete. What is also exciting is that last Friday, at the Transport and Infrastructure Council, there was some discussion of this project and the fact that the procurement model and—

Mr Malinauskas: I'm sure you gave us due credit.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Actually, I did, and I was just about to. This project and the model under which it was procured and the local outcomes that have been achieved have been fantastic, and it is something that this government has sought to continue. Also, the ability to help second and third-tier contractors to be able to move forward and actually contribute to this project and to help improve the base of skill and talent to be able to deliver these projects in the future is extremely important. I am really excited to see the work of LR&M and CATCON, two companies that have been able to be part of this project, being able to build their skill base so that as we move forward into new projects we have greater competition in this space.

What we need to understand is that this project is underway and it is doing a great job, but we need to understand what comes next. That is a question that this government has progressively sought to answer since coming into government and why in the budget this year $11.3 billion worth of projects—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition is called to order.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —have been put on the table: a pipeline unrivalled and unmatched in South Australia's history. Securing the funding for the Regency to Pym section of the north-south corridor is extremely important, as is looking at other projects like the Joy Baluch Bridge and Port Wakefield Road. The Gawler electrification is another project where it has needed successive governments to take a bipartisan approach to be able to complete this project. It is one that this government took its responsibility for seriously to ensure that we secured, again, the $220 million worth of federal funding.

The real question is: what comes next? For these workers on the Northern Connector, the skills that have been created by Lendlease and the way that it has developed that skill base, what comes next? That is why the next stages of the north-south corridor are so important, and it's why we have engaged the best, brightest and smartest in the country to tell us the best way to move forward on the next stages of the project.

This work could have been made easier and done more easily if more homework had been done since March, but since that time we have moved at an extremely quick pace so that we can continue to build and grow that pipeline that is going to secure jobs here in South Australia in the construction industry for decades to come.