Narungga Electorate Road Upgrades

Mr ELLIS (Narungga) (14:58): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister inform the house about road infrastructure upgrades in Narungga?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:58): I can. In noting the member for Narungga's question, someone with whom I have had the great pleasure before the election of inspecting a lot of country roads in his neck of the woods, which is something that you do as a Liberal MP and a regional shadow minister—

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna can leave for half an hour under 137A.

The honourable member for Kaurna having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Can I tell you that going to the regions for us isn't about getting the freshly pressed set of chinos out of the cupboard and getting the RMs repolished, or, a bit like the member for Enfield, going on a bit of a shopping trip to sample the regional clothing delights. We on this side of the house have a little bit of dust on our boots from time to time because we actually exist in regional communities.

We don't have to merely consult with regional communities like it's an 'us and them'. We live and exist in regional communities every day of the week. That is why this is a government that listens to regional South Australians. So the member for Narungga comes and says—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: 'Stephan, I need a hand because there's a stretch of road between Minlaton and Maitland that needs to be upgraded, and I need a hand to fix it.' This is a government that listens. It's why early next year we are going to put $670,000 into shoulder sealing works—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —and resealing along an eight-kilometre stretch of the Minlaton to Maitland road.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition is warned for a second time. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The reason that this is important, providing this lane of 3.1 metres wide with a half a metre sealed shoulder, is that sealed shoulders on roads reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 40 per cent. We want to keep regional people alive, and that's why we are here fixing their roads.

Mr Hughes interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned for a second time.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: What's interesting also is that, on the drive across to Yorkes and back, the candidate for Narungga at that stage took the opportunity to talk to me about a pretty pesky road project that had been on the agenda for about 30 years in his electorate. What we did was underpromised an overpass and overdelivered an overpass and a road duplication in the town of Port Wakefield—$88½ million working collaboratively with the commonwealth government, who put 80 per cent of the funding on the table, to deliver not only what we promised but more than what we promised because we exist, live and breathe regional South Australia.

There are more roads that need work in the member for Narungga's electorate, and we will continue to invest using our $315 million Regional Roads and Infrastructure Fund to put money back into regional South Australia. We will, for instance, put money back in to making sure that mobile phone blackspots in regional South Australia are wiped out. We will make sure that we put money back into regional health structures to make sure that regional boards are looked after.

This is a government that lives and breathes regional South Australia. We don't have to put on a nicely pressed set of clothes to be able to go out and talk to some country folk with a freshly oiled Akubra: we're people who understand our electorates, and we are very proud to represent them. This is a government that is finally putting money and effort back into regional South Australia.