Victor Harbor Road

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (14:46): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister inform the house on the government's plans to duplicate the Victor Harbor Road?

An honourable member: What about the causeway?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:46): I can.

An honourable member: Good. Very important.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It is very important, so I am a little bit bemused because the issue in relation to the causeway is actually in the public sphere and I would answer the question, but I would be in breach of the standing orders.

What we announced in conjunction with the federal government on Tuesday in relation to the Victor Harbor Road is a fantastic part of our plan to deliver road upgrades for regional South Australia. The member for Finniss was actually regaling me on the drive with how old he was when the road first got upgraded, and I don't want to talk about the time gap because it's quite a few decades.

Essentially, he has relayed—as somebody whose family has lived in the area for quite a long time—the history of this road and the notorious nature of this road and the fact that it took until 2019 for us to stand there, as we did, on the turn-off to Seaview Road at the top of McLaren Vale to announce the duplication of Victor Harbor Road to McLaren Vale. It is something that his community on the South Coast has been calling for for decades, something that the people of McLaren Vale have been calling for for decades, and it's finally going to become a reality.

This four-kilometre stretch of road, essentially from the turn-off at South Road all the way through to McLaren Vale, is going to deal with a stretch of road that takes about 25,000 vehicles a day. That is huge. In terms of the roads we have around South Australia that are still single lane with 25,000 cars a day, this one is one of the ones that takes the cake. It's why we were so keen to deliver this project in conjunction with the federal government—92 million bucks on the table—to get this job done.

We know that this is actually quite a dangerous stretch of road; in fact, we have seen only in recent weeks a fatality on that stretch of Victor Harbor Road. It brings very much into stark relief the fact that this money that we spend is going to make a material difference to people's lives. We can only really ask ourselves the question: had this duplication happened earlier, would circumstances be different?

This, again, was also going to help drive tourism. In fact, the front page of The Advertiser today puts paid to that fact. That is, Victor Harbor, Goolwa and the surrounding areas are a major part of our tourism economy, and connectivity between Adelaide and regions such as the South Coast are so very important. Whether it be the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, a little further up to the Riverland or down the South Coast to McLaren Vale, getting people out into our regions is a key way that we can help to drive growth in the South Australian economy.

It is as much about perception as it is about reality in terms of the distance that it takes to get people out into our regions. To put this money on the table, to be able to demonstrate that it is going to be a lot quicker to use Victor Harbor Road to get down to the South Coast, is going to make it seem and actually be more accessible for people to get down there. I look forward to the benefits of that being fully realised and for the local tourism economy to be able to thrive in that regard.

I thank very much the member for Finniss for his advocacy in this regard. He took the opportunity to take me the length and breadth of his electorate. We did discuss whether Adelaide should be down at Currency Creek or whether it is in the best spot for it, but we stood on top of the hill and the member for Finniss implored me about the importance of what this duplication project will deliver for his people. I am just so very proud that we have a constructive federal government that has put money on the table and a state government that is willing to get on and help deliver this project.