Glen Osmond Road Intersection

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (14:32): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the Morrison and Marshall governments' plans to upgrade the intersection of Glen Osmond Road and Fullarton Road as part of the government's congestion-busting plans?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:32): I thank the member for Kavel for his question. I know that Glen Osmond Road is a road that he would have to traverse on a daily basis as he comes down from on high, in Mount Barker, down into this place.

One of the key choke points along that road for the 27,000 to 28,000-odd motorists who drive down Glen Osmond Road on a daily basis is the Glen Osmond Road-Fullarton Road intersection, and it is a key choke point that stops the member for Kavel getting to this place earlier. Well, the Marshall Liberal government, together with the Morrison Liberal government, are going to help make that better. There is $35 million on the table in the federal budget—it will also be in the upcoming state budget—to provide an upgrade to that very key intersection for the 55,000 vehicles that use that road on a daily basis.

This is a major link between the Hills and the CBD area, but from a north-south perspective Fullarton Road is also a key part of Adelaide's metropolitan traffic network. As the member for Unley, the Minister for Innovation and Skills, pointed out this morning, this is also the intersection that is the subject of the most complaints in that inner eastern and south-eastern suburbs area. It is an intersection that has a significant amount of local traffic that seeks to avoid that intersection, but it has also been the subject of a series of casualty accidents over the last five years—34 crashes, of which 11 involved casualties between 2013 and 2017.

This intersection upgrade forms part of a broader plan that we have to improve traffic congestion right through the Adelaide area: seven intersection upgrades as well as two level crossing removals right across our network so that we can help get people to and from where they want to go more quickly. We would much prefer to see people sitting at home with their loved ones than sitting frustrated in traffic at a red light.

This also forms part of a massive injection of funds that the federal Morrison government is putting into South Australia. It is the result of a grown-up conversation between two governments that has delivered 11½ per cent of the national share of new money into South Australia for South Australians. What is really exciting here is that this money is all in the forward estimates; it has all been budgeted for.

But there is a risk because what we have seen from Bill Shorten and from the federal Labor opposition is equivocation when it comes to their support for these measures. We have not had confirmation that Bill Shorten, if he were to ever gain control of power in Canberra, would support these measures. That is a risk. Something that I think South Australians going to the ballot box are going to keep in mind is whether or not these promised upgrades, which are planned for and ready to go, will actually be delivered if there is a change of government at the federal level.

Early works of this project are planned to start early next year, with completion in 2022. For the people of the member for Unley's electorate, for the people of the member for Kavel's electorate, for the people of the member for Heysen's electorate and also for the member for Hammond's electorate, there is a change for the better coming. It is based around putting money on the table to improve traffic in our cities. I look forward to that being completed as soon as possible.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Leader of the Opposition will not taunt ministers.