Darlington Upgrade Project

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (14:42): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Why did the minister fly to Mount Gambier to attend a Liberal Party fundraiser before attending the site of the collapsed embankments at the Darlington Road project?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:42): This gives me the chance to correct the falsity in the member's question. I didn't fly to Mount Gambier. After having briefed the press on Wednesday about the latest information as it was unfolding down at the Darlington interchange and the work around there, giving the media answers to all of the questions they asked, I then proceeded to go with local MPs—I was with member for MacKillop—and the federal member for Barker, who for quite a while had been asking me to look at what are some pretty awful roads in their electorate.

We started off having a look at essentially the highway and the Monarto turn-off and some money that has just been awarded through the federal Black Spot funding program around a particular issue there. We then—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is on two warnings and continues to interject.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —moved over to just south of Bordertown to look at Frances Road, where we have seen some recent fatalities. Unfortunately, that is what sparked again some money being put along a four-kilometre stretch, three to seven kilometres south of Bordertown, on Frances Road, a road that is extremely narrow in those parts, has no sealed shoulder and does not have much separation at all. In fact, while we were there we saw trucks trying to pass each other on that road—and there ain't much clearance between those two. It is quite a dangerous situation. Again, we were able to look at where the money from the federal Black Spot funding program is going to fix this problem.

The member for MacKillop then took the opportunity to show me certain parts of the Riddoch Highway that need some further investment, and I have certainly taken those on notice at this stage. We also took the opportunity to look at a whole series of other roads, whether that be Carpenter Rocks Road or Clay Wells Road, going down through Mount Burr.

The other road we ended up on, on the Princes Highway out of Millicent, was the one that really stuck in my mind because we drove past what is a collection of about seven or eight fatality markers. Those markers have been there for a little while, but what I got from the federal member for Barker was a detailed history of who those people were. Essentially, it was a sporting team coming home, after celebrating a win, that came to grief on that road. That was a very stark reminder to me that a lot of these fatalities—and we look at the fact that we are now up to 44 or 45 fatalities for the year on our roads—are on country roads. I think statistics from last year show that two-thirds of the fatalities were on country roads.

When these things happen, local communities know about them because they know the people involved. I can tell you a story about someone who was known to my community who came to grief on the Sturt Highway at Truro only a couple of months back. We can tell the story about the young girl who came to grief somewhere just off the Thiele Highway only a couple of months back; in fact, a number of people I know knew this girl quite well.

This is a big and diverse portfolio and yes, there is an issue that is unfolding at Darlington. I was in full and constant communication to get the most up-to-date information but also to share that with the media as soon as that was ready.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned for a second and final time and the member for Waite is warned.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: We cannot, especially considering that we have just had National Road Safety Week, lose sight of the fact that there are an unacceptably high number of deaths on our country roads. I think that putting some time and effort into that issue is important, hugely important—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —and I'm extremely proud that we went to have a look at those roads. And I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.