Kangaroo Island Road Safety Group

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson) (14:48): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Why has the minister cut the $500 a year administration grant to the volunteers who run the Kangaroo Island road safety group?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:49): I think that question presupposes some information—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: You wrote them a letter.

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Mawson, we have the question. Minister, let's get on with the answer please.

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Primary Industries is called to order. The Minister for Transport has the call.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is called to order. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the member for Mawson for the question, and I do realise how important the road safety groups that exist around South Australia are. In fact, I was only discussing with one group across on the West Coast with the member for Flinders when we were across there some of the invaluable information that group was able to provide in relation to local experience on our roads.

I am more than happy to get some more information for the member for Mawson, but I would reiterate how important these groups are and the invaluable advice they provide about local conditions across our community, especially this year when we see an increase in the number of road deaths. I think that we are up to 55 so far this year versus a baseline of 35 last year. We have seen, though, the overall statistics when it comes to broader casualty accidents outside of just fatalities. The numbers fare a little bit better but, regardless, that headline figure is not good enough, and we need to be doing everything we can to make sure that we improve road safety.

That is part of the reason why we as a government have now, between last year's budget and this year's budget, put down somewhere in excess of $1.5 billion to fix country roads. What we have seen in place for some time to try to tackle road safety in South Australia, including the work that the local road safety groups do, is a safe systems approach undertaken that talks about safe vehicles, safe speeds, safe people.

However, there is one element, in my view and I think in this government's view, that has been missing, and that is safe roads, and there is very little way to get around safe roads except to spend money. I think the budget that is about to be handed down is going to deliver the biggest lick of cash into fixing country roads in this state's history. The opportunity for us to make a material difference to people's lives by keeping them alive on our roads is solved in large part by putting money into country roads.

That is something that the department has wanted to do for a long period of time. What they have been missing is political will, and what we have—and I was lucky enough to catch up earlier today with minister Tudge from Canberra—are state and federal governments working together, willing to invest in regional South Australia, realising that there is a little bit more that happens beyond the tollgate in South Australia. This budget delivers more for road safety than this state has ever seen.