Infrastructure Funding

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister update the house on the Marshall government's $11.9 million general infrastructure spend over the next four years?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:38): I can update the house about all the extremely worthy projects that this government has taken the responsible course of action on in terms of funding via debt that we are able to finance at extremely low levels. They are very worthy projects and I think it would be very good, as we list through them, for those opposite to let us know which ones they don't support, which projects they don't consider should be going ahead and would be going ahead if they were on the treasury bench.

We have talked a lot over the course of this week and the last few weeks in relation to our spend on road infrastructure but, of the $11.9 billion we are going to spend over the next four years, only $3.2 billion is actually road infrastructure. That is certainly welcome news for the civil construction area, but for the commercial construction area there is a heap of good news that we need to actually work with them on to deliver.

There is $1.8 billion worth of water and sewerage infrastructure, including, and probably most excitingly, the $390 million that the Minister for Environment is looking after to install solar PV generation and storage solutions right across South Australia to allow SA Water to achieve zero net electricity costs from 2020. We then move across to health facilities at $1½ billion. Whether that is $550 million towards the cost of the Women's and Children's Hospital—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I find it quite interesting—

The SPEAKER: The member for Playford is called to order.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —that when Bill Shorten commits $50 million towards the Women's and Children's that's okay, that is welcomed, but when we commit $550 million towards the Women's and Children's Hospital that's not so welcomed.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: But that's okay. I wouldn't let—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right and left!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —contradicted fact get in the way of trying to make a cheap political argument. What is also interesting is—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —that there have been times in the recent past when projects have been announced and the full costs of those projects have spanned beyond the forward estimates. Sometimes, with a project like the north-south corridor, because it is going to take longer than four years to build, you can't put money into a budget for a time frame that is beyond the four years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: But there is a project that I am glad to say has been fully funded now in this year's budget that, when it was first announced, almost all the money projected—in fact, if not all the money—was outside the forward estimates, and that is the duplication of South Road, the first 10-kilometre section of that duplication—$305 million that, when it was announced, wasn't in the budget but progressively came—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order: first, the question was about $11.9 million, not billion; second, the minister is debating an answer about budgets five budgets ago.

The SPEAKER: Sorry, what was the point?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Debate, sir.

The SPEAKER: That was, respectfully, not your most articulate point of order. I have the question. I do respectfully ask the minister to come back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The $305 million is part of the $11.9 billion spend that we have over the next four years. Sometimes, not every post is made a winner. In extension of the $550 million for the Women's and Children's Hospital, there is also $264 million for The Queen Liz, $97 million for the Modbury Hospital upgrade that I know the member for Newland and the member for King have been long championing, and here for regional MPs is $140 million towards—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —spending money on vital sustainment works to upgrade the amenity of our regional hospitals, a backlog in regional hospital maintenance that has been left sitting there for a generation, that now we are getting on and actually delivering.

Mr Hughes: Most of it was delivered under Labor.

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles is warned.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: There is also the $1.4 billion that we are spending on school infrastructure—$1.4 billion that we are spending on school infrastructure—including $361 million to build three new schools across the state, including in the member for Giles' electorate, where this government is delivering—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —a new high school for Whyalla. Again, I am sure the people of Whyalla are grateful, if not their elected representative in this place. We are spending $11.9 billion on infrastructure, responsibly using debt to grow the productive capacity of our state. I challenge those who disagree with that spending to articulate what they would cut—

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —because they refuse to acknowledge that spending.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. The member for Playford is warned and the member for Ramsay is warned for a second and final time. The deputy leader.