Country Road Speed Limits

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (15:00): My question is to the Minister for Transport. After 501 days, can the minister inform the house how he is delivering on his election commitment to raise speed limits on the Port MacDonnell and Carpenter Rocks road?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We have the question.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (15:00): I thank the member for his question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: It also gives me a great opportunity to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: It is very entertaining, but I can't hear the answer.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —correct the record, especially in relation to comments made—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —by the member for Elizabeth in the paper. What I really enjoyed—

The Hon. S.S. Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Premier!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —was that the people who didn't invest in regional roads in South Australia, who dropped the speed limit in the first place, are the ones now having a go at us, who actually had, as part of $143 million in the budget, the money on the table to fix these roads so that the speed limit could be put back up.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The very people who created the problem in the first place now try to attack those who are fixing the problem. Yes, this is taking some time—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Minister, please be seated for one moment. Members on my left and right, be quiet so that I can hear the minister's answer, please. Thank you.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader of the Opposition, you will leaving if this continues.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Yes, this is taking some time—

Mr Bell interjecting:

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I will take the member's maths at his word, but can I say this: it is there in the budget. There is a $143 million package that has been put aside. Part of that is for overtaking lanes, part of that is for shoulder sealing works right across South Australia and part of that is to fix eight roads so that we can put the speed limit back up.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Again, the cacophony, Mr Speaker, from those opposite really does underscore the fact that they are embarrassed about their record in regional South Australia.

Mr Picton interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson, be quiet!

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Primary Industries has been doing it all day. I ask him to stop, please.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I think maybe the member for Mount Gambier should have given a trigger warning with his question. Can I say that we do take this very seriously, but we have said always and often that we will put the speed limits back up once the roads are in a state where they can be put back up. That requires investment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The money is there in the budget. I look forward to accepting the member for Mount Gambier's recent invitation to come back down and visit his electorate for a further time. I look forward to taking the member up on—

The Hon. G.G. Brock interjecting:

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Sorry, and also the member for Frome, but we did meet the other week.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: I look forward to being able to update the member's community personally on the progress of this very important promise.