North-South Corridor

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:10): My question is to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering the north-south corridor?

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL (Schubert—Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Local Government, Minister for Planning) (14:10): I can, Mr Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: Can I say that—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: One press release at a time!

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned for that outburst. The minister has the call.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: The north-south corridor is a fantastic project and one that has received bipartisan support from governments of all persuasions over a long period of time. In fact, I remember—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is called to order.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —the pronouncements made as far as back as the early 2000s, in the mid-2000s, and certainly when the Premier (then the leader of the opposition), together with then prime minister Tony Abbott, made announcements about this government's commitment—before it even was the government—to the north-south corridor.

This is an important city-shaping project that has remained first and foremost our top infrastructure priority here in South Australia, and on this score the Marshall Liberal government is delivering. Whether that be getting on and completing the three stages in the north-south corridor that were started when we came to government, those being the Torrens to Torrens project, the Darlington project and the Northern Connector—I know that people in my electorate in the north text me every single day asking when that project is going to be opened—or whether it be the fact that we sat down within a few weeks of coming to government to help secure the funding for the Regency Road to Pym Street section of the north-south corridor, some $340 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —worth of money from state and federal governments to get on and deliver that project, a project that was worked up before we came to office, but there was one pesky little detail that was missing from delivering that project—the money. Normally, when you want to deliver projects that require federal government funding you need to make sure that you have asked the federal government for the funding before you make pronouncements about having it. Can I say that this government has placed its firm focus on the remaining sections of the north-south corridor—the part that the former government put in the too-hard basket—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —leaving a reference design from 2015 on the table that had one—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —missing ingredient that stopped it from being delivered, and that was the money. What we have been able to achieve over the first federal budget, the first state budget, the second federal budget and the second state budget is $5.4 billion on the table—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —to get moving on the remaining sections of the north-south corridor.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, leader!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: What is also interesting is that we are going through a process at the moment, having said before the election that we would take an evidence-based approach to delivering infrastructure in South Australia that meant that we needed to go and do our homework on business case development in order to make sure that we have the best evidence—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is called to order.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —in knowing how to deliver this important project. Instead of just taking the former—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned.

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —government's design on the table, what we have done is spend money, money that we put aside before the election to look at how we deliver a tunnelling solution here in South Australia, and that is something we are actively exploring at the moment. But for South Australians who have been looking forward to the completion of the north-south corridor—something that has been talked about for a long time—they will know that this Marshall Liberal government is delivering. Four sections are underway or completed at the moment, with the remaining section, the most difficult section, going through an evidence-based rigorous process to make sure that South Australians know that we will deliver the best project, making sure that we don't waste taxpayers' money—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.K. KNOLL: —and making sure that we work together with the federal government to secure the funding possible.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education is called to order and his former classmate the member for Lee is warned for a second and final time. Would someone like a question on my left? No, member for Waite, you are not getting this question. Leader.