Regional South Australia

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (14:33): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is supporting regional South Australians?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL (Dunstan—Premier) (14:33): I am very happy to answer this question, and I would like to thank the member for Finniss for his question. I must say that I very much enjoyed visiting his electorate with him on the weekend. I try to get to—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: So you went to schoolies?

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned for a second and final time.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —our country electorates every week or so. It was a great pleasure to visit Finniss, and we looked at a range of projects down there. I must say, it was very good to have a look at the PipiCo and see some of the progress that has been made. That was a project that I know the member for Mawson was very much involved in, and he will be very pleased to know that great progress is being made at that company.

I was also very pleased to visit the work of Encounter Youth. Maybe that might be the subject of a further contribution to this house in coming days. I would like to talk about the importance of regions for the government. They felt that they had been very much neglected for a long period of time in South Australia, and so we believe that we are working very hard to address the deficiencies—

Mr Hughes interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Giles can leave for the remainder of question time under 137A.

Mr Pederick: Just stake us for the $100 million, Eddie.

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is warned.

The Hon. S.K. Knoll interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Transport is called to order.

The honourable member for Giles having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I would have thought the member for Giles would have been delighted with the new government. When we look at some of the projects that we are rolling out there, I would have thought he would have been delighted. That's an electorate that was certainly neglected by the previous government. There's a brand-new school that is being built in that area. I think it will probably be the very best school in South Australia.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: You had 16 years.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Education is called to order. He knows better than to interject through the Premier's answer.

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Leader!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: One of the things that I am most pleased about is the massive investment in road infrastructure, which we are putting in place—more than $1.1 billion.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I would have thought that the opposition would have been interested in regional South Australia. They said, of course, that they would. We know that the Leader of the Opposition has visited 'Cockburn' and has been to the 'Marree' river. We're not quite sure where either of those places are. Obviously, he knows more about regional South Australia than we do. We are keen to find out. Perhaps he can take us on one of his wonderful tours.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order. Again, sir—

The SPEAKER: Premier, be seated for one moment, please. The point of order is for debate. I have the point of order.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Education, I ask you to stop antagonising the opposition. I ask for the interjections to cease so that I can listen to the Premier's answer, and I ask him to come back to the substance of the question. Premier.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I don't know where the 'Marree' river is, but I do know where crash corner is and I am very pleased that we are fixing this terrible intersection that those opposite neglected for a long period of time. I know where Port Augusta is, and I must say that we are very pleased to be building the new Joy Baluch AM Bridge in Port Augusta, a project which is long overdue. I know exactly where Victor Harbor is. Those opposite talked about duplicating part of the road between Main South Road and McLaren Vale for a long period of time, but we are doing it. It is on the way and that is fantastic, as well as a range of countrywide projects—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: —across the Princes Highway, the Horrocks Highway, and it doesn't stop there. We are significantly investing into health infrastructure in South Australia: a 12-bed acute medical unit at Noarlunga. This is important work.

The member for Giles would have liked to have known about five new intern places at Whyalla Hospital that we are funding because we believe in regional health in South Australia—significant capital investments in country hospitals right across the state. I know that the member for Hammond is very happy about a new ED at the Murray Bridge hospital. I know that the Barossa hospital is getting an upgrade. I know that the McLaren Vale and Districts War Memorial Hospital is getting some money. These are important pieces of infrastructure. We are very happy to support those people in our regions.

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is on two warnings. The Minister for Primary Industries is called to order. He has been doing it all day. Member for Kaurna.