Victor Harbor Road Duplication

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee) (15:09): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier advise the house how much additional debt beyond the $33 billion outlined in yesterday's state budget will need to be raised to meet the state's funding commitment for the Victor Harbor duplication project beyond the forward estimates?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:09): I thank the member for the question. We have done a considerable amount of work on this project, and the Fleurieu package was announced yesterday, which is for further works to happen here: $185 million was announced in yesterday's budget, which we are very proud of, of course. We are already looking at stage 1 of Main South Road and already there is a stage 1 in progress for the Victor Harbor Road as well.

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

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

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: With this extra money that those previous had never seen or put forward for this project, we think we can deliver far better outcomes for the community. We will be working with the community and we will be consulting on what that might look like very shortly. Having this extra injection will improve the amenities for the people of that southern region.

A little bit like the north-south corridor, the Darlington to Torrens project, what we have done is we have looked at this and modelled this looking for the best solution for that community. It is the north-south connection, but again it's the east-west connection, which is used more by the local community. That's something we will go back and talk to them about.

We were very fortunate in the recent federal budget and then again through our state budget that this extra money was made available. We think we can deliver an even better outcome for the people of the south on those two roads. We will go back and talk to the community about that and make sure that we do that planning and get that planning right. Again, I know those opposite talked about a lot of projects but never actually did the works and did the planning works and that's what's disappointing. You have to do that work—

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

The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —to get that planning in place. The people of the south, the people of those southern regions, would be disappointed—

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

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —that they were neglected for so long. Again, in the budget yesterday it really was great to hear the Treasurer stand up and talk about the extra money that we are putting into the South Australian economy. This is at a time when we know South Australians are doing it tough on the back of COVID-19. It is a really tough time out there and we need to be investing in jobs. To hear the Treasurer—I know my colleagues on this side of the chamber almost got sick of me talking about the $12.9 billion figure that we were talking about in the lead-up to the budget.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: But wait, there's more.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: But wait, there is more.

The SPEAKER: Order, the Minister for Education!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I won't list that figure again. I won't mention it. The figure you will hear from me is $16.7 billion—$16.7 billion. Again, that's a number those opposite have never thought about or heard about or seen injected into the economy and we are going to be delivering the projects that are really important for the people of South Australia. Again, we have already talked about the Torrens to Darlington project, the 10.5 kilometres, which is a vital project for South Australia. We are very proud to be delivering that.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The member for West Torrens chortles away. He has hidden and scurried away from this project for an incredibly long time. But that's okay, we are delivering it—a tough project and we are delivering it. We talk about Main South Road and we talk about the Victor Harbor Road. We are investing more money into that as well.

I have mentioned the regional road safety element too. We know that too many lives are lost on our South Australian roads. We want to make sure we are doing everything in our power to improve that for South Australians. We are investing in improving the safety of our regional roads. I mentioned before $210 million worth.

When it comes to roads and road projects, we have already talked about Golden Grove stage 2. Can I commend the member for King for her tireless work, her advocacy to deliver for Golden Grove stage 1. She has been out in the community pushing for this project and we are delighted that she is now delivering on Golden Grove stage 2.

I was actually out on the street corner with her when this announcement was made and we were waving some posters and thanking the people. I tell you what, I have never seen a hero's welcome for the member for King like we saw on the side of the road. They were honking and cheering and calling her name, and I commend her for her great advocacy into her community. Of course, the South Eastern Freeway as well: $35 million—

Mr Boyer interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —is going to improving that. We are doing the managed motorway at the moment, but more money is going into that freeway. You will see roadwork signs around the place. You will see a lot of that as we go forward but, remember, we are building what matters for South Australia and we are delivering jobs for South Australia—and we stand by that.