Fleurieu Connections Project

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister update the house on the Marshall Liberal government's joint Fleurieu connections upgrade with the federal government?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:44): I thank the member for Elder for her question. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to stand up in this house and inform the house of how we are continuing to fix Labor's mess. The Main South Road project is in the same boat as the Goodwood-Springbank-Daws project, the final stages of the north-south corridor and the Gawler line electrification: it's a project that Labor never delivered. They just put it in the too-hard basket. Well, we are getting on with it and we are delivering it.

I might first say that I am very proud that our government is investing to fix Main South Road and Victor Harbor Road. I would like to compare and contrast that with what the Labor Party had planned for the sake of this context here. The two key factors here are financial investment and jobs; that was our focus.

The Marshall government in conjunction with the Morrison federal government has delivered $560 million for a Fleurieu Connections package. That will see the duplication of Main South Road between Seaford and Aldinga include two grade separations, see a two-plus-one configuration of Main South Road between Aldinga and Sellicks, which means basically alternating lanes all the way down—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It will see the duplication of Victor Harbor Road, which they didn't want, between—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —Main South Road and McLaren Vale, and the icing on the cake will be another overtaking lane further down Victor Harbor Road.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Minister for Trade and Investment!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: If we do compare with what those opposite were going to deliver, in 2017 Labor built a roundabout. They built a roundabout at Main South Road that the locals hate and the Marshall Liberal government is replacing that—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Kaurna!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —with a grade separation. Those opposite had $305 million—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Kaurna will cease interjecting.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —on the table. They won't like to hear this, but let's put the facts out there: $305 million they committed to it and only $100 million of that was in the last two years of the forward estimates. So really it was a little bit of phoney money—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —from the Labor Party the last two years of the forward estimates to duplicate Main South Road. As we know, based on the costings—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Badcoe!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —their commitment would have only given three roundabouts.

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

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Three roundabouts is what they would have delivered. We are doing two grade separations.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport will resume his seat.

Mr Boyer: Wow! That went well.

The SPEAKER: The member for Wright will cease interjecting. The member for West Torrens rises on a point of order. He is entitled to be heard in silence.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir: two points of order. The first one is standing order 98. The minister was debating the question by talking about the Labor Party and the former government, and he doesn't have any responsibility to the house for the former government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Innovation and Skills is warned.

Mr Odenwalder: Resign!

The SPEAKER: The member for Elizabeth will cease interjecting. I uphold the point of order insofar as it relates to the first one. I didn't really detect a second limb. Insofar as it's a point of order pursuant to standing order 98, I uphold it. The minister is directed to the substance of the question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Yes, they don't like the facts and they should hang their head in shame because in this compare and contrast—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will just pause there for a moment. Having ruled on the point of order and having upheld the point of order, I don't and the house doesn't require editorial in relation to the matter. The minister will direct his answer to the substance of the question. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I am very happy to direct my answer to the substance of the question and that is what we are delivering for the people of the southern suburbs on Main South Road and on Victor Harbor Road as well. We are delivering two grade separations, which wasn't on the table with what Labor had. In fact, we are fixing their mess and that's important. It was a weak funding commitment from those opposite. The $305 million they had for the project would have delivered three roundabouts; we are doing the grade separations. What I can say is along with the $560 million we are committing in partnership with the federal government to get the solution that the community needs and wants down there, after excessive consultation, is this: 770 full-time jobs—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —across a year for the life of this project is absolutely outstanding. That is families in South Australia being fed, that is people getting jobs, hard hats on the ground, people in steel cap boots doing work here in South Australia—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned for a second time.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and the local community is loving it. I was down there with the Liberal candidate for Mawson, Ms Amy Williams, and she has fought hard for this project. She knows what it means to the people of that region, and she has delivered. In fact, I would say she has delivered more in three months than the member down there has delivered in 16 years.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: He was part of the cabinet that couldn't get this done, and here we are rolling out this project. Community consultation: 92 per cent of the community—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Members on my left!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —support the stage 1 duplication, which will improve road safety and boost productivity. The survey of local residents showed 86 per cent of respondents supported the grade separation at the intersection with Tatachilla Road. They know how important that is. We consulted, we listened and we have gone with the second grade separation. We are getting rid of the rubbish roundabout they built.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They don't like it, but they delivered a roundabout that the people of Aldinga don't like. We are doing a grade separation. We are building what matters for the people of the south and creating jobs in the process.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the leader, I warn the member for Hurtle Vale, I call to order the Minister for Trade and Investment, I call to order the member for Badcoe, I warn for a second time the member for Kaurna and I call to order the deputy leader.