Road Maintenance

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:08): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering smoother and safer roads across Adelaide and, in the process, creating jobs?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:08): I thank the member for Colton for that very important question. As he is well aware, we are investing $17.9 billion on infrastructure across the state, and $8.8 billion of that is going into roads and public transport infrastructure. I have spoken a lot in this place about the fact that we were left to fix the mess that Labor handed us when we took over government. Of course, a chunk of that was the $750 million road maintenance backlog. That's what we were handed when we came into the government benches, and it beggars belief how the opposition let things get so out of hand and go to rack and ruin.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir: standing order 98, rules applying to answers:

(a) In answering a question, a Minister or other Member replies to the substance of the question and may not debate the matter to which the question refers.

The minister started off his answer with debate about past performance.

The SPEAKER: I don't uphold the point of order for the time being. I am listening carefully to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport's answer. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It is a fact that that was the road maintenance we were left with, the backlog that was there. It was such a significant backlog that we brought it to the federal government's attention and it is now an action item on the Infrastructure Australia priority list. So we got it on the priority list and we are getting on with fixing this problem.

Today, I am just going to speak about a fraction of the work that we are doing in resurfacing roads to make them smoother and make them safer, as the member for Colton pointed out. As part of our record spend, we are investing $90 million on 65 kilometres of road, which equates to approximately 220-lane kilometres. That's supporting 500 full-time equivalent jobs in SA, which is vitally important, and the member for Colton is incredibly aware of that.

Resurfacing roads is very important for improving road safety and making everyone's journey home smoother and more comfortable. As part of this investment, we have already resurfaced and fixed parts of Henley Beach Road, which I know the member for Colton is very appreciative of—he uses that almost every day, as do his constituents—Fullarton Road, and once again the member for Unley is pretty stoked with that one, and we have also done sections of Darley Road, Kensington Road, McIntyre Road and Gorge Road as well.

These are roads that tens of thousands of South Australians use every day. They are getting smoother and safer so people get a safer trip into work, they get a safer journey home, and they get a safer journey travelling wherever they need to across our metropolitan area.

If you get in your car and drive out now, you will see works happening on Port Road, Marion Road, Greenhill Road, Golden Grove Road, Salisbury Highway, Richmond Road and obviously the South Eastern Freeway—ignored for years by those opposite, but we are fixing the South Eastern Freeway.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It doesn't stop there.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Playford!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Before the end of the year, we will be fixing more of Labor's road maintenance backlog. They liked talking about it, but they didn't do anything about it when they were in government though. But we are getting on with it. Before the end of the year, resurfacing works commenced on Anzac Highway—

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

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —Cross Road, Shepherds Hill Road, Stephen Terrace. He hates it.

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat for a moment. The member for West Torrens rises on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The clock has repaired itself, sir. It was on four minutes.

The SPEAKER: There is no point of order. In the event of a technical glitch, members might assist the Chair in bringing that to attention. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I can go as long as you like. Anzac Highway, Cross Road, Shepherds Hill Road, Stephen Terrace, Crittenden Road—they don't like it, but we are fixing the mess they left. Glynburn Road, Montague Road and Payneham and Lower North East Road—

Mr Szakacs interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Cheltenham!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —happening right now: jobs on the ground for South Australians, building the infrastructure that's important to them. The Marshall government's resurfacing program touches all quarters of metropolitan Adelaide. My regional colleagues also know what we're doing out there to fix our country roads as well—$2.8 billion to fix more than 4,500 kilometres of neglected country roads by the Labor government when they were in government.

I was actually on Eyre Peninsula with the member for Flinders, who secured a bucketload of investment for his local community. We saw firsthand the shoulder sealing work that's happening there and the resurfacing and overtaking lanes underway in one of South Australia's most beautiful regions. The Eyre Highway, the Tod Highway, the Birdseye Highway, the Flinders Highway and the Lincoln Highway, we were out there looking at all the roads and the work that is being done. These overtaking lanes were long called for but never delivered under those opposite; we are getting on and doing it now and it is generating jobs in the community as well.

It is clear those opposite didn't see the value in resurfacing our roads to make them smoother and safer and that's why they left that $750 million road maintenance backlog. South Australians can rest assured, though, that the Marshall government will continue to build what matters, will fix the roads for South Australians, be it in the metropolitan area where people commute day in and day out or across the regions where they provide so much of the high productivity value to our state, and we appreciate the wonderful work that they do.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Ramsay!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Whether it's on Eyre Peninsula, Yorke Peninsula, the South-East or up north—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Lee!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —we are delivering. We are fixing the roads that were neglected and we are cleaning up Labor's mess.