Torrens to Darlington Project

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (14:33): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Minister, can you please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is building what matters in creating jobs thanks to the Torrens to Darlington project?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:34): I thank the member for this very important question and note how important this project is not only for metropolitan South Australia but for regional South Australia as well—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader! The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and particularly to travel along the 78-kilometre stretch, heading on out through Gawler and go on to the Riverland is just so inviting to the people of South Australia as we go forward. It was my great pleasure to be with the Premier and also Minister Fletcher releasing the reference design for the Torrens to Darlington project.

Mr Malinauskas: I live closer to the Riverland than you, mate.

The SPEAKER: Order! The leader is called to order. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They don't care about this project over there. They just want to make a whole heap of noise.

The SPEAKER: Minister, don't respond to interjections. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: What we want to do is get on with delivering this project—the last 10.5-kilometre stretch of the north-south corridor, a $9.9 billion project, the largest this state has ever seen, a factor of around four if you're talking about the cost, and 4,900 jobs, let's talk about those. That's how many jobs we're going to create with this project.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It is going to supply the construction sector for the next decade. To put that in perspective, it is 10 times the size of the Northern Connector, about 28 times the size of Regency to Pym. Of course, that's another part of the north-south corridor that the Marshall Liberal government finished and opened earlier this year. It is more than 100 times bigger than the Portrush-Magill intersection upgrade. This is the quantum of this project.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: How much bigger is it than the highway?

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It is going to be a game changer. We do know that it was the section that was too hard for those opposite. They put it in the too-hard basket. They didn't want to touch it—

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —but that's not what we're about. We're about getting on with the job. We're not scared like they were. They were scared of this project, didn't want to touch it, didn’t want to go near it, but we are getting on—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Lee!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and getting our hands dirty and building what matters for the people of South Australia. This community has been waiting decades and decades for this project, ignored by those opposite, but we are moving on with it.

Anyone who has actually driven from the River Torrens down through to Castle Plaza on the other side will know the delays that go with that, through Henley Beach Road and that section. This twin-tunnel solution is going to cut that down to 20 minutes, take out 21 sets of traffic lights along the way. We will not know ourselves.

In fact, from the Torrens River through to Darlington it is going to take nine minutes—nine minutes—that is light speed. I think the Premier said on the weekend, 'Enough time to boil up some pasta.' That's how long it's going to take. We will not know ourselves. Right now, if you were to do it now—30 to 40 minutes down to nine minutes.

I mentioned the reference design that is out there for the community to see and to put some feedback into and we do appreciate that. What we do know with this project is that by not adopting Labor's open-cut design that they were looking at right through this community we have saved 480 properties—480 properties have been saved—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —by going with the twin-tunnel solution. It was a pleasure to actually get a briefing for the member for West Torrens and the member for Badcoe yesterday and take them through this project.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thankfully, the member for Badcoe didn't cancel her appointment this time. She did that the first time around, but we were actually able to outline for her the facts of what is going on. Anyone who has any questions can go to the website—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the member for Badcoe!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —because that is where the information is, and you can—

Ms Stinson interjecting:

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

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —get all you need to know there or you can contact the department, and we encourage people to do that.

That is why also wrapped around this project $125 million has been set aside for the City Shaping projects to make greener our community: trees, parks, community spaces, playgrounds and bike paths, the list goes on. We are out consulting with the community, listening to what they would like to see to wrap around.

Actually, as the Minister for Environment has said, a 20 per cent uplift in the green canopy around this project is what we are going for, and I know he is over the moon with that. We are again building what matters for the people of South Australia.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the next question, I remind the house of standing order 131, which prohibits interruptions in the course of members making a contribution except to call attention to a breach of the standing orders, to call attention to the lack of a quorum or to move a motion.