House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time South Road South Road Mr TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley South Road Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (15:23): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. When will the minister provide certainty to residents and business owners along South Road? With the leave of the house, sir, I will explain. Leave granted. Mr TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley Mr TARZIA: On Thursday 15 September, on 891 radio Dr Robyn Sainsbury revealed that she has still not received a definitive answer as to whether the government plans to bulldoze her skin cancer clinic, with over 20,000 patients, on South Road. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (15:23): The short answer to that question is very soon. The long answer to the question is Ms Sainsbury then went on to ring back the program, I understand, and gave a very different answer, as she had been contacted a number of times by her local member of parliament, received many pieces of correspondence from the department— Ms Thompson House of Assembly Davenport Ms Thompson: He might want to listen to the Friday transcript. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, perhaps the member might want to read Friday's transcript because it was a very different situation. People are time poor and get lots of correspondence. Sometimes they don't read that correspondence. I am not assigning any blame; it just happens. I understand now that that particular issue has been resolved, and it has been resolved through— Mr Tarzia House of Assembly Hartley Mr Tarzia: So it's their fault. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, I did not say that at all. I would also say that I am available to meet with local residents as often as they please. I meet and consult with local community groups. Local members in the area—the members for Elder and Badcoe—are meeting regularly with groups to discuss what is occurring on the north-south corridor, as do I. I meet with these groups, I talk to them and I talk to local residents. Once we have repaired the completely inadequate reference design that members opposite left us—which, to remind the house, could have meant that $9.9 billion being spent on the north-south corridor would have made it redundant the day it was open—I have to say— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order and the member for Hartley is called to order. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We have three major arterial roads funnelling into South Road. If we do not make the tunnels workable for those people who are on those arterial roads coming down from the south onto South Road—make the tunnels usable for them—they would not use the tunnels. That is, if the exit points at Anzac Highway, Richmond Road and James Congdon Drive were not sufficient to move traffic, they would choose not to use those tunnels and we would have spent $9.9 billion on a vanity project of the former government. We have to make sure that those tunnels work properly, and the shadow minister— Ms Stinson interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Badcoe! Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Badcoe is called to order. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hartley! The Treasurer is called to order. The minister has the call. Mr Whetstone interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey, order! The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I hear the shadow minister's complaints about six months. This is a project, like the Women's and Children's Hospital, that will last the state for nearly a century. We have to get it right and we are going to get it right— Mr Tarzia House of Assembly Hartley Mr Tarzia: You're not even going to do it, are you? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —and the member is interjecting, 'You're not even going to do it.' Mr Tarzia House of Assembly Hartley Mr Tarzia: Are you? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It is now 3.20. Write down this date in your diary, Mr Speaker, that the member for Hartley says we're not going to do it.