Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (14:39): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will the minister fund the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mr BATTY: At a public forum in my electorate last week, representatives from the minister's own department stated that investing in this freight network would be 'economically positive' but also stated that the project was not funded at this time.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:39): Given the question and the advice that followed the question—that it's got a positive BCR—the question then remains: why hasn't the member called on his own side to fund it?

An honourable member: We ask the questions.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'We ask the questions.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'We ask the questions.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Badcoe!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It would be—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is called to order and warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: There would be more credibility from the opposition if they said: 'We are prepared to fund the entire cost of the Adelaide freight bypass, not like last time when we said we were funding GlobeLink.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'This time it's different. This time we mean it. This time we really mean it. Pretty please with a cherry on top, we mean it.' Seriously, why would we, the state government, fund this project in its entirety by itself without the commonwealth government? Why would the opposition call on us to fund it without wanting to fund it themselves? Perhaps there is an announcement they are going to make. Perhaps the shadow treasurer—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: No, they are all shaking their heads saying, 'No, we are not funding it.' This is the scenario we are in now. The scenario we are facing now—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond! Member for Flinders!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —is the opposition want us to fund a project that they themselves will not fund. Is that how it works?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Okay, so, 'Please fund a project that we won't fund ourselves.' That's quite the slogan. What bumper sticker are you putting that on?

Mr Cowdrey interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Colton!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It was very disappointing to see my younger friends opposite engage in a partisan attack on public servants at a recent public meeting—public servants who were then dead, who worked tirelessly to improve the safety and efficiency of the transport system within South Australia. To attack them for doing their jobs properly reflects poorly not only on those who make these attacks.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond! Member for Morialta!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It may also surprise members opposite—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Unley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —but business cases are generally required to secure commonwealth funding for significant projects. The Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass avoids the fiasco of GlobeLink.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That being said, freight productivity improvements remain an economic priority for our government, with the current freight planning studies looking at statewide expressions of a high-productivity vehicle network.

Mr Brown interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey!

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I know you will.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I often sit at home and think, 'What would we do without David Speirs? What would we do without John Gardner?' Thankfully, we still have them. The truth of this matter is that the freight bypass often—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —is used by some political parties to try to frighten communities or to try to secure community support. What this government does is speak the truth to those local communities about what it is we can actually deliver. The most important part is the business case. The most important part is the economic evaluation. What we won't do is break people's hearts like members opposite did by promising a freight bypass and then doing the work afterwards, and then ultimately killing it.