Infrastructure Investment Program

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (14:12): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister then advise whether state funding that was allocated under the Infrastructure Investment Program will be reallocated and, if so, where to? With leave of yourself, sir, and the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: The federal infrastructure minister announced that the commonwealth will not fund the Hahndorf township improvements, the Main South Road productivity package, the Old Belair Road upgrade, Onkaparinga Valley Road, Tiers Road, the Nairne Road intersection upgrade and the Truro freight rail, totalling millions of dollars of unallocated South Australian taxpayer money.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:13): All those decisions will be made through a collegiate process through the cabinet process and the budget process. Now, what we will do is we will, of course, look very carefully at what the commonwealth government has done today. We welcome the $2.7 billion worth of extra funding for the north-south corridor, which will cover the actual costs of building rather than the pretend number—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —of $1.9 billion.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: When it comes to these numbers, the truth is this: our contributions to the projects that have been cancelled have been budgeted for. We are ready to go.

Mr Cowdrey interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We have done detailed design work. We will be expecting reimbursement, of course, on money that we have expended on these projects, and the commonwealth government has agreed to that. What we will do now through the budget process is to see how to allocate those resources to make sure that the South Australian public gets a good bang for its buck when it comes to the allocation of that money.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: You've wasted 18 months.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley is warned for a second time.