House of Assembly Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia House of Assembly published Question Time Infrastructure Projects Infrastructure Projects The Hon. V.A. TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley Infrastructure Projects The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (14:07): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Has the South Australian government incurred costs prior to the recent federal government decisions regarding transport projects and, if so, how much? With your leave and that of the house, I will explain. Leave granted. The Hon. V.A. TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Late last year, the federal infrastructure minister announced that the commonwealth would remove funding for the Hahndorf township improvements, Main South Road productivity package, Old Belair Road upgrade, Onkaparinga Valley Road-Tiers Road-Nairne Road intersection upgrade and the Truro freight route. The minister told this place on 16 November: We will be expecting reimbursement, of course, on money that we have expended on these projects… 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) (14:07): We have incurred expenses because we did the detailed planning for this project and the commonwealth government have agreed to make sure that the South Australian government has that money reimbursed. We are working through that now with the commonwealth government and, of course, it is very important that we do that. The Truro bypass is an important project and we want to make sure that that work is (1) not lost because it is important that we proceed it— The Hon. V.A. Tarzia House of Assembly Hartley The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: How much? Have you sent them a bill yet? The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Can you just let me finish. I know you are a young man in a hurry. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Florey! The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Trust me, patience. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Newland! 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 am surprised there is not a drone in here taking photographs of him as he is asking questions. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta! 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 important that that important planning work continue. The discussions I have had with Catherine King about the federal review, apart from obviously displaying our disappointment at what she had done, is that the important work of planning continues. We have done a lot of work with the Truro freight bypass because it is an important project to divert a lot of that heavy freight around Truro. More importantly, what the Truro bypass really does is allow us to have much longer trucks, which means less freight across Adelaide altogether, not just for Portrush Road but throughout Adelaide, so it's a very, very important project. What Catherine King has said to me is, that planning work that we have done the South Australian government will be paid for that, and of course that is very, very encouraging. I have to say that my concerns about these projects that the commonwealth government has decided not to fund are that we want Canberra engaged in these projects, so I have made it very clear to Catherine King that we want them engaged in these, and I try to make the same argument and case to Tony Pasin, the local South Australian federal member of parliament. So I am advocating to both of these people, who is also the alternative commonwealth government, the opposition, that it is important that both political parties know the importance of the Truro bypass. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: What concerns me is that— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Flinders! The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have an open mind from Catherine King who says she will consider funding the Truro bypass, and Tony Pasin— Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta's enthusiasm has overtaken him—137A for the remainder of question time. Minister, you have the call. The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber: The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —who has ruled it out. He refuses. If it's a misrepresentation, Mr Pasin can correct the record, or then I will. If that's incorrect, I look forward to Mr Pasin putting out a statement today saying he will fund the Truro bypass if they are elected. Members interjecting: The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: 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 look forward to them doing that. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Minister, there is a point of order from the member for Hartley. The Hon. V.A. TARZIA House of Assembly Hartley The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Standing order 98: the question was very specific about whether costs have been incurred and the minister is deviating from the substance of the question. The Speaker House of Assembly The SPEAKER: Very well. There is some merit in the matters raised with me. Minister, there are about 40 seconds remaining, I bring you back to the substance of the question. The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS House of Assembly West Torrens Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Energy and Mining The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, sir. Costs have been incurred and we are being reimbursed.