Hope Valley Reservoir Tree Replanting

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): My question is to the Minister for Housing, with responsibility for SA Water. Will the government invest in replanting trees at the Hope Valley Reservoir, replacing the nearly 1,000 trees that have been destroyed by giant pine scale, and will the government consider further improvements to make more of the site available for active and passive recreation?

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Housing Infrastructure, Minister for Planning) (14:19): I thank the member for their question. It is obviously an issue of some contention in the community because of the trees dying off, and that has given the government some pause for thought to re-examine the walking trails, and so I will take that on notice and give the member an update.

But I have to say it is not walking trails that the government is most interested in when we look at water infrastructure: it is water infrastructure for housing. That is what occupies this government's thinking, not roaming around some reservoir somewhere in a pair of tight jeans and a puffer jacket, desperately trying to make yourself popular. Those sorts of projects don't obsess us. What obsesses us is providing funding for water and sewer pipes that might give the next generation a hope of the chance to buy their own house. I was only out at Angle Vale a couple of Sundays ago—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION: You're auditioning for your next job as comedian, are you? So $59 million for water and sewer infrastructure, but I was really stunned because one of the things we are upgrading there—you will like this and so you should listen to this—is a sewer pump that was put in in 2021. The previous government put in a sewer pump for 500 houses, even though they knew another 1,500 houses on top of that were going to be put in, and we now have to go back and upgrade a sewer pump that was put in in 2021. It is absolutely incredible.

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader on a point of order.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: the question related to trees, in addition to recreational facilities at the Hope Valley Reservoir, and my constituents are certainly interested to know whether the government will be replanting trees.

The SPEAKER: The minister, maybe if you could return to the question.

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION: As I said to the honourable member, you asked me about infrastructure on SA Water sites and I am just giving you a bit of an understanding that our priority is water infrastructure, water and sewer pipes for new housing. Your constituents would appreciate that because they are probably concerned about housing affordability and I am just giving them a bit of the window into the pressures that are on the system at the moment.

What we had—the previous government ignored infrastructure for housing, both water and sewer requirements. You released no land, you put no infrastructure in, you spent all your time doing these sorts of boutique projects which may be nice—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION: —for people, but they are not essential to the challenges that this government faces in terms of housing.

The SPEAKER: Gee, the people from Myanmar have been gone three minutes and the place has gone to rack and ruin, it's noisy. Let's just go back to the nice quiet way we had it before.