Jetty Road Upgrade

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (14:41): My question is to the Treasurer. Can the Treasurer advise the house if the government has any plans to invest in the upgrade of Jetty Road, Glenelg?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer, Minister for Defence and Space Industries) (14:41): I am grateful to the member for Elizabeth for his question because today we have the remarkable situation where the fledgling Leader of the Opposition is calling on the state government to use taxpayers' funds to bail out the City of Holdfast Bay for their unaffordable project that only weeks ago the South Australian Liberals were calling to be put on hold. Only weeks ago, those opposite, including the member for Morphett, were saying that this was too much, too expensive and needed to be stopped.

Now, pedal to the metal, according to the state Liberals. Pedal to the metal, and not only should ratepayers in the City of Holdfast Bay be making tens of millions of dollars worth of contributions towards it but so should the member for Elizabeth's constituents, so should every South Australian across metropolitan Adelaide or regional South Australia. Apparently, this is now such a good project that every single South Australian should be paying for it, according to the Leader of the Opposition. What a farce.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader is on his final warning.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Weeks ago, they were calling on Amanda Wilson, Glenelg's mayor, to stop this project, to stop this expenditure and to pull her head in. Now, not only have they got her to put her hand up but they are calling on every other South Australian to bail out the City of Holdfast Bay for their unaffordable project.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The leader will leave the chamber until the end of question time.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: This is the first priority—

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: Sir, point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: No, you're out. You have missed your chance.

The SPEAKER: You have been asked to leave the chamber.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: A point of order, sir: the Leader of the Opposition is usually afforded extra courtesy in these matters. I am happy to leave, but—

The SPEAKER: Not on my watch.

The honourable member for Hartley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Thank you for your protection, Mr Speaker. So now we see those opposite walking both sides of the street. Only weeks ago, this was an unaffordable bad project. Now, not only have they stopped criticising Glenelg's mayor, Amanda Wilson, for this project but they have endorsed her as their own candidate. They have embraced her as a Liberal as of Friday. They've got her into the party, they've got her to be a candidate—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond will leave the chamber until the end of question time.

The honourable member for Hammond having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order: standing order 98. I think the Treasurer has now descended into debate.

The SPEAKER: Well, the question did ask for some sort of explanation. I will listen carefully but make sure you don't stray too far, Treasurer.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Now the state Liberals are asking the state government and the taxpayers of South Australia to bail out the newest Liberal in South Australia and get all taxpayers to make a contribution towards this unaffordable project. A few weeks ago, when Amanda Wilson was presumably still a Green and nothing to them, they thought that this was a bad idea, and now that she's a Liberal this is a great idea: this is the best idea the member for Morphett has ever heard of and South Australian taxpayers should be making a contribution.

You cannot believe anything those opposite say. You cannot believe what they said several weeks ago; you can't believe what they are saying today. If they believe that Amanda Wilson and her council were being incompetent back then, then you have to ask why they would endorse her as a Liberal candidate and run her to represent the constituents of Black in this electorate.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order: standing order 98. The Treasurer is straying far from the question now.

The SPEAKER: I think there has been a fair bit of yelling across the chamber from your side and perhaps there's some responding to that as well. I have repeatedly asked people on my left to stop with the interjections. I will listen carefully to the Treasurer.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Thank you, Mr Speaker. To conclude, you might have picked up, Mr Speaker, that our appetite for this project is cool and we won't be making a contribution towards what the member for Morphett described as a project that should be stopped, a project that was unaffordable and a project which is stinging the ratepayers of the City of Holdfast Bay an extra $126 this year, next year and the year after.