Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Will $525 million build the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass to get trucks off Cross Road, and when and where will the bypass be built? With your leave, sir, and that of the house, I shall explain.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: A federal Labor backbencher last week posted on Facebook that Labor is delivering a freight bypass to keep trucks off Cross Road but did not provide details on investment. Budget forward estimates suggest only $88 million will be spent before 2030. Thousands of trucks continue to pass homes, schools and local businesses every day on Cross Road, and without a funded bypass plan those communities will be left exposed.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:44): That explanation was helpful, because the explanation talks about the plight of the member for Unley's constituents, it talks about them having to suffer from freight going past those homes. I suppose the question his constituents will be asking of him is why was it that he had a plan—a secret plan that we released, that we discovered, that they tried to hide through cabinet in confidence—that would have seen 190 homes compulsorily acquired on Cross Road, including businesses, not to mention the potential impact on the playgrounds of Walford on the corner there of—

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: Point of order: the question was quite clear. The question was: will $525 million fund the bypass? That was the question. The minister is now debating the issue of the bypass. He is not answering the question, which is specifically about the cost of the build.

The SPEAKER: The minister has a further three minutes and 15 seconds to answer the question, and I think he is providing some background to the project.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The question was so simple he needed to seek leave of the house to explain it, and after he explained it he talked about the plight of his constituents. The point I propose to the house quite openly is: if you cared so much, why were you secretly planning to compulsorily acquire 190 homes and businesses on Cross Road, to divert that freight down to Cross Road rather than a bypass, after you abandoned GlobeLink? Why is it that you actively funded an upgrade to an intersection at Portrush Road at Magill, and Cross Road in Fullarton, and attempted to destroy the Waite Gatehouse? If it were not for the opposition and the local community fighting to have it relocated it would be gone now.

The reason you were doing those things is because you were planning to have freight come along Cross Road through your community, yet you asked me a question about whether or not $500 million for getting those trucks off Portrush Road and Cross Road is enough. I have to say: don't look at what people say, look at what they do. If you want an example of what they were planning to do, go to Fullarton Road and Cross Road, if you want a feel of what they were planning to do go to Portrush Road at Magill. The business cases for both those projects that, as a minister, would have gone through cabinet, do you know what that business case was? Better freight productivity, get more trucks through those intersections.

So when I hear members opposite ask me if $525 million is enough, I tell you what it: it is a lot better than what you were planning. It is a start, a good start, a very healthy start. It has lots of zeros after the five; it is a good number. I have to say that duplication of the Swanport Bridge will be expansive—

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni interjecting:

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

The honourable member for Unley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: As he is leaving he can go and explain to his constituents in Unley and apologise to them for wanting to have more freight down Cross Road. Perhaps the kids in the gallery found their playing fields that were to be compulsorily acquired—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98, sir: debate.

The SPEAKER: I do not uphold that point of order. The minister can continue his answer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, the plan—

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

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta, you weren't here for the question.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner: I was here for the answer.

The SPEAKER: No; you were here for part of the answer. Maybe sit down and listen for a little bit and you will get a little context about where the minister is coming from.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The plan is try to get PBS level 4A triple road trains. These road trains are over 53 metres long. The plan is that rather than semitrailers or B-doubles coming down the freeway and along Portrush Road and Cross Road, it will allow the freight industry to have these much larger trucks, trucks that are destined for the Port of Adelaide, or their destination is not Adelaide. To get these trucks off the freeway, the first thing we need to do is duplicate the Swanport Bridge. That is a very, very detailed piece of construction. It will take time to develop that. That work is underway as we speak. The other part of that, of course, is the Truro bypass. The previous bypass only had a one-lane bypass, completely inadequate for what the needs were. The new plan is for a much larger Truro bypass—but unfortunately I have run out of time.