HALLETT COVE

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:32): Will the Minister for Urban Development and Planning please inform the council what the state government is doing to help encourage investment and jobs in the southern suburbs of Adelaide?

The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Police, Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning) (14:33): This government is committed to working with communities in the south to create investment and employment opportunities. Only last week, I was delighted to be invited to take part in a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the beginning of the construction phase of the expanded shopping centre project at Hallett Cove.

The Makris Group is investing $50 million in the expansion and redevelopment that will triple the size of the current retail centre to about 18,600 square metres. The expanded shopping centre includes a new Woolworths supermarket, Big W discount store, refurbished Foodland supermarket, a new food court and about 70 specialty stores.

Once completed, the expansion will enhance the variety of shopping available in the south of Adelaide as well as foster the sort of competition between retailers that ensures shoppers enjoy the lowest available prices. Just as importantly, the Hallett Cove expansion means more jobs for the south of Adelaide: jobs during the construction phase and jobs once the various supermarkets, retail shops and food outlets open for business.

The importance of this development was demonstrated when Premier Mike Rann attended the ground breaking for the construction of a $13.5 million connector road that will provide residents of Sheidow Park and Trott Park improved access to this new shopping hub. This new road, partly funded by the Rann Labor government, is a critical component of this government's commitment to improving infrastructure for the South.

While I was pleased to take part with Con Makris and Marion City Mayor Felicity-Ann Lewis in the sod-turning ceremony, I was also encouraged to see local MPs Chloe Fox, Leon Bignell and Amanda Rishworth, as well as councillors from the Marion council, at this event. Also, might I add, Kym Richardson, the former federal member for Kingston, was also present in bipartisan acknowledgment of the support provided by the previous federal government for the connector road and the importance of the project to the economic future of Adelaide and the southern suburbs.

As Minister for Police, I am also pleased that the additional floor space created by the expanded centre will allow the government to fulfil its election commitment to open a shopfront police station at Hallett Cove. The lease for the new police station is being finalised, and work on the specific fit-out for police purposes can then begin, providing local patrols with a more visible presence in Hallett Cove.

The Hallett Cove Shopping Centre project in Adelaide's south is being built against a backdrop of a development boom in South Australia. This government's success in delivering the air warfare destroyer project to the Port Adelaide area will create many new jobs directly, with a huge range of spin-offs across the state. The emergence of new defence and mining projects across South Australia will spark important investment and economic development activity and help to achieve the targets of the State Strategic Plan.

While the announcement of the closure of the Mitsubishi plant at Tonsley Park was disappointing news for the workers and their families, the continued economic growth in this state provides the expectation that they will soon be able to find alternative employment. The closure of the Mitsubishi plants at Tonsley Park and Lonsdale will also provide strategic sites for new employment in the south, and my colleague the Minister for the Southern Suburbs will be coordinating activities in relation to that.

I congratulate the Makris Group for the excellent project at the Hallett Cove Shopping Centre and the increased opportunities it provides to the community in Adelaide's south. As I said before, this government is committed to delivering opportunities for the people of Adelaide and the people in the south of Adelaide.