APY Lands, Road Infrastructure

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:23): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation questions about road infrastructure on the APY lands.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: Last year the commonwealth announced that it had committed $85 million in funding for an upgrade of 210 kilometres of unsealed highway connections to communities on the APY lands as well as 21 kilometres of access roads. This project was reannounced by the state government in April, which included a state government contribution of $21 million, bringing the total to $106 million; however, there was no commencement date or timeline released. My questions therefore of the minister are:

1. When will work start on this project and when is the completion date?

2. Does the commonwealth funding have a time limit, given that it has been committed over a five-year period?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Manufacturing and Innovation, Minister for Automotive Transformation, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:24): I thank the honourable member for his questions. A few weeks ago when I was up in the APY lands, I was fortunate to meet some of the members of the team that are building the roads. I understand that preparation work has very well commenced, as the honourable member pointed out.

By way of background, the commonwealth and the South Australian government announced funding of a total of $106.25 million, I think, to upgrade 210 kilometres of the main access road between the Stuart Highway and Ernabella. Additionally, as the member has pointed out, 21 kilometres of community access roads in Ernabella, Umuwa, Fregon, Mimili and Indulkana will also form part of the project. The state government's contribution is $21.25 million and the commonwealth's contribution is $85 million. I am advised that the project completion date is in the 2018-19 financial year.

The project supports a whole range of areas through improving infrastructure in this community. Many members from community councils told me that some of the other benefits, other than just ease of travel, include better access to education by being able to move around more freely, and better health outcomes with better access to the various medical centres across the lands.

The road at the moment is predominantly unformed, unsheeted and below the natural surface, resulting in flooding and inaccessibility at times. I note that the honourable member has been a regular visitor to the APY lands in his role as a member of the Aboriginal Lands Parliamentary Standing Committee. It is quite noticeable when you travel on the roads that some roads are almost like creek beds and are significantly below the natural ground level. The surface does become corrugated quickly, is susceptible to sand drifts and requires ongoing maintenance and grading.

The project will allow for the formation and sheeting of new pavement, predominantly along the existing alignment, with summary alignment in some places. I understand that a hearing of the Public Works Committee took place on 21 April in relation to this project, and the tender for the first trial pavement section from Pukatja to the Pukatja airstrip was called and closed on 21 April this year. In relation to specific dates when other parts of the project are due to start, I will take that question on notice and bring back an answer.