Legislative Council Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time GlobeLink GlobeLink The Hon. E.S. BOURKE Legislative Council GlobeLink The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (15:31): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister provide details about successful freight-only airports similar to the government's proposed GlobeLink? The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council Minister for Trade GlobeLink The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (15:31): I thank the honourable member for her interest in freight-only airports. I am pleased to also note that she comes from a regional part of South Australia and has an interest in regional South Australia. I think she is referring to the GlobeLink announcement and policy that we have already gone out to market to get somebody to do the $20 million business case for. There were three components, as I commented upon some weeks ago I think, in answer to a question from the Hon. Mr Hanson in relation to the rail. The freight-only airport is a potential component. We have an airport that was zoned in that area from, I suspect, an idol of the members opposite and a Labor Party hero, the former premier Don Dunstan, when he and his team came upon the idea of developing a satellite city at Monarto. Maybe there are parts of what he tried to do but he was just ahead of his time perhaps. However, there was an airport zoned in that particular part of the state. It seemed logical to the government that if you were looking at having an Adelaide Hills road bypass and a rail bypass and you have some land that is already zoned for an airport—and The Rural City of Murray Bridge is doing a master plan for the airport because they felt that it was a sensible thing to do. We saw some reckless behaviour, like the MATS plan years ago, where the Labor Party sold off the land for the north-south corridor, and it is going to cost us billions and billions of dollars. I think the Hon. Steele Hall once said in a letter to the editor or in an opinion piece that he thought that was the most damaging thing the Labor Party had ever done to South Australia's economy—that is a big statement given what they did with the State Bank—to sell that off. One of the reasons that we have identified that airport—I was a bit sidetracked talking about the MATS plan, but it's the same principle—is that we have a piece of land that is set aside. We always said that it would be an airport and it was set aside and planned and zoned to be an airport. The two families or farmers who still own it are well aware of that particular rezoning and they still farm it and it is still in private hands. Our policy at the time was that we should preserve that land and when the business case has been done for the road bypass and the rail bypass, if the opportunities exist for the private sector to invest in an airport and make it—and our view was that we should not be competing with the passenger terminal at Adelaide Airport. Our view is that it probably would be just a freight-only airport, a bit like Wagner's airport at Toowoomba, the Wellcamp Airport. That was a freight-only airport. I know they do have some passenger activity there now, but pretty much it is a freight airport. It was always our view that a freight-only airport in a logistics sort of hub, an intermodal facility, where trucks, trains and planes might all come together, makes sense. It is part of the GlobeLink policy. The tender has gone out for someone to do the business case—the $20 million election commitment. From our point of view, it makes sense to look at it. You should preserve that land and use it for what was intended in the seventies by the Hon. Don Dunstan and his team when they were in government. I might just add, Mr President, while I am on my feet, while I think of it, the Hon. Mr Hanson did ask me questions around whether I had spoken to ARTC about GlobeLink, and I couldn't recall. I had this feeling I had met with them, and I have met them since that time was well. I met them during late April and then I met with them just recently. They think that the GlobeLink bypass may be a real benefit to them. It's Great Southern Rail, not ARTC; it's Great Southern Rail I am talking about. I got my acronyms mixed up. They currently run the trains: obviously, the Ghan that comes down through Alice Springs, Katherine and they stop at quite— The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Mr Ridgway, I'm allowing you considerable— The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: Yes, I know, but this is about GlobeLink. The President Legislative Council The PRESIDENT: No, do not overspeak me. I know you are passionate about the issue. I have allowed you a tremendous amount of latitude. Wind this answer up. The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I will wind this up. Great Southern Rail thought, if it could bypass along the back of the hills somewhere adjacent to the Barossa, they would be able to offer a stop where their patrons could get off and do a tour through the Barossa and then get back on the train and come in to Adelaide, so they actually saw it as a benefit.