Regional Transport

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (14:46): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question without notice to the Minister for Regional Development on the topic of regional transport.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Today is one year to the day since the Public and Active Transport Committee tabled its report containing a series of recommendations relating to the regions. These include:

better bus connectivity between regional centres, ensuring regional communities have access to health services;

a trial of passenger services from Mount Barker to Adelaide, with a view to adopting similar trials at Roseworthy to Gawler, Aldinga to Seaford, and Adelaide to Port Augusta; and

incentivising passenger rail between Adelaide and Melbourne stopping at regional townships.

Since the report was released one year ago, there has been no formal response from the Minister for Transport and, indeed, my efforts to contact his office have gone unanswered. The Minister for Regional Development has also not directly responded to the recommendations. My question to the Minister for Regional Development therefore is: has the minister now read the report, one year on, and has she understood the needs of the regions with respect to public transport infrastructure? What action has she taken in relation to those recommendations?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for his question. At least he is not attributing to me responsibility for the weather, as some others might, but he does want me to be responsible for the portfolio of transport, which I think the Minister for Transport is doing a fine job on.

Whilst I think I have said in this place previously—some months ago and well before other questions on this topic from the honourable member—that, yes, I had read the report, in terms of responding to the recommendations, that is the role of the Minister for Transport. I will refer the question to him and bring back a response.