Legislative Council Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1) 55 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time North-South Corridor North-South Corridor The Hon. R.A. SIMMS Legislative Council North-South Corridor The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (15:17): I seek leave to ask a question of the Minister for Transport on the topic of the north-south corridor. Leave granted. The Hon. R.A. SIMMS Legislative Council The Hon. R.A. SIMMS: Can the minister advise how much the state government has spent on the north-south corridor project to date and the estimated costs of the project overall? The Hon. E.S. BOURKE Legislative Council Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Autism Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his question to talk about this significant project, the largest project we have ever seen in our state and one that will make a very big difference for not only people living in that surrounding community but as a major freight connector and also to keep our community moving safely. This is a $15.4 billion project, and it is fifty-fifty, creating that nonstop freeway. We are the only mainland city that does not have a nonstop freeway. This will put an end to that outlying of us not joining the other main states. This is a significant project. The Hon. R.A. Simms interjecting: The Hon. E.S. BOURKE Legislative Council Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Minister for Autism Minister for Emergency Services and Correctional Services The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: So $15.4 billion on a half basis to create a nonstop freeway. This is a significant project and that is why it is our biggest project that requires the biggest infrastructure we have ever had. We spoke the other day about our tunnel boring machines that have started to arrive. We will see 21 sets of traffic lights removed just in the T2D section. It will enable people to get to where they need to in peak hour up to 40 minutes faster. We are seeing big differences. This is creating about 5,500 jobs every year in construction. Obviously, it will also provide jobs, not just on the actual project but those sources as well around the state. Overall, we are seeing that this project has been able to generate a lot of interest. We know that this isn't just a big project by South Australian standards; this is a big project by Australian standards and probably world standards. We are seeing people come from around the world to work on this project. We are seeing people return to South Australia to work on this project. I think that is a good story. We are not losing members of our community to other states. People are coming here because they know that we are building, they know that we are building big, and it is a really exciting project for them to be a part of. That story has been told to me time and time again, that we are being taken seriously. We are being seen as a state that is growing up and finally having that nonstop freeway that people have been calling for for far too long. It's finally happening, and I don't think we could be prouder that it is happening as it is.