Adelaide Hills Intersections

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (14:55): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport regarding dangerous intersections in the Hills—with some trepidation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK: As part of the Adelaide Hills Productivity and Road Safety Package, the staggered T-intersection of Onkaparinga Valley Road, Tiers Road and Nairne Road at Woodside has been identified as a key location in the Adelaide Hills needing upgrades. Despite this, there have been no project updates since 26 June this year, and the results of public consultation on the draft plan have not been released. My questions therefore are:

1. What is the reason for no updates being provided on this vital project for the Adelaide Hills?

2. Has the minister visited the intersection and experienced firsthand the danger it poses to motorists and pedestrians?

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Autism) (14:56): I thank the honourable member for her question. We are spending a significant amount of money in the Adelaide Hills, not only to upgrade intersections but also to invest in public transport.

What we have recently heard a lot about, when we talk about Adelaide Hills investments, is not taking investments seriously in the Adelaide Hills. As a government we have invested a significant amount of money at particular roundabouts, intersections and upgrades, ones for which I was able to again participate in the consultation over the weekend. At the Mount Barker intersection, at Adelaide Road, we are doing the roundabout that has been called for there for some time.

It is a significant amount of money. If you were to blend in the infrastructure investments we have done, it's over $550 million, I am advised, that has been undertaken in this space, just in transport infrastructure. That is an incredible investment, and $19 million of that has gone towards upgrades in public transport to have more services and to be able to have a park-and-ride at Crafers. These have been significant investments, investments we didn't necessarily see under the others when they were in government.

What we do see when we talk about the difference between us delivering on projects—spending hundreds of millions of dollars on projects in the region, in this region of the Adelaide Hills, hundreds of millions of dollars—what we do see from those opposite is them coming out and somehow thinking they can widen the Southern Expressway for $15 million: we are going to build an extra lane for $15 million.

I don't know where these costings have come from. Maybe it's a napkin, maybe it's a Post-it note, but maybe they went to Frank and said, 'Frank, check with AI. It might have an answer as to how much it costs to widen a freeway by an extra lane.' 'Oh, $15 million, I reckon.' Good luck. Good luck, because I do not know where that cost could ever have come from.

'We're going to chuck in a park-and-ride. We're going to do an extra lane.' Your announcement has been as vague as your costings. 'We're going to do an extra lane.' Is it an extra lane on both sides? Is there an extra lane on one side? Nobody knows. I don't even know if you know.

In regard to investments, yes we are spending big in the region. We are doing a lot. We are delivering, and we are not taking the community for granted. We are not giving them ridiculous costings. We are getting on with changing things in that region.

The PRESIDENT: The Hon. Ms Lensink, just before you ask your supplementary question arising from the answer, minister, you will refer to the Hon. Mr Pangallo as 'the Hon. Mr Pangallo'. He doesn't—

The Hon. E.S. Bourke: Apologies. I did not mean—

The PRESIDENT: That's okay.