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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-07-10 Daily Xml
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ADELAIDE OVAL FOOTBRIDGE

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (15:01): I have a supplementary. Of the 18 models that you started with, minister, apart from the one that you finalised at the $40 million level, which others did you investigate and do any costing on?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:01): Well, I will try to answer this again.

The SPEAKER: Order! That was not a supplementary.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: If I'm not interrupted, I won't respond. I will try to explain again. The design teams were asked to produce a design within the ambit of that funding that we have available. They were not asked to cost their bridge, except—

Ms Chapman: No, but I've asked you.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: You are asking me. I didn't cost the bridges, either. I don't think that would be wise.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: What we sought to do was, within the envelope that we have, produce the best possible design for now and the future. I believe we achieved that. Can I say I now welcome a healthy debate—a controversy, if you like—about that. I think it is very important that people have their views about these things that are going to be there forever, but the process for costing it will occur when we actually go out with a tender for construction. The people involved in the design were design teams and we will now go out with a tender for construction.

Can I say, too, the way that design was picked was a panel of four experts, including the state architect, and a healthy debate in cabinet about the last two suggestions. What I would indicate is we will know the price when we actually go for a tender, and I am hoping we land a good price. It is a good time for tenders but we do not know if that is going to occur.

What I would say is that we have sought to do this in every single way possible that gets a good result, and I invite the Liberal opposition to engage in a debate about the quality of this bridge and the structure—

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: —and the alternatives, but I would say that the Liberal opposition should not ask us to get 70 per cent of people there by public transport unless they want us to build the infrastructure to do it. That is what we are seeking to do, and we believe we have the best possible design but, contrary to some people's view, I welcome a healthy controversy on this matter.

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