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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-09-24 Daily Xml
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Public Transport

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:46): My question is to the Treasurer. Treasurer, can you outline the government's commitment to funding world-class public transport infrastructure?

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:47): Yes, sir, I'll bring the house back to a level of decorum that I generally like to have the house at.

Mr van Holst Pellekaan: The voice of reason.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I prefer to rise above the petty politics of members opposite. The government is fully committed to providing world-class public transport infrastructure. South Australia's public transport system has undergone a major overhaul to transform Adelaide's public transport network into a state-of-the-art, modern, sustainable system, providing faster, more frequent and efficient services for commuters.

The government has delivered a tramline extension to City West, which was completed in 2007. Members opposite opposed it. A tramline extension to the City West, to the Entertainment Centre and a park-and-ride, opened in March 2010, was opposed by members opposite. The South Road tramline overpass, completed in March 2010, is false infrastructure, members opposite say. We revitalised the Noarlunga (now Seaford) rail line, the Seaford rail extension. We purchased 66 brand-new electric railcars, and there are new car parks at Tonsley, Seaford Meadows and the Seaford interchange.

At the last election we committed to continue to build a better South Australia, and that is why our significant investment into the future has been designed to encourage and increase the use of public transport by providing more frequent, accessible, faster and better connected services. Projects like the $160 million O-Bahn extension from Hackney Road into the CBD—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —members are scoffing already—will take buses off one of the most heavily congested parts of our city, improving traffic flows and slashing travel times for commuters. This project alone will create 450 jobs, because we believe, unlike others, that the movement of people in and out of and around the city should be by public transport, because this government believes the CBD and Adelaide should be the heart of a vibrant state.

Not only will this state government continue investing in public transport, it will also invest in road infrastructure projects, projects members opposite call false economy. These are road infrastructure projects like the Torrens to Torrens project, which the Leader of the Opposition promised to cancel at the last election if he was elected Premier of South Australia, and the Darlington upgrade, working with the commonwealth, something members opposite said we couldn't do. These upgrades create jobs, they improve the lives of South Australians and they boost productivity. It is not false economy. Let me be clear, Mr Speaker: the people of South Australia demand these projects. They want these projects and they want them to be delivered, and we want to govern for all South Australians.

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