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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-09-24 Daily Xml
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Adelaide City Investment

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:58): My question is directed to the Minister for Planning. Minister, how is the development of Adelaide as the heart of our vibrant state progressing along with the government's commitment to this strategy?

The Hon. J.J. Snelling interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Before the Deputy Premier starts, if I hear the Minister for Health's lips move out of order he will be departing the chamber to celebrate the member for Hartley's birthday. Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations) (14:58): Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and I thank the honourable member for her question. The government is committed to continuing to build Adelaide as the heart of a vibrant state, and our strategy focuses—

The SPEAKER: That's got to be on a website somewhere.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: The clock is against you. You can phone a friend. Mr Speaker, as I was saying—I know you are interested even if some others aren't—our strategy focuses on investing in key infrastructure and enacting reform, particularly planning and licensing reform, to help stimulate private investment. The point of these initiatives is to create new and better places for people. We want more people to be attracted to the city as a great place to live, to work and to enjoy. That is why it is of critical importance that we have a well-supported, fast and efficient public transport system to bring people to the city with a minimum of fuss and to take them home safely after a day's work or a great experience.

A more vibrant Adelaide, with more people living closer to the city centre, builds a critical mass that makes public transport more cost-effective, and with this comes greater frequency and greater efficiency. It is what you call a 'virtuous circle': one good thing leads to another, it just goes round and round and gets better and better and better. We want to build a city centre where people can choose to live without having to own a car, and part of this is having greater focus on mixed-use living in the central business district, where people can live close to their work and have all the recreational options they need nearby.

Also, we need to realise that this ambition is not for everyone. That is why it is of vital importance that we also continue to improve our public transport system so that more people have the opportunity to experience and enjoy all that we are building here in Adelaide. People are the key to any city, and moving them quickly, safely and efficiently from where they live to where they want to work and where they want to enjoy their leisure time is of vital importance. This is why public transport is an important part of building a more vibrant Adelaide. One would think that no-one wants to live in a city stuck in gridlock and, of course, who would want to be stuck in that? There are massive costs to efficiency and enjoyment.

It is occasionally the case that I have seen that opportunists and cynics have been celebrating moves that hurt public transport funding, making it harder for people across Adelaide to enjoy all the city has to offer. This is terrible. Public transport is a key element to making the city accessible and appealing to people. Moves that reduce funding to public transport might cheer up the cynics and opportunists, but they are bad for the people and they are bad for our vibrant city.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: Supplementary question, sir.

The SPEAKER: The member for Chaffey is warned for the first time. Supplementary, member for MacKillop.

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