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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-10-15 Daily Xml
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Murray River Ferries

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on the outcome of the tender for the two River Murray steel-hulled ferries?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning, Minister Assisting the Minister for Housing and Urban Development) (15:02): I thank the member for Giles for his question. I also know that this will be of particular interest to the member for Chaffey and the member for Hammond.

In the 2013-14 budget, the government committed to the replacement of two of the five wooden-hulled ferries, out of a total fleet of 14 ferries which service crossings of the River Murray. There are 12 crossings at 11 locations along the river. Seven of these crossings are on the state-funded arterial road network, namely Mannum (with two ferries), Waikerie, Tailem Bend, Wellington, Cadell, Swan Reach and Walker's Flat. The other four crossings are on the local government road network, namely, Narrung, Purnong, Morgan and Lyrup. The five wooden-hulled ferries currently operating are in excess of—

Mr van Holst Pellekaan: What about Cadell? You forgot to mention Cadell.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: That was in the previous list I just read out. I'm happy to start again if that would assist them. The five wooden-hulled ferries currently operating are in excess of 60 years old and are difficult and expensive to maintain. They are also more heavily restricted in the loads that they can carry and are more prone to being out of service. Replacing the wooden-hulled ferries with steel-hulled vessels will greatly increase the reliability of the crossing service and also improve access to the road network for local communities.

Today, it gives me great pleasure to inform the house that the South Australian company Bowhill Engineering has been awarded the contract to construct the two River Murray ferry hulls. Bowhill Engineering is a family-owned business which specialises in heavy and complex structural steel manufacturing, and it is located at Bowhill, approximately 50 kilometres from Murray Bridge. I did hear members referring to the former member for Schubert, who was in the chamber and who is affectionately referred to by the Bowhill community as the 'former minister for Bowhill'.

The awarding of the contract to Bowhill will contribute to the ongoing success of this local company. The $2 million contract is the first stage of a $6.1 million project. The steel hulls will then undergo an extensive fit-out at the state's Morgan dockyard, with the first ferry expected to be in service by December 2015 and the second in service by April 2016. When the two new ferries join the fleet, they will be rotated between various River Murray crossings at Cadell, Lyrup and Purnong to provide improved services across these communities.

The fleet of 14 ferries currently consists of nine steel-hulled vessels with the two to be added bringing the total to 11 steel-hulled vessels. The decision to upgrade the fleet followed extensive discussions with the Murray and Mallee councils. Ferries, of course, play an important role in the day-to-day lives of river communities and this investment means that the ferry service will be more reliable, as the steel-hulled ferries require less maintenance.

It is also worth noting that the government spends approximately $3.5 million in this financial year on maintenance and refurbishment of the ferry fleet. Major repairs and refurbishment are undertaken at the Morgan Dockyard using both departmental resources and local contractors. This government is doing all we can to ensure that South Australian businesses win contracts, and I am pleased to see Bowhill was successful in this instance. It also adds to the approximately 96 per cent of the $30 million we have started spending on the Torrens to Torrens project and we look forward to reporting back to the house on the completion of these projects into the future.

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