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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-13 Daily Xml
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Federal Budget

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:30): My question is to the Treasurer. When the Treasurer claimed last night, and I quote, 'The Torrens Junction upgrade pushed out another year by Joe Hockey,' was he aware that the South Australian government had negotiated the delay?

The SPEAKER: I will be listening very intently to this answer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:30): This is not the Torrens to Torrens project, sir, it is the Torrens Junction project; it is a different project, have no fear, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Still of great concern to the state district of Croydon.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It is, sir, as to the people of West Torrens, Mr Speaker. The MYEFO released by Treasurer Hockey at the last update showed $232 million being spent in the year 2015-16. The previous 2014-15 budget showed $232 million being spent in 2015-16. We had an arrangement with the commonwealth government where we were going to spend our money first on the Goodwood Junction, and then they would give us the money to profile the Torrens Junction work as the government saw fit because we had spent our money in advance on their rail line.

A spreadsheet from some junior official in DPTI is not government negotiation. We had an arrangement with the commonwealth government that was endorsed in previous budgets and the MYEFO and it was changed without consultation with the state government. The federal Treasurer was in Adelaide just last week saying he wanted to invest in infrastructure-ready, shovel-ready pieces of infrastructure, and what does he do? He pushes Darlington out by $30 million without even an explanation and then he reprofiles Torrens Junction. Why? No explanation, and then claims it was all our idea. Minister Mullighan and minister Briggs were fully aware that this government was ready to go in 2015-16. We had an arrangement in place, we had spent money on a rail track owned by the commonwealth in advance and they have reneged yet again.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Excuse me, Treasurer. The member for Unley is suspended for the next hour under sessional orders.

The honourable member for Unley having withdrawn from the chamber:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It just reinforces the fact that last year assistant minister Briggs issued a press release trumpeting the massive infrastructure spend in South Australia. This year, silence. Not a single project in South Australia—$5 billion in the north of the country but not half a billion in the north of Adelaide. I have to say, when the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and assistant minister Briggs stand by the side of South Road and say, 'Let's do the entire north-south corridor within a decade,' yet in this budget, not a dollar—not a dollar for South Road extra. In fact, not a dollar extra for any infrastructure projects improving ports, rail or road. Nothing.

So don't come in here and lecture us about being an infrastructure government. We are the ones who are spending money on infrastructure: the O-Bahn upgrade, the most patronised piece of public transport infrastructure anywhere in the state, and we are upgrading it. We are upgrading roads, Torrens to Torrens—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Morialta.

Mr GARDNER: Under standing order 98, the minister is debating and he has gone a long way from this question.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order.

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Was that the member for Kavel interjecting again?

Mr van Holst Pellekaan: He was talking about infrastructure, sir.

The SPEAKER: He was, after a manner. The deputy leader.

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