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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-10-23 Daily Xml
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Nairne Road, Woodside

Mr CREGAN (Kavel) (15:26): As the house is aware, I brought forward a petition concerning Nairne Road, Woodside. The petition urges the Department of Transport and Infrastructure to resurface a section of Nairne Road in the township zone of Woodside. Eighty-one local residents have signed the petition. It is right for me to acknowledge the diligent and tireless work of Mr Brian Trotman, a community leader and CFS volunteer, who lives along the road. Mr Trotman has been a patient advocate for improvement of the road. Mrs Faye Wachtel has separately contacted me concerning the issue. I appreciate her advocacy, too, and I place it on record.

Following civil construction works, including the laying of a new water main by SA Water and stormwater management by the Adelaide Hills Council, the surface of the road is uneven and, with the passage of traffic, noise and vibration affects local residents. They find it difficult to sleep and the vibrations can be felt in dwellings along the road. It must be remembered that this road carries a substantial amount of traffic, including trucks servicing the wine and agricultural sectors and some local quarries and travelling to destinations throughout the Onkaparinga Valley and elsewhere.

At the southern end of the Woodside-Nairne Road, where it meets the old Princes Highway at Nairne, a significant increase in heavy vehicle movements has been measured by the department. It is reasonable to assume that many of these vehicles also traverse the section of the road within the Woodside township zone, and that has been my observation. I travel the road frequently.

Mr Trotman and other residents have informed me that, before the civil works I have outlined, there was no noise disturbance from road traffic. Local residents believe that the road can and should be resurfaced to the standard it was prior to the civil works. Those works were necessary to mitigate significant flooding issues. I want to reflect briefly on the state of country roads, not just those in the Hills.

After 16 years of substantial underinvestment by the former government, country roads in this state are in an appalling condition. Over time, I know that the new minister is working to improve Hills and country roads. It is a big task. A great deal has been left undone. Almost one in four South Australians lives in our regions, including in the Hills. Our regions contribute over $25 billion a year to our gross state product and produce more than 50 per cent of our merchandise exports. We need safe and efficient roads.

The government's Royalties for Regions scheme is very significant in this context. Each year, 30 per cent of the state's mining and petroleum royalties will be paid into a fund, estimated to be $750 million over 10 years. I thank the minister and the department for giving consideration to this matter. I acknowledge recent work by the Adelaide Hills Council to construct a concrete lip on the same section of road to better manage some related water run-off issues. The importance and value of improving Hills roads should not and must not be underestimated.

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