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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-16 Daily Xml
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Infrastructure Projects

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:16): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister advise the house on how the government is building what matters through a strong pipeline of infrastructure projects that will continue to create thousands of jobs—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Elder might just resume her seat for a moment. The member who is asking the question is entitled to be heard in silence. Interjections from my left will cease. The member for Elder has the call and perhaps, if only for my benefit, the member for Elder might repeat the question.

Mrs POWER: My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister advise the house on how the government is building what matters through a strong pipeline of infrastructure projects that will continue to create thousands of jobs, in particular with regard to the six new initiatives on the Infrastructure Australia priority list?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat for a moment. The member for West Torrens rises on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 98, sir: the question was full of debate and asserting facts.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:18): The member for West Torrens stalls question time like he stalled projects when they were in government. We are getting on with delivering these projects in an important infrastructure pipeline. The member for Elder is so keen because there are a lot of these projects happening in her electorate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: In fact, I was out at South Road this morning with a number of very interested local people and I tell you what: the honks and the waves we got for the project we are doing on South Road, they were over the moon.

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Reynell!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The pipeline—let me talk about it: $16.7 billion of infrastructure being built here in South Australia. The member for West Torrens just can't handle it: he's got to leave, Mr Speaker. I tell you what, we have a bigger infrastructure spend—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting. The member for Lee on a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: It is, of course, unparliamentary, to refer to where a member is located at any time either during the proceedings of the house or anywhere else in the building, and I ask that you correct the minister and call him to order.

The SPEAKER: I uphold the point of order. Reflections of all kinds are inappropriate, as is the use of unbecoming language. I draw members' attention to standing orders 125 and 127 in that respect. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, Mr Speaker. Again, the member for Lee doesn't like it either. But I will talk more about our $16.7 billion infrastructure spend and what we are doing here in South Australia: delivering better services, more jobs and, of course, lowering the cost for people in South Australia. We are building what matters and that is what is important. Of course, it is important to have that pipeline as well, the pipeline of works, and that is what we've done, putting these new projects on the Infrastructure Australia list. We've got these initiatives there and we will be building against those as we go forward.

Six new initiatives—what are they? Upgrading our freight network, of course, which is very important. This will increase productivity in the state as well. Clearing the road maintenance backlog—it was on a trajectory that was going through the roof under those opposite. We are also fixing the outer ring route as well, a project that has been left to languish as well. Level crossings—we've got more to do in this state. The opposition, when they were in government, did no work on the planning for level crossings and we are getting on with that work. It's tough work, but they didn't like tough work—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —on that side. They didn't want to go near it. We are getting on with the job. Of course, two water projects as well, pipelines up to the Barossa Valley and also to the north of the state.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Lee!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The member for Lee barks and chips away on that side of the house. When he was a minister, he did nothing. He left a very bare cupboard with no projects. I stress that figure again: $16.7 billion. Those opposite have never seen such a big infrastructure spend and we are delivering.

Ms Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hurtle Vale!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Again, when we came to government, we went to the cupboard to see what planning works had been done, what projects were ready to go and there were none—nothing. The planning cupboard was bare. But we have got these new initiatives, six of them, never more onto the Infrastructure Australia priority list, and we will be—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —doing the planning works so that we are ready to go. We've got $10 million already being spent on planning works as well, on 30 keys corridors and projects across the state. We are doing that work because we know when they did projects and no planning work, guess what? It was a disaster, and the project list that they didn't do that work on is far too long. We look at the Gawler electrification, 5 per cent designed and they give out the contract. Well, that creates all sorts of problems.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Mawson!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: But don't worry, we are getting on with those projects and we are finishing them. We are finishing them.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Mawson is called to order.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: We are finishing them. All you need to do—

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: All you need to do is go for a drive around town and have a look at some of the work that is being undertaken.

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat for a moment. The member for Mawson will cease interjecting. The member for Mawson is called to order and warned. I remind all members that the minister, in answering the question, is entitled to be heard in silence. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I will talk about these works as well and I want to talk about especially some of the works we are doing in the regions, improving roads out there, because we know what those opposite did when it came to regional roads. Their idea of a solution to crumbling roads and roads they didn't invest in was to just lower the speed limit. That was the way they fixed all their problems. They did not invest in these projects and we are doing that. Of course, in the last budget, partnered with the federal government, $210 million is going into widening shoulders and making our roads safer.

We know that's a very important part of what we need to do here: make our regions more accessible and more amenable to people who want to travel in our regions but make them safer as well for the people who live there and the people who are travelling there. So we are getting on with this work and we are delivering what South Australia needs. We know how important this work is. As I said, that pipeline of $16.7 billion is bigger than those on the opposite side of the chamber ever delivered for South Australia. We are delivering, we are getting on with the work, we are delivering jobs for the people of South Australia and building the infrastructure that matters.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member for Kaurna, I warn the member for Schubert, I call to order the member for Chaffey, I call to order the member for Cheltenham, I call to order the member for Hurtle Vale, I warn the member for Playford, I call to order the member for Reynell and I warn the member for Lee.

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