House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-09-09 Daily Xml

Contents

Infrastructure Funding

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:36): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister please update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering more jobs by fast-tracking its record $12.9 billion infrastructure investment?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:37): I thank the member for Elder for that question—a very good question, a very passionate member in her local community.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order, sir.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens on a point of order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Standing order 97, sir: questions not to involve argument. The member used the terms 'fast-tracking' and 'record'.

The SPEAKER: Order! I have called the member for West Torrens to order. There is no point of order and I warn the member for West Torrens. Again, I encourage the member for West Torrens that if there is to be a point of order it better be a good one and going to substance, otherwise the member for West Torrens will be leaving under standing order 137A.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Again, I thank the member for Elder for her question. She is very passionate about projects that are developing and being fast-tracked in her electorate. We could turn to the Flinders Link train line, and the new Tonsley station, that is happening in her electorate—an absolutely outstanding project. She has been a great advocate for it and I was with her there only a few weeks ago to see the sleepers going down.

This is moving along incredibly well. Speaking to Flinders University and also to Flinders Medical Centre, the opportunities that are going to be there for growth are fantastic, but she did resonate with that number I raised a few moments before, which was $12.9 billion, and I can understand why. It is a big sum. It's a sum those on the other side would not know about and have never seen.

I want to commend the former minister, who did a very good job at attracting a lot of those funds in partnership with the federal government. This will grow more jobs in South Australia over the next four years than we have seen for a long time. It is something that those on the other side of the chamber have not done. No jobs—don't care about jobs over there, not interested in jobs. We go and attract $12.9 billion—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —worth of infrastructure and they want to complain about it. There is no surprise: we are getting on with the job over here. In roads, in particular, almost $4 billion over the next four years. That's a billion dollars a year. I hark back to 2016 when they were in government: $200 million. That's all they could muster, $200 million of projects. We are doing a billion a year, five times more than they ever delivered over there. That is absolutely sensational, and it will be jobs, jobs all the way.

I mentioned I was at the Regency to Pym project before—$354 million dollars. Bowhill Engineering, a regional company, a good company delivering for South Australia, is building the cantilevers, if you like. The pillars will be built and moved onto South Road. It is all being built alongside the road and then it is going to be trucked onto the road and dropped in place there. This is a great South Australian company that has doubled its number of employees since picking up work like this. This is absolutely fantastic, and congratulations to Jeremy Hawkes and all the team there. They are a steel fabricator doing a fantastic job.

The Gawler electrification line is a project they talked about a lot over there. They talked about it forever. They never delivered it.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Tony Piccolo never delivered it.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, Minister for Education!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: The member for Light, nowhere near it—the champion for Gawler.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Point of order.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens has a point of order. The minister will take a seat for a moment.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sir, again 127: personal reflections on members, and he named a member by his name rather than by his title in the house, which is disorderly.

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens, what is the nature of the personal reflection you are taking issue with?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Claiming a motive on the member for Light, sir, which is improper.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, those on my left!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The member for West Torrens is on his second warning. Minister.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, sir. I refer to the Gawler line electrification project, one they had on again, off again, on again, off again more times than I care to imagine, but we are delivering another 250 jobs. I mentioned the Flinders project, an outstanding project. The Tonsley train line going up towards Flinders Station is a joy to behold. I stress the point, having been there a number of times over the past few months, that seeing the people working on that site, getting this project done, is absolutely outstanding.

The Managed Motorway Project as well, on the South Eastern Freeway to Stirling, adding an extra lane, is another outstanding project, and I know a lot of country members are very happy with the work we have been doing in the regions to improve their roads. Some three-quarters of a billion dollars worth of road maintenance had been left to wrack and ruin by those opposite when they were in government. We are upgrading those and upgrading eight country roads to get the speed limits back up to 110. I know, as we make those roads safe and we put those speed limits up, the members on this side are extremely pleased about that.

I was at the Goyder Highway just recently, and we were changing the signs over there, which was outstanding. We mentioned the Port Wakefield overpass; I talked about that before. The Joy Baluch Bridge the leader says hasn't started yet, but it has. No doubt the leader has never been there.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: North of Port Wakefield; wouldn't know what was going on north of Port Wakefield, wouldn't know where the regions are.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Springbank and Goodwood and the north-south freight corridor—$12 million. We are investing that number again, $12.9 billion.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister's time has expired. Before I call the member for Enfield, I call to order the member for Chaffey and the Premier, and I warn for a second time the member for Kaurna. The member for Enfield.