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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-02-03 Daily Xml
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Flinders Tonsley Rail Line

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:22): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Elder has the call.

Mrs POWER: Can the minister update the house on how the Marshall Liberal government is delivering better services on the Flinders Tonsley line? It was the Tonsley line and it's now known as the Flinders line.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:22): I thank the member for her question and can understand her excitement because this really is wonderful news. I would like to answer this in two parts. Firstly, directly, by mentioning the way that the people in her community are benefiting by us delivering better services, and more services at that; 12,000 more trips per year for the people in her community to access our public transport system and utilise the investment of $141 million into the extension of that line, as the member for Elder pointed out, going from Tonsley and now up to Flinders.

This is absolutely fantastic and something that Labor didn't do and we have delivered on by extending those services and taking those services now for her community into the evening so that they get night-time services on weekdays. Also, what Labor didn't do, we put services on to the weekend, and that's how they are getting better services. I know those opposite like to talk down public transport but that's not what we are about; 12,000 extra trips is sensational for the people who live in the community that the member for Elder represents.

It does give me great pleasure to have announced that that was opened late last year, which was a great result. Now nurses, students and residents can catch the train up to the Flinders education precinct, of course, and the medical precinct as well, which is a great success. The Premier said that he was on that line and I was on that line as well and I can tell you it is a fantastic ride, a really smooth ride, and we thank the people who delivered that service for us. It is sensational.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: So whether you are a student or a teacher at Flinders University, or a doctor or a staffer or a patient who is attending Flinders Medical Centre, there are now better public transport services for them to use.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: You know what? In doing that, we delivered more jobs, more jobs—

Mr Malinauskas interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the leader!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —for South Australia. It's a $141 million project, part of our $16.7 billion infrastructure spend. They don't like that on that side of the house. They have never seen a figure that big invested in infrastructure to build what matters for South Australia: $16.7 billion. We are delivering and creating jobs for the people of South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It's more than $4 billion that that government ever put towards infrastructure, so we are delivering. This project: 55 jobs each year for the workers who built that project. It is sensational. We are building what matters for South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: They don't like it on that side—

The Hon. Z.L. Bettison interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Ramsay!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —but what I can say as well with this project is that it's another example of the member for Elder delivering for her community as we build the services that matter. Not only did we do the line and extend it to Flinders to give people those better services, but we built a new train station at Tonsley for her local community too. A fantastic train station it is. Of course, it's long enough to take the double trains as well and the member for Elder—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —was a great champion for making sure that her community got that service. Her advocacy and hard work meant that that $16 million investment was made into the Tonsley train station. That was a late addition to the project, but a very, very worthwhile addition to that project as well.

All of this, of course, will help with Flinders University and their vision for the billion-plus dollar Flinders Village that they are looking to build up there on the station, and this piece of infrastructure will help them deliver that. I have said it before, but this is a great example of how investment in public infrastructure can unlock massive opportunities for the private sector and development in this state, and you know what it will do? It will create more jobs and that's what we are about. They don't like it on that side, but that is what we are doing. Our $16.7 billion infrastructure spend—I will say it one more time because it's a big number: $16.7 billion going into infrastructure—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —is creating jobs for South Australia and a stack of those are in the member for Elder's electorate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the leader, I call to order the member for Schubert, the member for Chaffey, the member for Elizabeth, the member for Playford, the member for Kaurna, the member for Ramsay, the Minister for Education, and the member for Lee.

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