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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-05-06 Daily Xml
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Regional Roads

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (14:15): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister advise how the record regional roads funding secured by the Marshall Liberal government is delivering for regional community?

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens is warned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:15): I have great pleasure to talk about our record infrastructure spend.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: I know that the member for Chaffey is always impressed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left! The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —when we talk about the $16.7 billion infrastructure spend—a $16.7 billion infrastructure spend. The member asks how we are delivering for our regional communities through our record funding, and unfortunately those opposite would not know.

Members interjecting:

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

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Can the Speaker explain why the member for MacKillop saying 'record number of infrastructure' is in order, yet when the shadow minister for health says a 'leak to The Advertiser' it is comment, sir? Can you explain to us the difference?

The SPEAKER: The member for West Torrens will resume his seat. He is warned for second time. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, sir. The member for MacKillop, of course, does an outstanding job in his community and he is very passionate about our regions, and I want to take you through some of that work.

The SPEAKER: The minister will resume his seat. The member for Lee on a point order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Would you at least rule on the point of order?

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my right! The opportunity is available to all members to raise a point of order and to do so in accordance with standing orders. I will not address commentary subsequent to matters having been dealt with in the house, and if members are not going to observe their obligations with respect to standing orders, including with respect to raising points of order, then there will be consequences. The Minister for Infrastructure—

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee on a point of order.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: I appreciate the explanation, but you still have not ruled on the point of order the member for West Torrens raised.

An honourable member: What's the point of order?

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN: He raised a point about standing order 97. I appreciate your opinion and speech, but we still haven't had a ruling.

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee will resume his seat. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport has the call. The Minister for Infrastructure and Transport.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, sir, and I do point out—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Lee is warned. The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: Thank you, sir. I do want to point out the wonderful work the member for MacKillop does and his passion for the regions. We are talking about the record infrastructure spend that he raises and what we are doing in the regions, and this is really important work. I can tell you that in one month, the month of April, shovels have hit the ground with $100 million worth of regional roadworks. That is happening outside of the metropolitan area. They wouldn't know about that: they have never been out there.

But more than 400 kilometres of work is being done. That's right—400 kilometres of work has started in one month. Those opposite wouldn't know because it is past Gepps Cross, but I welcome them to come out to the regions and have a really good look at what is going on out there. We will have to cast our eye, as I said, a little bit further to see where this is, but we are fixing roads and making them safer and smoother for all motorists and more productive for our freight industry as well.

Those works are happening right across the state on the Eyre and Yorke peninsulas, the state's Far North, Mid North, the Limestone Coast and Kangaroo Island. I want to take this opportunity to list off some of these highways so that you can go and check them out for yourself. Works are happening and we are fixing these roads, and I know that our regional members on this side of the house are very happy about this and interested.

On the Eyre Highway, the member for Flinders would be very interested to know that last month we started 65 kilometres of work on that road with shoulder sealing, road widening and installing guideposts as well. The member for Flinders would also know of the 40 kilometres that we are fixing on the Tod and Birdseye highways respectively. There are similar treatments happening there as well. The member for Stuart knows all too well that we are getting on with and fixing 40 kilometres of the Stuart Highway and another 15 kilometres of the Barrier Highway as well.

We are also fixing the notorious Horrocks Highway. I know Penny Pratt has contacted me as the Liberal candidate for Frome, very keen on this and can't see why this work wasn't done decades ago, but we are getting on with it now. Nothing happened for 16 years—not a zack—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and we are putting $75 million into that road. It's amazing. They laugh about regional roads. We are investing in regional roads. There is so much difference, it's not funny.

In the member for MacKillop's electorate I am delighted to say that we are fixing 21 kilometres of the Ngarkat Highway. We know how important that is. The member for Narungga has fiercely fought for upgrades in his area because they didn't happen under a Labor government, but they are happening now. Those upgrades are happening on the Spencer Highway, Yorke Highway, Upper Yorke Road and Copper Coast Highway. There is some great work there and I know he appreciates that. The members for Chaffey and Hammond, of course, know of the upgrade to the Karoonda Highway and the Browns Well Highway as well. It keeps going on.

Last but not least, we can't forget of course that the Labor government did nothing on Kangaroo Island, and the Playford Highway is being improved as well, with shoulder sealing works happening over there. We are investing in roads, we are investing in the infrastructure—

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

The SPEAKER: Member for Mawson!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —that's important to the people of South Australia and all of that in one month—one month's worth of work. In 16 years, they didn't get close to it over on that side. That's because, as the member for Lee and the member for West Torrens know incredibly well, they left a $750 million road maintenance backlog. That is just road maintenance. We have had to address this with Infrastructure Australia and we are getting on with fixing their mess. This is really important.

We are doing this work and I know our regional members on this side of the house know how important this work is and especially with a lot of people coming to visit South Australia and seeing how wonderful our regions are they are appreciating this work. We ask them to bear with us and show us their patience as we do this work, but we are building better infrastructure for the people of South Australia, the infrastructure that matters.

The SPEAKER: Before I call the leader, I call to order the member for Chaffey. I call to order and warn the member for Mawson.

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