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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-12-01 Daily Xml
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Infrastructure Projects

Mrs POWER (Elder) (14:53): My question is for the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. Can the minister update the house on what the Marshall Liberal government is achieving through its record $17.9 billion spent in infrastructure in South Australia?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: What a question!

The SPEAKER: Order, member for West Torrens!

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Chaffey! The minister has the call.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:54): I thank the member for Elder for her question and her interest in that $17.9 billion figure. That is how much money we are spending on infrastructure over a four-year period—more than this state has ever seen before. Fundamentally, it is about building what matters for the people of South Australia, and I know the member for Elder cares about investing in the type of infrastructure that is beneficial to the people of South Australia

As we roll down to Christmas, it is probably an opportune time to update on what this means for the people of South Australia. This record spend is fixing more than 4,500 kilometres of roads, creating thousands and thousands of local jobs and making our roads safer and more productive. There is no shortage of achievements to talk about here, especially when we compare to the former government—visionaries who lacked foresight. They would have reportedly just sat in the wings when it came to announcing projects, rather than actually getting on and doing the planning works. If we compare and contrast, it is $17.9 billion in infrastructure, compared to those opposite, who managed a mere $10.5 billion.

But never fear, the Liberals are here to fix the mess that they left. The pipeline of dizzying heights never seen before in South Australia is what we are rolling out. I thought I might break it down into geographic regions and just list a few achievements in a few of the regions. Let's start with Eyre Peninsula and the member for Flinders, who has done an outstanding job in his time in this place. There is $125 million going into the Eyre Peninsula, $32 million of course going in to build much needed overtaking lanes.

It was great to hear him talk about the upgrades of the Tod Highway, the Flinders Highway and the Lincoln Highway yesterday in his valedictory speech. We are making those roads safer. As the member for Flinders has always said to me, a wider road is a safer road, and we are delivering wider roads on Eyre Peninsula. This is vitally important, of course, for making our roads safer, but also better for tourists as well as they flock to Eyre Peninsula because they want to see what our regions have to offer, so it is wonderful to see this work rolling out.

Regarding the Eyre Highway, I know the member for Giles would be very welcoming of the $125 million investment we are putting into shoulder sealing on the Eyre Highway as well to make that safer. The member for Stuart, of course, up there in Port Augusta, is keeping a very close eye on the Joy Baluch Bridge and the duplication project there. This is something he has championed for for a long, long period of time and in government he is delivering for the people in his local community.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: That project is now 70 per cent complete, or so he tells me, and it's on track to be finished next year. This is great. I know the member for Stuart and the member for Frome are both very interested in the work we are doing on the Augusta Highway, a duplication ignored for too long by the previous Labor government. We are getting on with that. In addition, the Horrocks Highway in the Mid North region has received over $80 million worth of funding to widen that road and add shoulders and overtaking lanes there as well—more safety treatments to make that a better road.

The member for Narungga is over the moon, some say like a dog with two tails, watching over the overpass that is being built at the notorious Crash Corner. He is so happy. The Port Wakefield overpass is coming along wonderfully well. Watch this space—it will be delivered very, very soon.

If I skip across to the south of our state and the Granite Island Causeway, the local member down there, the Minister for Primary Industries and his wife are watching this go up every day. She is sending me photos all the time, very excited about that, and we are doing wonderfully well there. Of course, there is $560 million for the Fleurieu Connections package to fix Main South Road with two grade separations, not the roundabouts that Labor wanted to put in. We are putting in grade separations. We are doing this job properly and investing in the Victor Harbor Road as well, another massive achievement.

For the projects in metropolitan Adelaide, the list is too long. I'm running out of time. I will come back at another time to talk more about how we are building what matters.

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