House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-05-17 Daily Xml

Contents

North-South Corridor

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (14:54): Supplementary to that, again to the minister: will the minister then release any details and modelling on the cost of any productivity losses as a consequence of any of these delays that he is referring to?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:54): I didn't mention any delays: I said that we were conducting a review.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Well, a new time line could be—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: As my learned friend says, it could accelerate some parts of the project.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Could the Minister for Human Services and the member for Chaffey—

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have to say that the agitation of members opposite coming from these leaks is getting pretty pronounced now. There is a certain level of agitation going on.

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: It’s set the hares running.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It has set the hares running. Who could possibly leak such information? But there have been no such leaks from our cabinet. Our cabinet is watertight—

The Hon. S.C. Mullighan: That's right, united.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Watertight and united. There are no individuals. We are a team. There is no-one out there trying to promote themselves.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Standing order 98.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Has the minister concluded his response?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have lots more to talk about this leak. I reject the inference of the question that there will be delays. I reject the inference of the question. What I have said is that members opposite propose to have some suburbs living in the shade while they are building tunnels, and we are looking at those overpasses to make sure we get them right.

That doesn't mean delays. What it means is that we are doing a job properly, and for members opposite, who have not put a shovel in the ground, to be attempting to criticise us, I think, quite frankly, is dishonest of them. Why don't they just accept nothing happened—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: There is a point of order, minister.

Mr GARDNER: That is clearly in contravention of standing order 98.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I think the minister has probably answered the question.