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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-10-18 Daily Xml
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Torrens to Darlington Project

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (14:40): My question again is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. How many extra properties are being acquired for the completion of the Torrens to Darlington arm of the north-south corridor?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:40): That's a question I can't answer because we haven't finished the reference design, but I have said in this parliament previously—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —it may be the case that we might not be acquiring some properties that the previous government had identified and we might be acquiring some other properties that might be industrial or otherwise. I have said that previously in this parliament. But what I am not going to do is pre-empt that before the reference design work is finished. It is appropriate that we finish what the former government didn't do in four years that we are trying to do as quickly as possible. It is going to take time.

I do also point out that it is this side of the chamber that has delivered every other aspect of the north-south corridor. The part that I found most concerning when we entered government was the bureaucrats and public servants and the South Australian engineers who have delivered every other aspect of the north-south corridor were excluded from this final stage. The question is: why? Why were the people—

Mr Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —who had built every other part of the north-south corridor, why were they removed from operating on the tunnels? That sounds like a very concerning—it's very, very concerning. South Australian expertise, South Australian engineers—they know our conditions, they know our traffic, they know our people, they know our suburbs—all excluded by the previous government. Why? Why were they excluded? Could it be because the former reference design was so flawed that they knew that the department would not put their name to it, that they knew that it was so flawed that it wouldn't fly amongst those departmental officers?

But the election defeat on 19 March does not dissuade the current opposition. They stand by that reference design. They stand by that design. In fact, after seven questions asked today on radio, the member for Hartley finally, boldly, at the eighth attempt, and proudly said—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, there is a point of order from the member for Morialta.

Ms Stinson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Badcoe is called to order. I will hear the member for Morialta under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: the minister is debating the issue.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Hartley is on two warnings. He is now on three. I bring the minister to the substance of the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: So once we finish the detailed design work, we are anxious to get this out to the people of South Australia so that they can see it, so that they can have a say about connectivity, about canopy, about how it interfaces with their communities—all the things that they were denied by the previous government. They deserve a say. It is their money that we are spending on this project. It is for their benefit that we are working on this project. While the opposition claims to have concerns about the community, just look at the seats along that corridor and how they reacted about how they were treated by the previous government.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Chaffey is called to order. The member for Morialta?

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The question was about houses being purchased. The minister's answer is providing electoral commentary. It's completely out of order.

The SPEAKER: There is some merit in the member's point of order. There has been a good deal of context. I will bring the minister to the substance of the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have finished my answer, sir.

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