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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-10-18 Daily Xml
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Hahndorf Traffic Improvement Project

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen) (15:25): Just recently the Malinauskas Labor government announced its response to the Hahndorf Township Improvements and Access Upgrade project. What we have seen from this Labor government and from the responsible minister, Minister Koutsantonis, is a dereliction of duty and an abandonment of the community of Hahndorf in respect of significant moneys that have been made available—both federal and state in $200 million of federal money and $50 million of the Marshall Liberal government's commitment—to solve the Hahndorf traffic congestion problems.

What we have just heard in question time is that Minister Koutsantonis made the time to consult with the federal member, he made the time to consult with the member for Mount Barker, but he did not have either the time or the capacity, or it appears the knowledge, to engage at all with the member for Hahndorf—the member for Heysen—and I am dismayed on behalf of the community of Hahndorf about that, and no-one should be surprised.

There is a sincere and committed community in Hahndorf who have engaged in what has been a process that has been running for many years, but intensively over the course of the last year, towards solving what is undoubtedly a complex problem to solve, and that is to remove the dangerous congestion, particularly of heavy vehicles travelling through the main road of Hahndorf.

The works that have been announced are well familiar to those residents of Hahndorf and to the residents of Mount Barker who are travelling daily through the local area, and they are welcome. But without more, as Minister Koutsantonis and the Malinauskas Labor government ought to know, they will make the problem worse. So I am calling on the government—and I am joining with my colleague the shadow minister for infrastructure and transport, the member for Hartley; and the shadow minister for regional roads, the member for Hammond; who have joined me in the main street of Hahndorf—to commit to applying all of the funds and committing them to solve the problem.

So improving the Verdun interchange is very welcome and long overdue, as is improving the Mount Barker interchange. Of course, there is a growing population and it will have some benefit in terms of the overall picture, and we know the Mount Barker council has been keen on improving the main street of Hahndorf for some time, and upgrades there are welcome also, as are the extension of the Pioneer Women's Trail and the upgraded multipurpose car park facility at Verdun.

All of it is welcome and all of it should be completed. The minister has conceded already that by doing only those works there will potentially be significantly less money spent on the project, and that should come as no surprise because the works are incomplete.

I can tell you, from the Hahndorf Community Association to traders, to visitors, to those who are unfortunate enough to have to travel through with their heavy vehicles each day, this is not good enough. I am calling on the government to solve the problem and not just to do the easy bits that smack of a government that has no familiarity whatsoever with the local area.

On a brighter note, last weekend, Sunday 16 October saw the return of the Meadows Country Fair after a couple of years of absence due to COVID—and what a joy that was. There is a singular famous element of the Meadows Country Fair that involves, on the one hand, a milking competition between people who know what they are doing followed by a milking competition between those who do not necessarily know a lot about what they are doing. I am proud to be in the second category.

I have the opportunity to milk a cow about as often as the Meadows Country Fair is held. I first did this in 2017, and I was proud to come out on top and claim the prize. Vanessa and I teamed up on Sunday, with the result that I was able to reclaim the crown and raise a couple of thousand dollars for the Cancer Council of South Australia in the process.

Can I just say that I applaud the Meadows Community Association and all involved in the heavy lifting, the hard work and the commitment to bring the show back in all its glory on Sunday. Well done to you all. What a joy!

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