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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-03-09 Daily Xml
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Footy Express

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Can the minister assure the house that there will be no change to the funding allocation by the state government given to the Footy Express during this term of government?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:44): There is only one party that attempted to do what the shadow minister is accusing me of and that is those opposite.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Badcoe! Member for Newland!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: When you look back on the official record, The Advertiser—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: That's fine by me. When you look back, it was of blessed memory, former transport minister Stephan Knoll—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order, Leader of Government Business, from the member for Hartley.

Mr TARZIA: Point of order: for debate. This has nothing to do with the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is some merit in the point of order that is raised with me. I have the point of order. I will listen closely. In the meantime, the member for Wright is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I would have thought after the appalling week the member has had, given his football club lost 7-0 to Liverpool—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that he would have learned his lesson.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Newland is warned.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Schubert! The Premier is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It's important to note that, first and foremost, earlier this year in February, both clubs announced that they would be freezing their ticket prices. The shadow minister was peddling a story that ticket prices could increase by up to $35 a game, I think it was, despite having read in The Advertiser that ticket prices had been frozen. The only people who ever attempted to remove the government subsidy on Footy Express were members opposite.

Our contribution has been reinstated and increased across the forward estimates. We are continuing to invest in Footy Express. We are continuing to make sure that Footy Express is a viable option. Unfortunately, what the shadow minister has failed to understand is that since coming to office, since March of last year, there have been a number of events that have received free public transport to Adelaide Oval—

The Hon. N.F. Cook interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hurtle Vale!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —including, obviously, the AFL 2022 season; during the Gawler line closure; ANZAC Day; we have given seniors free travel; the Illuminate Festival had free travel; rugby union at Adelaide Oval had free travel; the SANFL grand final had free travel; the City to Bay had free travel; the proclamation of His Majesty The King, King Charles III, King of Australia, the lord and sovereign of the member for Black—free public transport; the day of mourning for Her Majesty The Queen; the AFL Women's Showdown; the ICC T20 cricket; the Christmas Pageant got free public transport. Importantly, the Guns N' Roses concert had free public transport—that was an important event. VALO 500 had free public transport—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Elder! Member for Newland!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —as will—

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morialta!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —the Footy Express.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is warned.

The Hon. J.A.W. Gardner interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta is on two warnings.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I will just remind members of an article in the paper on Friday the 9th 2018, during the dark four years of the previous government—dark, dark times for members on this side and for some members opposite as well, from what I remember, given the number of phone calls I was receiving late at night. They were dark, dark days indeed. The former transport minister, of blessed memory, was a attempting to make—

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Point of order, sir.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You don't know who he is? You have never heard of him?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Hurtle Vale! Member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: it's clearly debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have the standing order. There is some force in the submission made to me. I guide the minister to come back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Fair enough, sir; I see you have applied the mercy rule. I will stop. Under Labor, the Footy Express is here to stay. Only one party tried to cut bus stops and bus services; another party is undoing privatisation and restoring community confidence in public transport.

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