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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-02 Daily Xml
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Infrastructure Projects

Mr TARZIA (Hartley) (15:25): I would like to take the opportunity to inform the house today about two items. One is obviously a local infrastructure item that we would like to work towards a solution on, then the second one is about infrastructure in this state more broadly.

Firstly, let me talk about the Moules Road/St Bernards Road/Arthur Street intersection. As we know, we have a good history when it comes to working together with the local community and working together with government to make sure that we can improve infrastructure in our local area. Whether it is Graves Street and Newton Road, whether it is Silkes Road and Gorge Road, whether it is OG Road and Turner Street or whether it is Paradise Interchange, by working together with the local community, we have certainly been able to improve the amenity of our area and make sure that we can upgrade these key infrastructure items across our area.

The next one to talk about is St Bernards Road, Moules Road and Arthur Street. We know that this has been a problem intersection for some time, but I am confident that, given our strong history of working together with the local community and making sure that we can obtain funding to fix these types of intersections, we will also get a positive result here. What I did was conduct a local road safety traffic forum in my own electorate. It was attended by dozens of residents, and we obtained a whole range of feedback about how we might upgrade this key intersection.

There was a road traffic management plan undertaken by the Labor government of the day. The problem with that is unfortunately the data that that traffic study is now relying on is over 10 years old. What I have done is written to this minister and I have pleaded with this minister to please make sure that we can go and get some updated data when it comes to the road traffic management plan. What that updated road traffic management plan will do is come up with a number of solutions.

I have canvassed my local area extensively. The answer for Moules Road, St Bernards Road and Arthur Street is indeed at least one extra set of traffic lights. What traffic lights there will do is make sure that if you are turning out of Arthur Street, you will be able to turn quite safely to the right into St Bernards Road in a much safer manner.

We also know that there are a whole range of density issues. There is much more density in that local area because of the fact that the area overall has grown. It has certainly grown in the last 10 to 15 years. People want to live in our electorate and in the eastern and north-eastern suburbs. Morialta Secondary College is an exceptional former Liberal government project but, again, it has brought more people into the area. What that means is that the infrastructure needs also to keep up to date.

What we are calling on the government to do is make sure that they release an updated road traffic management plan that delivers more updated traffic figures. Please do get on with the job and make sure that we fix those intersections. Make sure that you work with the opposition and deliver a key outcome there. Given our history—we have been able to fix Graves Street and Newton Road, OG Road and Turner Street, Silkes Road and Gorge Road and Paradise Interchange—I have no doubt that the next intersection to be upgraded is Moules Road, St Bernards Road and Arthur Street. It is going to happen. I now ask the government to come on board.

Finally, I also want to talk about the federal government review when it comes to infrastructure. The fact is this: there are now potential blowouts, potential delays and potential nation-building projects that are now on the chopping board because of what the federal Labor government has instigated in this review. Critical infrastructure projects now face multiple blowouts, delays and potentially the axe thanks to this Labor government. What we need is a Premier and a transport minister now to stand up to the federal government.

There are critical projects like the Truro freight route, the Princes Highway corridor upgrade, the Old Belair Road upgrade, the Marion Road and Sir Donald Bradman Drive intersection upgrade and also the Hahndorf township improvements and access projects that we know this government was seemingly already so desperate to diminish, to cut and also to curtail. It does not come as a surprise to us that the federal Labor government already cannot manage its budget, and that is why they have done this review: to kick the can down the road, to cause unnecessary delays. People expect better.

Unfortunately, state and federal Labor governments often have a history of poorly mismanaged budgets. Despite the showmanship and promises of the new and ostensibly improved state and federal Labor governments, it is quite clear that old habits die hard.

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