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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-06-01 Daily Xml
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B-Double Truck Traffic

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (14:26): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Does the government have any plans to reduce the number of B-double trucks using Cross Road?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:26): You might be aware, Mr Speaker, that the state government and the commonwealth government are co-funding the Truro bypass.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: The one under review.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Not by the South Australian government.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia: But by the federal government.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: What we haven't done is give people false hope by saying that they are going to build—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I have not heard any news of them cancelling.

The Hon. D.G. Pisoni: Why is there a review then?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You would have to ask the commonwealth minister that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has the call.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I will check to see how many times the member has written to me about B-doubles on Cross Road. I am sure that, just like the shadow minister for health, the letter is on its way any moment now. I am sure that if I check with my electorate office and my ministerial office, there will be tens of letters from the member for Unley worried about Cross Road and B-doubles. In fact, since we are interjecting on each other, how many letters have you written to me about Cross Road?

The SPEAKER: No, minister, you are not interjecting and he is not either.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order under 134. The member for Unley, your colleague is seeking to raise a point of order with me.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98, sir.

The SPEAKER: Very well. I may have been able to focus on these matters if there were not interjections from either side. I bring the minister to the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir. Cross Road is an important route to the north-south corridor, as is Portrush Road to our ports and harbours, and there have been a lot of promises made about both roads by members in this house. Some members promised a freight bypass and a brand-new airport at Murray Bridge. That never happened. That never happened—never eventuated. It never eventuated, so I am not going to be lectured on freight bypasses by people who I think openly misled people about what their intentions were. That openly misleading was in the terms of GlobeLink.

The SPEAKER: There is a point of order from the member for Morialta: standing order 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98 again, debate.

The SPEAKER: Very well, I will listen carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The South Australian government has no plans to put extra B-doubles on Portrush Road or Cross Road. None. But we do want to have a freight strategy. Our freight strategy is something that is vitally important for the state's prosperity, and it is vitally important for our freight users to keep the cost of groceries down, to keep inflation down, to make sure that the nation keeps on working.

One of the great investments the previous Labor government made into our freight network was the duplication of the Joy Baluch Bridge, which was announced in the 2017 budget and Mid-Year Budget Review before the 2018 election. It was opened by Minister Brock in an ultimate sign of justice—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hammond!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It was a great contribution to the freight network in this country—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Florey! Member for Unley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —because if the Joy Baluch Bridge ever went down or were closed, it would—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Hartley is on two warnings. The minister has the call.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley, you are now on three warnings. Minister, you have the call.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: My young friend seems quite excited, sir. Perhaps it was the State of Origin rugby last night. Perhaps he is just excited to see me again in the parliament; he's missed me for the last two days. I am not sure what it is, but ultimately—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hammond!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —this state government wants to see, as much as we possibly can, the decongestion of South Australian roads, which is why we are spending more on infrastructure now than any other government in the state's history. We have fixed the errors of the north-south corridor, we have fixed the tunnels, we have fixed the exit/entry ramps, we have fixed the consultation—

An honourable member interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —we have fixed all the errors of the previous four years on that corridor. We are doing all we can. I will go back and check how many letters the member for Unley has written to me about Cross Road.

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