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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-04-11 Daily Xml
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Schubert Electorate Roads

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (15:59): Truth to power, Mr Speaker, truth to power. Congratulations to you on your election to the Speaker role. Of course, the Barossa Valley and, indeed, the Adelaide Hills are two of the most superior wine regions that we have in South Australia, and yours is in the mix, too.

I rise today to talk about an issue of critical concern to my local community, and that is in relation to the road safety challenges that are presented on a daily basis at an intersection known as Linke's intersection in Nuriootpa: the intersection of Moppa Road South, Samuel Road and Greenock Road. For quite a long time, this intersection has been notorious, not just for locals and truckies but also for tourists who are coming to the region to be able to navigate.

For many years now, we have been pushing for there to be solutions on the table to be able to fix this. It started with some gradual action that was taken by the former government, with larger stop signs and forewarning that there was indeed a big intersection coming up ahead. Frankly, that did not cut the mustard, so I was pleased to see that in 2022-23, $1.95 million was put on the table by the then Liberal Coalition government to be able to install a roundabout at this intersection. That was wholeheartedly welcomed by the local community as one of the best solutions to be able to provide peace of mind for people navigating this intersection.

Since that money has been put on the table, that $1.95 million, The Barossa Council along with the Light Regional Council have really been working hand in glove to come up with a design for that roundabout. Seeing progress on this is something that locals have been looking forward to, but it seems to have hit a little bit of a roadblock, if you will, and locals are frustrated at the snail's pace in which a solution is now being rolled out and, ultimately, implemented.

I have been speaking with people who live right across the region about this. As a direct result, last year I actually brought the member for Stuart, the Minister for Regional Roads, to the local community just so that he could see firsthand the significant challenges that people face when it comes to navigating this intersection. He assured me that progress was indeed ongoing, but now it appears as though there is a bit of a funding shortfall, if you like, to getting this project off the ground.

I wrote to the minister and I have encouraged him to really do everything within his power—and I urge the government to do everything within their power—to ensure that no lever is left, that every single lever possible is pulled to ensure that progress can be made on delivering this roundabout, and that if there is a funding shortfall, that the government uses the opportunity of the upcoming state budget to actually get this delivered, because it is so critically important.

People in my region actively avoid travelling through this intersection, and it is so difficult to avoid. I have also been contacted by parents who are concerned that their kids who are just about to get their P-plates are going to be going through this intersection as well. We should not be waiting for there to be a fatality at this intersection before action is taken. I really urge the government to use the upcoming state budget to inject any additional funding that may be required to deliver this roundabout that is so critically needed.

Recently, I was so grateful that after lots of advocating—not just by myself as the local member of parliament but from people right across the region—we finally got a commitment that Melrose Street in Mount Pleasant, which is the main street, will be upgraded. That will be happening next financial year, which is a big tick. Everyone is very excited about that. I would also urge the state government to ensure that they use the upcoming state budget to inject more money into regional roads because, whilst this is fantastic news for Mount Pleasant, there is so much more that needs to be done right across our regions, whether it is fixing potholes or significantly resurfacing and resealing roads, so I do hope to see that in the upcoming state budget.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Schubert. On behalf of the house, I would like to wish you all the very best for the next few weeks and months on what is a really special time in your life. Best wishes and love from everyone here to you and your family on what is going to be a very exciting moment with the birth of your first child. The member for Adelaide.

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