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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-27 Daily Xml
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Schubert Electorate

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (16:04): Today I was really pleased to table a petition from 146 people in my local community about road safety along the Sturt Highway. This is not the main petition that is circulating in my community talking about the condition, but rather this is a really specific location in my local community that does require some really urgent upgrades to improve safety for workers and also for people who live along this specific stretch.

This is in relation to a section of road between Barossa Valley Way and Duck Ponds Road in Stockwell. I would like to give a really special shout-out to a few locals who spearheaded this petition, namely Troy Bonner and Mark and Linda Dahlitz. Troy Bonner is one of the many business owners who is impacted and he has really proudly stood up for his workers in the name of road safety; likewise, Mark and Linda have been the spokespeople for many people who live along this stretch.

I have had a number of site visits to this specific location. Just to paint a bit of a picture, this is a national highway, so there are around 10,000 cars and trucks coming through this specific stretch each and every day. It is 110 km/h and it is one lane in each direction. If I could paint the house a picture, many workers who are coming from Nuri heading towards Stockwell need to turn right across traffic, with heavy vehicles coming from Stockwell and Truro to Nuri, and it is a big road safety concern. In fact, when I have stood on site, workers describe it to me as though they are rolling the dice with their lives each and every day.

I have invited multiple ministers to come out and see this firsthand, because I think it is one thing to sit in your office and look at it on a big spreadsheet and think, 'There probably aren't too many issues there,' but it is another thing to join workers and the community on site and see it firsthand yourself, and I have done that on multiple occasions.

I have written letters to multiple ministers who have held carriage of this portfolio—former minister Brock, Minister Koutsantonis, former minister Cregan, former minister Mullighan, Minister Boyer and Minister Bourke—painting a picture for them about how serious this issue is and why action needs to be taken, but not one person has set foot or put their boots on the ground in a formal capacity to see this firsthand, which I think is really disappointing. If you are someone who is taking road safety seriously, then I think there should be a sense of duty and obligation to get your own boots on the ground so you can see why decisions are or are not being made.

I believe that there does need to be a short, sharp review into what actions the government can take to improve road safety here, because it is a matter of life and death. I have stood shoulder to shoulder with workers and business owners from Ultimate Engineering and Maintenance Services, Suber Oak, WEMS Engineering and Filmer Delivery, as well as many local families who live along this stretch. I have also spoken to many workers who have encountered and relayed to me episodes of a near miss; some cars have been rear-ended.

It is a really big concern in my local community and I would like to thank the 146 community members who put their name on the petition and are urging the government to act. I do encourage the minister to come and join me. I have extended the invitation to her, as well as Minister Boyer, to come and stand on site. We do need real action here and I was really grateful to be tabling this petition.

I would like to give a special shout-out to all the volunteers from Wirraminna Care in Williamstown, who put on yet another fantastic annual strawberry fete. They go above and beyond in this fundraising effort. Despite a little bit of bad weather for some of that day, it really was a fantastic hit, so well done to all those volunteers. Likewise, I would like to give a shout-out to the Seppeltsfield Road Business Alliance. They held another Sunset on Seppeltsfield Road, which really does showcase the very best of the Barossa under palm trees that, thankfully, are staying along this iconic stretch.

Lastly, I would like to give a shout-out to all my staff. They have done a fantastic job this year and throughout the last four years: Kaitlyn, Carla, Casey—whose last day is today—Saskia, Greg and Michael. Thank you, and merry Christmas to my community.

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