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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-16 Daily Xml
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Infrastructure Investment Program

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. Has the minister spoken to federal infrastructure minister Catherine King today and, if so, what was the nature of those discussions?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Morialta! The member for Newland! The member for Wright!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The last conversation I had with Catherine King was last night at about 7 o'clock. Today, you might have noticed, she has been busy in the media.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Can you imagine it? Can you imagine Steven Marshall asking about people not taking your calls?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Sorry, sir. I've referred to the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —former Premier by his name. I shouldn't have done that. I should refer to him by his official title: the job applicant—I'm sorry, sir.

An honourable member: Applicant B.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Applicant B.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order from the member for Morialta.

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Chaffey, you are warned. Your colleague is seeking the attention of the chair. Member for Morialta.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Thank you, sir. The minister is trying to make a mockery of the house. Standing orders and conventions—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: —apply even to the member for West Torrens.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am not sure that making a 'mockery of the house' actually appears anywhere in the standing orders, but I assume it is standing order 98.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: The convention about reference to members by titles.

The SPEAKER: Very well.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, you appear to be inviting a good deal of interjection. I remind you of the standing orders in total.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Thank you, sir. I speak to the federal minister regularly. I have not spoken to her today. I spoke to her last night.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: 'Unbelievable', he says.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The state government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —will consider all the changes made—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Elizabeth! Member for Newland!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —by the commonwealth government. We are disappointed, in the cuts made by the commonwealth government. They are for them to explain, not the South Australian government. We stand ready with our funding packages, but I suspect that the commonwealth government will not re-engage in these projects under the current time lines. Now, I think the Truro bypass has tremendous value. I think all these projects have tremendous value, but we had a funding partner and we have lost our funding partner. If members opposite are saying that we should do all these projects on our own—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —that takes money away from Health—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —takes money away from Education, takes money away—

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley! The member for Hartley is warned.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —from policing and emergency services. We need to make sure that we have funding partners for this important infrastructure, because the benefits that a lot of these projects derive are not just for South Australia but there are national benefits, and because there are national benefits there should be, of course, a national contribution. And while the national government is removing its contribution it is not fair of the opposition to be saying that the South Australian taxpayer should pick up all that burden, because if you do that, if all the states did that every single time, you would see the commonwealth government—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —continually cut programs in the hope that state governments would pick up the slack. Now, I know that members opposite—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —aren't really that interested—

Mr Patterson interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Morphett!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —in making sure that South Australia gets its fair share, whether its GST or any other form of income, but we are.

The Hon. V.A. Tarzia interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Hartley!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: We are. We are not going to step in here and let the commonwealth get away with any of these cuts.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I call the member for Hartley.

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