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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-11-30 Daily Xml
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Truro Freight Route Project

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley) (14:51): My question is to the Premier. Have any private properties been acquired compulsorily as part of the Truro freight route project and, if so, what will happen to them?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (14:52): That is a good question. We will be keeping any properties that we have acquired as part of those projects. The state government is committed to and very supportive of these projects. We lost our funding partner, despite what members opposite are saying about the South Australian government. The South Australian government did not cancel any project. We have not cancelled the Truro bypass. It was not us; it was the commonwealth government that decided that those projects should not proceed. We lost our funding partner at an 80:20 per cent split. Interestingly, I asked Tony Pasin who was on radio whether an incoming Coalition government would reinstate that 80 per cent funding. He said, 'Oh, oh, um, um, oh, oh, um, um.'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: When I had a look at the transcript, that wasn't what—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for West Torrens, there is a point of order from the member for Morialta under 134.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Standing order 98: despite the becoming gravitas of the minister's answer so far, the question was actually about private properties, and seeking information. It wasn't provocative and not making accusations about the state government as suggested by the minister. He is debating.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! That may be. Speakers, of course, consistently have allowed some context. It may be that this is beyond context; I will listen carefully.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: So, yes, we believe these projects are important, and the work that we have done—if we have acquired private properties—is because ultimately the planning stages of those works are important and we believe that they should still proceed. Unfortunately, we have lost the commonwealth government as a funding partner, which is very, very disappointing, and to say that the South Australian government or that South Australian Labor had cancelled these projects is just incorrect, and I look forward to prosecuting that further as we go.

So, if we have compulsorily acquired properties, they are essential for those programs, and I think it is important that we keep those properties in government hands because ultimately one day it is important that the Truro bypass be built. We think it is an important project. We think it is a project that is very, very timely, as is the Mount Barker duplication of the interchange, sir.

The SPEAKER: Indeed.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The Speaker quite kindly took me on a tour of what was a—

Mr Teague: What about River Road?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, River Road is to be upgraded as well. Thank you very much, that's right, we are upgrading River Road.

Mr Teague: $40 million? $2 million? How much?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Attorney-General; act like the Attorney-General; not really the Attorney-General; having to take the files around to Vickie's house first: 'Can I sign this, please?'

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order, which I am bound to hear under 134.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house is required to turn under 134—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The exchange between the member for Heysen and the member for West Torrens is unhelpful and contrary to the standing orders.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Sir, the member for West Torrens carries himself as a minister. Standing order 98 puts obligations on a minister in the way that they conduct themselves, and he is completely in breach of it.

Mr Teague interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Heysen!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: If the shadow attorney-general wants to move a point of order, or do anything, he is welcome to. Here are the numbers, let's go, let's see how they turn out.

The SPEAKER: Member for West Torrens, the house does not permit quarrels of a sort of medieval type that you might be alluding to.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Morialta quite rightly is seeking the call under 134, which will be heard immediately.

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER: Sir, I raised a point of order under standing order 98 about which I await your advice. The member for West Torrens declined to offer you that opportunity, instead starting shouting again undermining you and the house.

The SPEAKER: There is a certain frisson and energy in the room. It could well be the last day. Minister, I bring you to the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: So if we have acquired properties, for the Mount Barker project, the Verdun project or the project at Truro, we will be keeping those properties because we believe those projects have value. Ultimately those projects will be developed one day. It is important that we do work on the Verdun interchange, it is important that we do work on the Mount Barker interchange and it is very, very important that we do work on the Truro bypass.

Unfortunately for us the Truro bypass was underdeveloped. There was only a single lane as the bypass, and, interestingly, as soon as there was a change of commonwealth government those members who were part of only funding a single lane immediately started calling for a duplication of that bypass. So it is important that any projects where we have seen acquisition of land in projects that are a priority for the South Australian government that we should keep those projects, we should keep that land.

Now ultimately what we do do, though, is if there are businesses that are impacted through compulsory acquisition, because we have acquired the land and there may be tenants, we are happy to enter into long-term arrangements with those tenants to give them continuity of work because it is important we keep those businesses working. We did that on the north-south corridor, we do that along other pieces of infrastructure where we compulsorily acquire property, and it is important that we make sure that we keep that focus there because one day we will go back to the Truro bypass and when we do go back to the Truro bypass ultimately to reacquire that land will obviously increase in costs. So it is prudent for the taxpayer that we keep that property within government control.

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