Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-04-11 Daily Xml

Contents

Bridges

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:57): I seek leave before asking the Minister for Road Safety a question about South Australian bridges.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Outlined in the Northern Argus on 8 February, it was reported that three bridges located on Farrell Flat Road, Clare, which are within one kilometre distance of one another, have been an ongoing issue for road users. An overpass previously used by the railways and now occupied by the Riesling Trail, along with two typical culvert-style bridges, are considered to be dangerous for users, especially when two trucks pass one another on the small bridges.

Several accidents have occurred due to the challenges and inability to pass safely over the bridges. Since the forced partial closure of the South Road overpass, a review of South Australian bridges was to be conducted by the state government. With these three bridges in the Clare Valley labelled as state government roads, the Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council put forward a motion to the state government to prioritise the upgrade of the two culvert-type bridges, but to date no works have commenced. My questions to the Minister are:

1. Can the minister confirm when the state government intends to inspect the safety of these bridges for users?

2. Can the minister confirm what consultation he has had with the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure about the status of the three bridges?

3. When does the government intend to respond to the Clare and Gilbert Valley Council's concerns and advise them of when the bridges will be assessed?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:59): Let me thank the honourable member for her questions. Honourable members present would be well aware that only recently the South Australian cabinet was in the Clare and Gilbert Valleys area, talking to a range of different people within the local community.

The country cabinet process, of course, is an initiative that comes under the Brock agreement and is one that the government is upholding in full. As part of that exercise, getting out in regional South Australia has been incredibly productive in ensuring that the cabinet has a direct link with regional communities in South Australia, something that we are very proud of and we believe is delivering great results for regional South Australians generally.

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS: During the course of last week's country cabinet, I understand and am aware of the fact that there were a number of opportunities where the Minister for Transport, who of course is the minister responsible for DPTI bridges generally, was in regular contact with local members of the community discussing a range of road and infrastructure issues. It would not surprise me if this is an issue in the local area that was raised with the honourable minister from the other place, but since those questions that the Hon. Ms Lee asks pertain to matters that fall within his portfolio area, I am more than happy to take those on notice and ensure that she gets a response in due course.