Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-06 Daily Xml

Contents

North-South Corridor

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (15:19): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Leader of the Government representing the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport in another place a question about the north-south corridor.

Leave granted.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO: The government recently cast doubt on the timing and delivery of the next stage of the north-south corridor with suggestions that costs could blow out to as much as $14 billion. During the state election, SA-Best called for an independent review of an ambitious proposal that has the potential to slash $1 billion off the next stage of the critical road infrastructure project.

The alternative option for the final 10.5-kilometre stretch of South Road upgrades, from the River Torrens to Darlington, is being spearheaded by former senior transport department bureaucrat Mr Luigi Rossi, who has delivered on some of the state's biggest infrastructure projects, including the Heysen Tunnels, the Northern Expressway and the South Road Superway at Regency Park. His proposal includes a six-kilometre tunnel from the River Torrens to just before the South Road overpass at Cross Road, connecting to a four-kilometre elevated highway-in-the-sky motorway extending to just before Ayliffes Road.

Mr Rossi's own independent review has revealed cost savings of more than $1 billion off the current price tag, a 12-month fast-forwarding of the completion date and the saving of properties planned for demolition. My question to the minister is:

1. Has he spoken to Mr Rossi about his project and the potential cost savings?

2. Has the minister requested that his department undertake its own review of the potential cost savings, and if not, why not, particularly in this current financial environment with official interest rates increasing and the potential for the cost savings to be directed elsewhere?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for his question. I certainly will refer those questions to the minister, who will be receiving plenty of correspondence from his colleagues in this chamber. I will ask him to bring back a very timely reply, notwithstanding the many questions he will have to answer.