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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-26 Daily Xml
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City of Playford

The Hon. S.L. GAME (17:08): I move:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges that on average 10 people per day are moving into the City of Playford and that this influx is leading to unprecedented housing growth within the City of Playford, increasing pressure on roads and other public infrastructure.

2. Recognises that roads in the City of Playford have failed to keep pace with such exponential growth and resultant increased traffic flow, meaning many important and busy roadways are currently in below-par, unsafe states.

3. Understands that this situation is unacceptable for local ratepaying and taxpaying residents and their families.

4. Commends the state government and federal government for committing a combined $280 million to construct an overpass on Curtis Road over the Munno Para railway line, and construction of a dual-lane roundabout for Curtis and Heaslip Roads.

5. Acknowledges that all three tiers of government must commit to working together to prioritise critical road upgrades to ensure community safety.

6. Congratulates the Playford Growth Infrastructure Campaign group for compiling over 10,000 signatures calling for, but not limited to:

(a) installation of a dual lane roundabout for the intersection of Curtis and Heaslip Roads;

(b) installation of dual lanes on Curtis Road from Main North Road to Heaslip Road and consideration of a railway line at Munno Para to be raised;

(c) upgrading of the southern end of Heaslip Road to include stormwater management and walking paths;

(d) a dual lane upgrade for Womma Road (from the Northern Expressway to Stebonheath Road) with stormwater management and effective lighting, similar to Edinburgh Road;

(e) installation of second egress lanes for traffic exiting Northern Expressway at both Edinburgh and Curtis Roads, and correlating roundabouts to be dual lanes.

7. Acknowledges that gathering 10,000 signatures all calling for action equates to significant community sentiment.

8. Encourages whichever party wins the 2026 State Election to commit to these improvements.

Data shows that new residents are pouring into the City of Playford council district. In fact, it is currently running at an average of about 10 newcomers each and every day. It is a statement of fact that local infrastructure and roads have failed to keep pace with this exponential growth; indeed, this was acknowledged by the federal and state governments when they recently committed $280 million to construct an overpass on the notorious stretch of Curtis Road over the Munno Para railway line and build a dual lane roundabout for Curtis and Heaslip roads—

There being a disturbance in the gallery:

The PRESIDENT: Come on, out you go. No respect; get out.

The Hon. S.L. GAME: Thank you, Mr President. Currently, over 50 new housing estates are springing up in the City of Playford area. That is good news for the housing shortage but bad news for the existing road network, and that is because this traffic increase is adding further pressure to the existing road network, which is already failing.

In recent times, a local community group, the Playford Growth Infrastructure Campaign, has been calling on all levels of government to prioritise critical upgrades across their district. Members of this group know of people moving away from the area or putting their homes on the market due to the often treacherous traffic conditions. Long-term residents are feeling downtrodden, fearing that nothing will change. These subpar conditions are dangerous for families and those going about their daily tasks, including parents taking children to and from school. They are also a handbrake on local business, impacting efficiencies.

Via the media, most members would be aware of the long, dangerous daily line-ups on the Northern Expressway, when cars travelling 110 km/h are suddenly confronted by a slow-moving or stationary line of vehicles waiting to exit the main roadway into City of Playford suburbia. But that is only part of the problem: away from the expressway and across the district, roads and infrastructure are simply not keeping pace with growth. I recently drove through a number of these hotspots myself, and, while I have seen plenty of bad roads across South Australia, including the South-East, I was certainly taken aback by what I experienced.

For over two years now, the Playford Growth Infrastructure Campaign has been advocating for change. A couple of volunteers have been gathering signatures, calling for a recognition of the problem and calling for change, including safer roads, better planning and shared commitment and coordination between all levels of government for supporting and facilitating growth in their area. Remarkably, the group has gathered 10,000 signatures from within the City of Playford area to support its call and has even handed over those signatures to my office.

The $250 million joint government commitment is welcomed, but it is years away from fixing any problems and it fails to tackle other urgent safety matters across the area. Along with the duplication of both Curtis and Womma roads, the group has highlighted Craigmore Road, managed by the City of Playford. Once a safe and well-maintained local route, the road has been heavily impacted by SA Water's essential pipeline works, which have brought increased heavy vehicle traffic to the area. I fully support SA Water's investment in new infrastructure to service Playford's growth, but the condition of Craigmore Road and other roads impacted by the SA Water pipeline works has deteriorated sharply in recent months.

Together with the Playford Growth Infrastructure Campaign, I am urging a collaborative approach to ensure high-quality reinstatement of the road surfaces and to make certain that ratepayers are not left footing the bill for necessary repairs. These are growing pains, but with the right planning and cooperation they can become success stories for rapid development.

Backed by this community support, evidenced by the 10,000 signatures, the campaign group is now calling for state and federal governments to prioritise investment in road upgrades that support housing expansion and ensure long-term safety for residents. It is time for this chamber to support growth and support locals, and I call on both major parties to publicly commit to making action in Playford an election promise in the coming weeks and months.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (17:13): The northern regions of Adelaide are projected to have the highest population increase in South Australia from 2021 to 2041, with up to 90,000 additional people expected in the outer north and 50,000 additional people in the inner north regions of Greater Adelaide. This accounts for 40 per cent of Greater Adelaide's projected population growth, necessitating additional investment in infrastructure to support this expansion.

From the outset, I would like to confirm that Curtis Road is under the care, control and management of the local council. Despite this, the federal Labor government and the state government have invested heavily in this road to support the areas of new housing growth. The $30 million commitment by the Australian and South Australian governments will create a dual-lane roundabout at the intersection of Curtis Road and Heaslip Road at Angle Vale. We know site investigation work commenced in June of this year and major works are planned to commence in early 2026.

Furthermore, as part of the 2025-26 state budget, the South Australian and Australian governments announced $250 million for the Curtis Road level crossing removal. Major works are scheduled to begin in 2027 and to be completed by 2030. Removal of the level crossing will improve safety by reducing road and Gawler rail network conflicts and improve road and rail network reliability and travel time.

During the pm peak, the boom gates can be down for up to 15 minutes, with the boom gates down for 10 minutes on average each hour between 3pm and 6pm. During the am peak between 7am and 9am, the boom gates are down for nine minutes on average each hour. It is important to note that there have been huge amounts of federal and state government investment in Curtis Road, despite the road being the responsibility of the City of Playford. We look forward to very soon releasing the Northern Adelaide Transport Study, which was informed by the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. N.J. Centofanti.

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