Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The story of the South Road upgrades at Darlington in my electorate has been long and convoluted. In August 2007 I stood with John Howard in Bedford Park when he announced a $1 billion upgrade of South Road, including at Darlington. Labor later matched this commitment but then cynically broke it when in government. It took a Liberal commitment in 2013, and a staring down of the state government, to break the traffic jam for southern commuters. This is a $606 million infrastructure project, and the Turnbull government is contributing 80 per cent of those funds. It is an important piece of economic infrastructure for South Australia and will create 370 jobs each year during the construction phase—so it is vital that we get it right. The plan has gone through several revisions and there is nothing wrong with that. Each revision has been an improvement and has taken account of community concerns. Those concerned stated at the outset strong support for the project but indicated that it needed tweaking. A number of local groups including Flinders University, Marion council and Mitcham council expressed their concern that the Darlington plan did not have enough connectivity between the eastern and western sides of South Road, and particularly between Flinders' two campuses at Bedford Park and the new innovation hub at Tonsley Park.

Recently there has been some very good news on that front, and I would like to recognise the work that Nicolle Flint, the new Liberal candidate for Boothby, has done to achieve these changes. She has taken up the concerns of Flinders University and the Bedford Park Residents Association and been working with the minister for major projects and me as well as other members of the Turnbull government to get a better result for the local community. Just before Christmas, when the successful tenderer for the project was announced, we also revealed the final design. The new road has been extended, there is better access for local residents, and there are two additional grade separations and an additional bridge. That was well received by the local community and Flinders University, and I commend the state government and the traffic planners at DPTI for taking up local concerns.

As well as the road project there is now the real possibility of a rail line to Flinders. As a representative of Flinders University recently said, this proposal changes a rail line going nowhere to one with a destination. The Turnbull government is currently in discussions with the state government to extend the Tonsley rail line to link the Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University to the existing passenger rail network. This is a project that will not only provide much better access to the hospital and health facilities at Flinders Medical Centre but also serve as an important component in driving the future of the Tonsley Park innovation precinct. It will require a 650-metre extension of the Tonsley rail line linking the Flinders Medical Centre and Flinders University to the rail network, including 520 metres of elevated single track over Sturt Road, Laffer's Triangle and Main South Road. It will require a new station adjacent to the Flinders Medical Centre and an integrated shared pedestrian and cycle path adjacent the rail line. This will be great for all those who study and work at Flinders University and all those who work at or have to visit the Flinders Medical Centre. I know that Nicolle Flint, the new candidate for Boothby, is doing everything she can to see this project go ahead. She has already met personally with the Minister for Major Projects, Territories and Local Government, and she is working very closely with the Turnbull government to explain why the line to Flinders is a priority for our community.

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