Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to congratulate all who have contributed toward the decision of this Rudd Labor government to allocate $1½ million this financial year towards the replacement of the King Street Bridge in Glenelg North, in my electorate.

This is a vital piece of infrastructure in my electorate of Hindmarsh. The King Street Bridge is a vital link for the traffic route that parallels Tapleys Hill Road—passing through West Lakes, Grange, Henley Beach and West Beach, along Adelaide’s coastline, west of Adelaide Airport, connecting to arterial roads and suburbs to the south. But we are not celebrating just the $1½ million commitment. The project will get additional Roads to Recovery funding over the next two to three years to undertake the completion of the construction of a new bridge.

I am incredibly pleased about this announcement. The King Street Bridge is a significant piece of infrastructure, not only for the people of Glenelg but also for the many other people who visit the area. The bridge has been in a worsening condition for some time and has had weight limits imposed on traffic, which has affected the movement of public transport. Last year we also saw buses being stopped from going over the bridge. This has, of course, caused a substantial degree of distress among many local residents of Glenelg North, who rely on the bridge to connect them not only to the majority of their own suburb but to the local community—shopping, transport facilities and other services.

Local residents, led by John and Peter Bijok, have campaigned strongly on the need for the bridge to get the funding it needs to remain open. As I said earlier, it is a critical link for local residents as well as for the wider community. There has been public meeting after public meeting, lobbying across the governmental tiers and political divides, focusing community attention on the evolution of opinion toward the bridge, its condition and the funding that it requires. John and Peter Bijok and the community—including the mayor, Ken Rollond—can surely tick their local community campaign as a great success. This is thanks to this federal government for coming to the table with this year’s commitment of $1½ million and similar amounts in the years ahead. I am pleased to have given residents all the support I have been able to in their call for the repair or replacement of the bridge. I am both relieved and delighted that the bridge’s future is now assured.

The Rudd government is providing $1.5 million towards this $3 million project to replace the bridge, with the local council providing a matching $1.5 million in 2009-10. The $1.5 million in federal funding will be provided to the City of Holdfast Bay through the Rudd Labor government’s Roads to Recovery program. Funding for this project builds on the $970,534 that the government is also providing to the City of Holdfast Bay through the Financial Assistance Grants Scheme in 2009-10 and the $1.356 million to be provided through the Roads to Recovery program over the five years from 2009-10 to 2013-14.

The Rudd Labor government is investing record funding into national and local infrastructure. This is a very big win for the residents of Adelaide’s western suburbs. They know that we need to invest to get superior returns into the future. They know that doing nothing gains nothing and only loses opportunities. Again, I congratulate all those involved in this historic achievement. The bridge is a vital link for the Glenelg residents who live on the western side of the Patawalonga. It connects them to shopping, doctors and public transport. It is especially important for those who do not drive and who would otherwise have to walk an extra three kilometres to be connected to their community.

The King Street Bridge is a significant piece of infrastructure, not only for Glenelg but also for the many others who visit the area—just about every South Australian visits Glenelg at some stage during the year. It is a tourist destination. This bridge is also a vital link for the local residents, who can now be assured that—due to the link in the bridge—in the future they will be able to walk across the bridge, do their shopping and be connected to their community and public transport, and it will ensure there is no disruption to their lives. We saw last year that public transport was closed over the bridge because the state of its infrastructure deemed it unsafe. So I am very pleased that the Rudd Labor government will invest $1.5 million in the replacement of the King Street Bridge in 2009-10, with an option of another $3 million in future years to ensure that the bridge is completed and that a vital, important piece of infrastructure for Glenelg residents takes place. (Time expired)