Andrew Southcott (Boothby, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health Services, Health and Wellbeing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about some of the infrastructure requirements which are currently being neglected in my electorate. There are three principal infrastructure requirements. The first of these is the main east-west Adelaide-Melbourne freight line. This line runs through metropolitan Adelaide as it goes from Murray Bridge to Adelaide through Salisbury and out to Two Wells. It runs along a track that was laid in the 1880s and which is characterised by tight curves and steep inclines. It has many railway crossings, particularly on major roads such as Cross Road and Main Road at Glenalta.

As a result of a derailment in 2004 and community concern about the increase in freight, I proposed a feasibility study to look at ways of improving the amenity of the route as well as alternative routes. I was pleased that this was adopted as part of our 2007 transport policy—to have a $3 million feasibility study—and I was also pleased that this was matched by the ALP. As a result of this feasibility study, a discussion paper was released in October 2009. This discussion paper looked at the option of doing nothing as well as five other options, including upgrading the existing line and the preferred option of the community I represent, which is option three—looking at a northern bypass going from Murray Bridge to Two Wells.

As a result of the submissions received for that discussion paper, GHD have prepared a report. The report was due to be with the federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government in early March 2010. Both the federal member for Mayo and I have written to the federal minister for transport asking him to release the GHD report and also the government’s response to it so that members of the opposition, but more importantly members of the community, can have an idea of what action, if any, the government is planning for the future of the freight line. As the member for Mayo said earlier, it appears that the government is already pre-empting the results of that study by proceeding with passing loops in the Adelaide Hills.

The second major issue is the intersection of South Road and Sturt Road. In 2006, the Rann Labor government promised an underpass at South Road and Sturt Road. Four years later there is nothing. In 2007, Kevin Rudd and his transport policy promised to fix South Road and Sturt Road with either a grade separation or a flyover. Almost three years on, again there is nothing. But, worse than that, the money that was allocated for this project has now been reallocated to other projects. So this is a classic Kevin Rudd broken promise—three years on, no action and the money allocated for this project allocated to other projects.

The third important priority for my community is to address the Oaklands railway crossing and Diagonal Road and Morphett Road. This has been a major concern of the community and, with the building of the new State Aquatic Centre and the upgrade at Westfield Marion, it is expected that traffic management at this intersection will need more attention. The state government in 2008 gave $12.6 million for this intersection and there is still a problem. Pat Conlon’s media adviser has told us that the state government is committed to a $42 million overhaul of Diagonal Road and Morphett Road from 2011. I know well enough not to rely on the words of a media adviser as the messenger. That is one of the lessons from the South Australian state election. But I call on the Rann Labor government and the Minister for Transport, Patrick Conlon, to release the costings that would be required for a grade separation at the Oaklands Crossing. That is what the community are looking for and so far all we have is a record of failure on that intersection. (Time expired)