James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with my colleagues in condemning the situation that we have with this atrocious pause on committing to infrastructure projects that the government is undertaking. In particular, I commend the project that the member for Barker mentioned earlier, the Truro Bypass. If that has the sword of Damocles hanging over its head and is chopped by this government, then that will have a spectacular impact on the productive economic activity of all of South Australia, and, in my seat of Sturt, we will lose the opportunity to invest in the Greater Adelaide Freight Bypass. I commend the member for Mayo, who is here in the chamber now, on a question she asked about this last week, which of course got no answer from the government.

The point I would add is that we are facing a situation in South Australia effectively of a valley of death of construction jobs in infrastructure because these decisions are not being made. It has now been more than six months since any new contracts have been entered into. If you're not entering into contracts now, that means in a year or two's time you won't have the boots on the ground on the kinds of jobs that are a very important part of the South Australian economy, as they are of any economy. It's tough times in South Australia, and this infrastructure spending pause is unfortunately going to make the economic situation even worse. I call on the government to get on with it and commit to these projects, but particularly the ones in South Australia that are worthy and should be invested in.