Parliament – Local Roads

Ms Rishworth (Kingston—Minister for Social Services) (16:20): The Albanese Labor government is delivering not only now but into the future. One of the ways it’s doing that is through investing in South Australian roads and infrastructure. The investment in roads is really nation building. It actually builds on the investment that the previous Labor government made in my electorate and in South Australia. Back in 2008, the federal Labor government extended the rail line from Noarlunga to Seaford, and now the Labor government, both state and federal, are doing it again, with $15.4 billion for the Torrens to Darlington project, the biggest infrastructure project that South Australia has ever seen. This is the final stage of the long-awaited North-South Corridor, which connects the southern suburbs to the rest of greater Adelaide, both the city and, of course, the northern suburbs.

It connects to the Southern Expressway, which was built under the Liberal Party and went one way. Yes, you heard that right. It was a road that changed direction in the middle of the night. It took a Labor government to rebuild that road and make sure it went two ways. Now, when the project is done, the Southern Expressway will connect southern suburbs residents to the city and, as I said, the northern suburbs. When completed, the corridor will connect the southern suburbs to the city via a non-stop route, bypassing 30 sets of traffic lights from the start of the Southern Expressway to the end of the Torrens to Darlington tunnel, providing a much safer and faster commute than ever before.

The southern suburbs of Hallett Cove, Trott Park and Sheidow Park won’t be left out, as they had been under the Liberal Party, with the Labor government, both state and federal, committing to the on-off ramp at Majors Road, a really significant investment that will ensure that people in those suburbs will get access to this non-stop corridor. This will create approximately 5,500 jobs a year, with 90 per cent of the labour to be undertaken in South Australia. Already 30 local businesses have registered their interest as subcontractors, and over 600 jobs for apprenticeships and trainees have been committed to.

It’s not only these very large projects that we are investing in. There are 22 local road projects that have been invested in through the Road to Recovery Program and the Special Local Roads Program as well. Whether it is small infrastructure or big infrastructure, the Albanese Labor government is delivering.