Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

One of the great privileges of being a member of parliament is making a real difference to people's lives. We do this in many different ways, but one of them is fixing long-term infrastructure problems. For the past 40 or so years, residents in my electorate of Boothby have had to suffer delays and bottlenecks at the Oaklands rail crossing. There are daily traffic delays on Morphett Road and Diagonal Road. Traffic volumes are currently 42,000 vehicles per day and are expected to grow to 66,000 vehicles per day by 2031, making matters much worse.

Those who can avoid these roads and the crossing do so, which puts pressure on surrounding streets and diverts traffic to Marion Road and Brighton Road, which are just as busy. I have residents who cannot access their driveways during peak hour traffic simply because they live too close to the intersection. I have small businesses who say that the lack of access to their premises is hurting them and their customers. Every day is a battle for parents trying to get to work or taking their kids to nearby schools, such as Christ the King School, Warradale Primary School and Paringa Park Primary School.

The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator lists Oaklands crossing as Adelaide's fifth most dangerous. From 2010 to 2015, there were over 100 collisions at the crossing, including two that involved pedestrians. As developments have increased in the area, so too has traffic. Immediately adjacent to the crossing is Westfield Marion, Adelaide's biggest suburban shopping centre, which attracts an average of 40,000 visitors per day and employs many local residents. Each day elite athletes, swimmers of all abilities, mums, dads and kids go to the South Australian Aquatic and Leisure Centre, which hosted our Olympic trials recently. The aquatic and leisure centre, managed by Mr Adam Luscombe, who hosted me on a tour of the amazing community facility, attracts up to 4,000 patrons a day and around 1.1 million patrons a year.

I was delighted when I was able to join the Prime Minister during the election campaign to announce that our government would be the first to ever provide funding to fix Oaklands crossing permanently by pledging $40 million to the upgrade. I am grateful to my state colleagues Corey Wingard MP and David Speirs MP and to so many people in the community who worked with us to make this happen. I remember doorknocking homes in the last week of my campaign to tell people the good news, which was welcomed but met with scepticism. Some residents did not believe the upgrade would ever happen, even with our historic $40 million commitment. These are all the reasons why I have been working very closely since the election with the Minister for Urban Infrastructure to see this project commence.

I am grateful to the minister and his office for making this project happen and for travelling to Adelaide last week to announce that the Turnbull government has agreed to provide an additional $55 million investment, bringing the total federal commitment to $95 million, so that this vital road and rail separation can commence. Our additional $55 million contribution combines with the state government's $74.3 million contribution and the City of Marion's $5 million contribution to form a total investment of $174 million for an underpass, pedestrian and bike access and improved traffic flows on Morphett Road and Diagonal Road.

This project is yet another example of the very best kind of infrastructure investment by a government. I really wish that the incompetent state Weatherill Labor government would take note of our federal example. Where they spend billions of dollars on infrastructure, it usually does not earn a cent of revenue for my home state, such as the $1.8 billion desal plant that is still mothballed or the $2.2 billion Royal Adelaide Hospital that still has not opened its doors.

In comparison, the infrastructure announcements I have worked hard for will also work for my residents and businesses in Boothby and for my wonderful state of South Australia that is in such desperate need of more jobs. The Oaklands crossing upgrade will enable people to access local businesses, including those at Westfield Marion, more easily, meaning more economic activity and growth. It will help people get to our Olympic standard aquatic centre, and it will mean my local residents do not waste time in traffic each and every day.

There may also be further scope for residential or hotel developments around the crossing and potentially for more businesses, as we have seen in places like Sydney. Although, I know the state Labor government are, again, doing their best to run a scare campaign against more jobs and growth in the area, which is really quite bizarre. They seem to enjoy South Australia's status as the nation leader in unemployment, unfortunately. In comparison, I could not be more pleased at the benefits and opportunities that the Oakland crossing rail and road separation presents, and I am so proud to have fought for this for my community.