Matt Smith: An economic recovery could be driven by fixing potholes and manholes alone.
For years South Australians knew Corey Wingard as a TV sports journalist. Soon they’ll know him as the most important minister in the government, writes Matt Smith.
Opinion
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For many years South Australian sports nuts knew Corey Wingard as the man giving them a front-row seat to some of the world’s greatest sporting events – from the AFL Grand Final to tennis at Wimbledon and the Cricket World Cup at Lord’s.
The proud South Australian, who spent much of his childhood in regional parts of South Australia, from Cleve to Kangaroo Island, followed his dream and it paid off with a gig at Channel 9’s cult Wide World of Sports.
Returning to Adelaide from Sydney, Mr Wingard then made his way to a career in politics, first elected in 2014. Four years later he became a minister when Steven Marshall delivered a Liberal Government in South Australia for the first time in 16 years.
Today, as Mr Marshall just recently accepted the resignation of three ministers, an Upper House President and a Government whip, Mr Wingard is arguably the most important minister in the government.
Mr Wingard has swapped the police, corrections and emergency services portfolio for infrastructure and transport. Unsurprisingly he has kept sport, recreation, and racing portfolios.
He had a few early missteps in his political career – including an incident known as doughnutgate, after his office sent a stern warning to an opposition MP telling him it was disrespectful to take doughnuts to firefighters without the minister’s permission.
Success for Mr Wingard will not only define his political career it could pave they way for jobs and an economic recovery the state is desperately going to need post coronavirus.
He was also forced to take down a “thug life” meme from his social media where he appeared to ridicule a man walking down the street.
But it is the new areas, that he inherited from Stephan Knoll – the man many once dubbed as the state’s next Premier – that will cause him the greatest grief and opportunity.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic it is impossible to ignore the important role Health Minister Stephen Wade, Treasurer Rob Lucas and the Premier have, and will continue to have, in the response.
But beyond the health crisis it will be the economic recovery that will be our state’s greatest test.
Focus will be on all economic drivers from tourism to international students and new industries including space.
But it is government funded infrastructure that creates some of the biggest bang for buck.
And there is no shortage of projects that can help with the recovery.
Naive interstaters can have some odds views about Adelaide – from its reputation as the City of Churches to the murder capital of the country. But one thing they do get right is that the roads are shocking.
An economic recovery could be driven by fixing potholes and manholes alone.
An Infrastructure SA report released earlier this year suggested an infrastructure maintenance backlog estimated at $730m could rise to $1.2bn by 2025.
The State Government has made much of its $12.9bn commitment to infrastructure builds over four years – the largest in the state’s history.
An array of infrastructure projects is being underpinned by major upgrades to schools, hospitals, fire stations and courts as well as roads and roundabouts
But the fact remains many of the projects have been on the drawing board for years.
It was an issue again highlighted this week when Infrastructure Australia, the agency set up to tell the Federal Government where they should spend their infrastructure money, released a mid-year update to its annual list of priority projects.
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Again South Australia did not have a single new project added or elevated.
Add to this embarrassment that the Liberals’ biggest new idea before the election, Globelink – which detailed a dedicated freight airport at Monarto – was scrapped before it even began and Mr Wingard clearly has his work cut out for him.
Top of the to-do list should be a long-awaited decision on tunnels for the state’s largest ever road infrastructure project – the North-South Corridor.
Mr Knoll had clearly built a good relationship with his federal colleagues with money for a number of projects fast-tracked as he oversaw the portfolio.
But Mr Wingard is going to have to fast track those same relationships and then some.
One of the key challenges will be getting the notoriously slow transport department to get projects up and running, and in the fast lane, quicker.
Success for Mr Wingard will not only define his political career it could pave they way for jobs and an economic recovery the state is desperately going to need post coronavirus.
To coin a phrase from his former professional life, you’ve got to be in it to win it.
