Industry heavyweights reveal their projects wish list to drive the SA economy
The government is calling for submissions on where to splash its infrastructure cash but industry heavyweights already have their wish lists written. SEE WHAT THEY WANT
SA News
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A regional highway that is claiming almost 10 lives a year and a recommitment to growing Adelaide’s tram system should be the state’s infrastructure priorities, industry heavyweights say.
Pressure is growing on the State Government to deliver a list of funding-worthy projects for Infrastructure Australia to put on its priority project list.
The government agency – which is tasked with determining the best projects in the country – is calling on state and territory governments to put their lists forward.
Industry heavyweights said SA needed a raft of projects elevated to keep a pipeline of work moving in the state.
The expansion of the North-South Corridor remains the State Government’s No 1 priority, with a decision on how to complete the final 10.5km of the project to be decided soon.
But Civil Contractors Federation chief executive officer Phil Sutherland, who has raised concerns about the North-South project, urged the government to look to regional SA.
He said duplication of the Augusta Highway between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta, which had 65 serious casualties and 27 fatalities in the past three years, should be put forward as a priority. “
The road is an absolute disgrace for a national highway and well below the standard you expect in a first-world economy,” Mr Sutherland said.
“It beggars belief that this section of National Highway A1 … remains in such a dilapidated state, given its crucial link to the national road system.”
Opposition leader Peter Malinauskas put forward the same project on Thursday, providing a hint of what Labor might take to the election as promises.
In Adelaide, industry has urged the State Government to rethink its apprehension to extending the tram network – including new services to Norwood, Unley, Prospect and Adelaide Airport.
Australian Hotels Association SA general manager Ian Horne said a “greatly improved public transport system” was needed.
“The fantastic thing about Melbourne is that their CBD, almost every day of the week, is packed because most of the workers are coming by train or tram and, because it’s such an incredible system, they hang around longer,” he said.
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Mr Horne said after 6pm on weeknights that Adelaide’s city centre was “almost a barren wasteland and that is because people are driving in”.
Property Council SA executive director Daniel Gannon repeated his calls for the government to focus on social infrastructure.
He said that could include a new soccer stadium, a new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, modern educational facilities or a concert hall “that attracts the world’s best music and theatre productions”.
Transport and Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll said the government was preparing a submission for Infrastructure Australia.
“We are constantly looking at projects to add to the record $12.9bn infrastructure pipeline over the next four years to build better roads and create more jobs,” he said.
“Industry have put up some worthwhile suggestions that would complement our record infrastructure spend, especially on the Augusta Highway upgrades, where we already have planned works, and the North-South Corridor which is our No 1 infrastructure priority.”