Opponents urge State Government to ‘start again’ on its centrepiece infrastructure project

SA Freight Council calls on the State Government to scrap its 24 hour airport, hills bypass Globelink project.

• Leaked report questions viability of freight airport

BOLD multibillion-dollar infrastructure plans including a 24-hour export airport at Monarto should be ditched, South Australia’s Freight Council boss says.

The council’s executive officer Evan Knapp has restated his concerns about the State Government’s flagship infrastructure project, GlobeLink, after an independent report commissioned by the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure revealed a raft of concerns about the viability of the project.

“The (leaked) report is important because it confirmed our concerns,” Mr Knapp said

“The GlobeLink plan as it stands, is unworkable.

An artist’s impression of the proposed 24-hour export airport near Monarto.

“There are problems with each and every element of it.

“We see this as an opportunity to reset and start again.”

His call comes as the State Government has put out a tender for the first two parts of a four-part master plan and business case process worth $1.8 million.

Opposition transport and infrastructure spokesman Tom Koutsantonis said Premier Steven Marshall should ditch the plans for GlobeLink after The Advertiser revealed details of the leaked report yesterday.

“Today we have learned that his cornerstone infrastructure policy GlobeLink is a dud,” Mr Koutsantonis said.

“This leaked report shows that GlobeLink should be scrapped.”

The report suggested GlobeLink could:
THREATEN the viability of Adelaide airport;
ERODE much of the advantages of the Port of Adelaide and;
REQUIRE 28,000 more working days annually to complete the same freight task within legal working hours.

Infrastructure Minister Stephan Knoll has downplayed the report, saying that it was an attempt at a political stitch-up by Labor who were in power when the report was commissioned.