Infrastructure South Australia legislation introduced to SA parliament
The new South Australian Marshall Government has introduced legislation that will set up a new statutory body called Infrastructure South Australia.
The new body will have responsibility for four key activities including devising a long-term infrastructure plan and managing the oversight of all projects with a capital value greater than $50 million.
Infrastructure SA will also be responsible for developing annual 'Capital Intention Statements' that will prioritise potential major projects for the government over a 5 year period and the boy will also be used to provide advice to government on infrastructure planning, delivery and use as well as advice on appropriate funding and financing models.
Premier of South Australia, Steven Marshall, linked the introduction of the legislation with delivering on election commitments.
"South Australia spends well over $1 billion a year on the infrastructure needed to get its product to market and that investment needs to be based on economic imperatives.
“This legislation will end the previous Labor Government’s practice of deciding infrastructure investment based around political considerations.
“One of reasons the South Australian economy crawled along during 16 years of Labor Government is the previous government’s poor decisions on infrastructure planning and investment.
“The introduction of the Infrastructure SA Bill 2018 Bill delivers on yet another election commitment.”
Steve Marshall, Premier of South Australia
Like the Victorian equivalent - Infrastructure Victoria - that was set up within a year of the Andrews Government coming to power, the body will have a board made up of public and private sector members and will be required to firstly devise the statewide infrastructure strategy.
One election policy area that we speculate will be assessed (or at least fleshed out) is the Marshall Government's GlobeLink policy - a series of transport-related projects that aim to increase connectivity with Victoria and New South Wales and the world through a new freight-only airport.
The aim of the policy is to redirect heavy freight north-east then south-east out of metropolitan Adelaide thus avoiding the steep road grades on the South Eastern Freeway and the windy rail track that weaves its way up and down the Adelaide Hills.
GlobeLink would see a new freight-only airport built near Murray Bridge which in turn would link with existing road and rail corridors to Victoria.
Likewise, the new airport would be the southern end of the new road and rail corridor that will bypass the Adelaide Hills.
The railway which meanders up and down the Adelaide Hills and links Adelaide to Melbourne and Melbourne to Perth and Darwin has multiple tunnels and thanks to its serpentine nature it is s a slow route. Removing freight from this route would also free-up corridor space for Adelaide Metro expansion over time.
Lead image credit: parliament.sa.gov.au