A Shorten Labor Government will create 2000 jobs in Adelaide by investing in the AdeLINK project.

Labor will invest $500 million to deliver the initial stages of the project, giving the South Australian economy and local workforce a much-needed boost.

AdeLINK will create local jobs today and give an opportunity for South Australians to develop skills to do the jobs of the future.

Adelaide has faced the prospect of high unemployment and social dislocation after the Liberals goaded the car industry into closing down and leaving Australia.

Critically, Labor’s support for this project will reenergise the local workforce and create 2000 jobs.

Developing public transport infrastructure is critical to plans to ease congestion and reduce pressure on inner city roads in Adelaide.

Adelaide needs a public transport system which supports the city’s future.

According to Infrastructure Australia, without additional funding for transport in Adelaide, the cost of delays in urban transport will quadruple from $1 billion in 2011 to $4 billion by 2031.

Adelaide has already embraced light rail, with the expansion of the Glenelg tram line proving extremely popular. The AdeLINK project will further transform the face of the city.

The State Government is currently preparing a detailed business case for the construction of the AdeLINK tram network.

The business case will include planning, design, and identification of the precise tram routes and stops, as well as environmental and land value capture benefits.

It will also determine the final project costs for:

• EastLINK – extending east through Kent Town to The Parade.
• WestLINK – following Henley Beach Road to Henley Square, with a branch line to Adelaide Airport. The existing tram line to Glenelg also forms part of WestLINK.
• ProspectLINK – following O’Connell Street to Prospect Road.
• UnleyLINK – following Unley Road and Belair Road to Mitcham.
• CityLINK – following a continuous loop around the city with transfers at other tram lines and the Adelaide Railway Station.
• PortLINK – using the existing Outer Harbor line with additional services to Port Adelaide, West Lakes and Semaphore.

AdeLINK is already on the Infrastructure Australia (IA) Priority List as a priority initiative in the next five years.

In February 2016, following the addition of AdeLINK to the IA Priority List, the South Australian Government provided $4 million in funding to undertake a business case the network. Final funding for AdeLINK will require a positive assessment of the business case by IA.

Labor’s contribution to the AdeLINK project will be consistent with our Plan for Australian Metals Manufacturing and Jobs, which requires all federally-funded projects to use steel that meets Australian standards and certification requirements.

This $500 million announcement, together with additional funding from the South Australian Government, will provide significant opportunities to leverage private sector investment.

The $10 billion Infrastructure Finance Facility announced by Bill Shorten in October last year will also be able to allocate additional concessional finance.

Unlike the Liberals, Labor will not cut one project in South Australia to fund another.

The Liberals’ recent Tonsley line announcement was funded by cutting an IA approved grade separation project at Torrens Junction.

The Liberals have added no jobs and done nothing to address the 20 per cent fall in public sector infrastructure work that has occurred under their watch. 

Labor is committed to creating jobs in South Australia and growing the South Australian economy.

TUESDAY, 17 MAY 2016