Jamie Briggs MP

Jamie Briggs is the Liberal Member for Mayo, he joins us now. Good morning Jamie Briggs.

BRIGGS:

Good morning Matthew, good morning David.

BEVAN:

And Amanda Rishworth is the Labor Member for Kingston, which is in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. Good morning Amanda Rishworth.

RISHWORTH:

Good morning.

BEVAN:

Amanda Rishworth, let’s start with you this morning. We had an announcement this week that the Government has decided to drop the Darlington interchange. Now you have been following the traffic problems in the South for an awful long time, campaigning for better access for your constituency. Are you disappointed that the Government’s decided to drop the interchange?

RISHWORTH:

Well look I am disappointed, but I am pleased that the Government has reaffirmed that the Southern Express Way will be duplicated and they have confirmed that quite clearly because of course a one way express way was probably not the Government’s brightest idea and so I’m making sure that that commitment continues. But it is disappointing about the Darlington interchange, but of course we will have to see what plans do come out. But certainly we need that duplication, the Southern Expressway duplicated, that is a no brainer.

BEVAN:

Well Pat Conlon the State Transport Minister is explaining the reason to drop the interchange, is that the Federal Government has said that it is no longer going to fund the major works in Darlington. So if you are not going to have the big major under pass in the Sturt Road, South Road section, if you are not going to have the train line going up to Flinders Medical Centre and the University. If all of that has just been put on ice, he said well we are not going to go ahead with the interchange.

RISHWORTH:

Well I am not aware of any Federal Government commitment or promise, the Southern Expressway was a State Government election commitment and I am pleased that they are honouring that.  Certainly the Federal Government funded with the State Government, jointly funded the planning, some money to do a study on that but there was no further commitment. Obviously that goes through the same processes that the State Government asks the Federal Government for money, but there has been no on going commitment. The Southern Expressway was a State Government commitment and I am pleased they are honouring it.

BEVAN:

Well we have been sent a copy of a release that Labor put out during the November 2007 campaign and it says here, Federal Labor today announced funding for three road projects for South Australia. Federal Labor’s $500 million dollars will be provided between now, that’s 2007 and 2014 and will construct South Road flyovers at the major bottleneck intersections of Grand Junction Road, Cormack Road and Sturt Road.

ABRAHAM:

And it goes on to say that Federal Labor’s Plan for South Road also includes $70 million dollars to get started now on planning for a traffic light free road all the way from the Southern Express Way to the Port River Express Way.

BEVAN:

So the Federal Labor Party did promise during the election campaigns to spend some serious money at Sturt Road?

Well look there was a number of projects that were committed to. I am aware that the Darlington interchange, there was a commitment for the planning money but no further major work was committed because they needed the plan so certainly I imagine the projects will continue, but I will certainly be lobbying all levels of government, because you know I do believe that in the South we haven’t had a proper transport system. But I have to say that the Federal Government has been committing to the South and in particular to bring peoples attention to the rail extension. That extension from Noarlunga to Seaford is fully funded by the Federal Government.

But are you saying Amanda Rishworth if you haven’t got what has been promised, then it is not Federal Labor’s fault, it is the State Labor Government that hasn’t delivered?

I am not at all saying that. What I am saying is that there was a commitment by the State Government and I am pleased Patrick Conlon yesterday committed to the duplication of the Southern Express Way, we need to make sure that we get it right. I will certainly working with all levels of government to ensure that we have a transport system that works properly for the Southern suburbs of Adelaide.

ABRAHAM:

And Jamie Briggs, you wouldn’t be complaining about that, Liberal Member for Mayo?

BRIGGS:

Well look what a surprise, what a surprise. The Labor Party make a promise and then they break a promise after the election. This does shock me, I must say. You know it is not like they didn’t promise to introduce a carbon tax prior to an election and immediately after the election promised they would introduce a carbon tax. This is just typical Labor. I mean this was obviously a major issue in the marginal seat of Mawson in the state election, it is a very big issue for the Southern suburbs and I regularly get, including last night I got an email from a group in the Southern suburbs in Amanda’s electorate who are lobbying to have the Panatalinga Road become a ramp to go south because in the current state government plans there is no ramp to go south and that is another issue where Amanda is at odds with her State Labor colleagues and I should declare an interest of course, my in laws live around there too.  

ABRAHAM:

Well I am going we got that on the record.

RISHWORTH:

Well.

BRIGGS:

Hang on, hang on Amanda. I let you have a go.

ABRAHAM:

Hang on Amanda Rishworth.

BRIGGS:

This is such typical Labor. They spend too much money, they promise the world and they can’t deliver and people in the seat of Mawson, who lets not forget where the great Family First lie happened on election day, authorised by the Secretary of the Labor Party, should be absolutely furious this morning. And they should know, that their member Leon Bignell has been complicit in this back down from this promise. 

ABRAHAM:

Well you are saying. Leon Bignell is overseas at the moment, I think. Well he certainly hasn’t been returning any calls.

BRIGGS:

Well he is the member here. He is the member who made this promise; this is a promise which specifically helped him in the election and of course.

ABRAHAM:

So you think that he is part and parcel with the back down?

BRIGGS:

Well of course he is, he has to be doesn’t he? I mean he would have had this all over his election material.  

RISHWORTH:

That is complete unfair Jamie. And completely ridiculous, what Patrick Conlon has committed to, is he has said that the funding will remain the same to what they committed to in the election. I certainly, I think…

BRIGGS:

Oh what a surprise. The costs have blown out

RISHWORTH:

People will remember that the one way expressway was constructed under the previous.

BRIGGS:

Because you sent the state broke Amanda, the state was sent broke by the state bank. You can’t.

RISHWORTH:

Well it wasn’t planned very well, it certainly did not allow for the capacity and so its taken this Labor Government to correct it.

ABRHAM:

Okay. Now Jamie Briggs to you on one that you may not be laughing about, Isobel Redmond. The Young Liberals on Sunday night have posted ‘Isobel Redmond needs to go. Absolutely Useless.’ on Facebook. The comment has been liked then by Young Liberal Communications Director, Joshua Bell and Membership Director Michael Healy. The Young Liberals are controlled by the party’s conservative wing and James Turnley who posted this said ‘She’s not a Liberal. Name a Liberal policy of hers.’ I think you used to be a Young Liberal?

BRIGGS:

No, I was never. No, no, no, no, no, I was never a Young Liberal.

ABRAHAM:

Is that defamatory? Now Jamie Briggs

BRIGGS:

Well I don’t know who these people are, I don’t think I’ve ever even met them and they’re insignificant.