Prime Minister Scott Morrison, South Australian premier Steven Marshall, and Adelaide mayor Sandy Verschoor were all on hand to sign up for the Adelaide City Deal on Tuesday, but no rail projects are highlighted in the document.
The $551 million deal Morrison says is designed to “boost economic growth, enliven cultural tourism and build the city’s future as a centre of innovation excellence” includes joint funding to develop Lot Fourteen to host the Australian Space Agency headquarters, along with funding for innovation, cultural, tourist and environmental projects around the city.
While the deal does look to take advantage of existing rail developments – the Australian and South Australian Governments agreed to collaborate on “urban renewal opportunities” along an electrified Gawler line – no mention is made in the document of any funding for new rail projects.
Morrison visited Adelaide with his minister for cities and urban infrastructure, Alan Tudge to sign the city deal and separately announce a pair of jointly-funded road projects.
The Federal and South Australian Governments will each invest $30.5 million to upgrade the intersection of Cross Road and Fullarton Road, and each will also provide $49 million to widen Portrush Road on approach to its intersection with Magill Road.
Speaking with ABC Adelaide, Tudge said the city deal had three focus areas: “One being to create more jobs through innovation, two planning for population growth, and three boosting the visitor economy for a massive investment in cultural tourism.
“I’ve been negotiating this deal with the premier over the last six months or so,” Tudge said. “I think it hangs together really nicely. It lays out a ten year plan across the three levels of government, and that’s the real strength of the city deal concept is that it’s all of us working together on the same agenda over a long period of time.”