NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (15:30): Nearly 20 years ago, Robert Putman published a widely influential work, Bowling Alone, in which he argued that social capital in the United States was in decline. To make his case he drew upon an apparent reduction in participation in sporting and other community clubs, and suggested that, as a result of this diminution in participation, the social fabric that enriches our lives is weakening. He argued that this spread across the western world.

There has been much debate since this work, both in support of Putman's thesis, and against, with many people arguing that social engagement has changed but not decreased. Even those who accept that there is still a wide range of social activity, would, I think, intuitively recognise that many people are experiencing increased social isolation and there is a sense that people all too easily can fall through the cracks.

My observation in my community is that people are extraordinarily active in social and community groups, and that they are very aware of the power of those groups in making their lives and those of their neighbours, more fulfilling, happier and safer. Many are concerned that the rise of socialising over the internet will threaten the traditional mechanisms of interaction, and they are acutely aware that their clubs and groups are precious and need to be invested in to keep them strong.

These opening remarks are by way of context for me to inform the house about the excellent evening I spent last night at the Western Adelaide Region Watch SA, or Neighbourhood Watch. The primary purpose of the evening was to honour and thank the long term contributors to their Neighbourhood Watch groups. We were able to celebrate the contributions of people who had been active for 10, 15, 20 and even 25 years in Neighbourhood Watch. We also thanked people who had logged 100 to up to 250 hours as volunteers in police stations, working mainly on triage of inquiries to the station.

The evidence of the strength of Neighbourhood Watch, and the commitment of the people honoured last night to care for their community and make it a safer place was inspiring, and suggests pretty powerfully that our community is in a healthy state. The secondary purpose last night was to celebrate the young and their future. Given the length of service we were commemorating, it is understandable that many of the people receiving badges were of retirement age. But lest we think that police outreach and Watch SA is just about the more mature in our community, there was also an excellent presentation by three primary school boys who had gone through a Living Skills course with the local police as part of the Watch SA effort.

Six students in all, from years 6 and 7, attending Westport Primary School, in my colleague Michael Wright's electorate, experienced a six-week-long program aimed at enhancing their skills to make smart choices as they transition to adulthood, and their report was glowing. The course was, in their words, 'fun', the police were 'fantastic role models' and they 'look forward to coming back in the future to show the police the responsible grown-ups they have become'.

Building relationships with youth, and caring for the safety of our neighbours is admirable, and the strength of Watch SA is clearly a sign that our community is in good health. I congratulate not just those honoured last night, but all who are active in Neighbourhood Watch across this state.