COLTON ELECTORATE

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (15:15): It has been a long time since I have had the opportunity to do a grievance, and I appreciate the fact that I am now able to do so. Today, I will focus on matters relevant to my electorate. It has been my privilege since February 2002 to be the member for Colton and, if the electorate so decides, I hope beyond April 2014 to continue in that role. I believe Colton to be the best of our state electorate districts. Of course, I may be seen to be a bit biased, but most of the people down my way believe quite clearly that they live in the best part of the best city in the best country in the world.

I will turn now to speak about a few of the many outstanding organisations in my electorate. I have two surf lifesaving clubs, the Henley Surf Life Saving Club and the Grange Surf Life Saving Club. Both those clubs provide an extremely high level of protection to the many people who visit these two outstanding beaches. I pay tribute to the many members of both clubs who volunteer to make our beaches safer than otherwise would be the case. Both clubs have very vibrant and successful junior programs, and of course with the young people come their parents. They are heavily involved in all aspects of the running of the clubs, and quite often many become and remain active patrolling members.

As many people would know, the Henley Surf Life Saving Club is currently being redeveloped on its existing site that has been occupied for many decades. A $3.6 million new club is being constructed. It has been a long time coming, but it certainly has been worth the wait. In recognising this redevelopment, I acknowledge the government's facility funding program that has contributed significantly to this redevelopment, as well as the Charles Sturt council's significant contribution and the very significant fundraising exercise that has been undertaken by the Henley Surf Life Saving Club to make sure that this construction comes to fruition.

Plans for the redevelopment of the Grange Surf Life Saving Club are also well advanced, and I look forward to those works commencing in the not too distant future. I also acknowledge the success of both clubs in last week's senior state titles, in particular Grange, and whilst it has not been determined yet, it is most likely to have won its 12^th state champion title in a row.

I also have three outstanding cricket clubs within my electorate. With the cricket season coming to a close, I acknowledge the contribution and the role those local clubs play within my community. There is the Grange Cricket Club, the Fulham Cricket Club and the Woodville Rechabites, which is slightly out of my electorate but people from my electorate feed into that particular club.

All three clubs have excellent junior programs and field many junior and senior teams, with many of these teams having played off in the finals. Mr Deputy Speaker, I know you would be interested to know that Grange is playing off in the premier division final this week, and I wish them all the best in that grand final. Like good teams, they have come good at the right time of the season.

I have many other outstanding organisations and groups within my electorate that I will continue to speak about during future grievances, but I want to finish off with a couple of issues that have been bubbling along in my electorate that need resolution; one in particular is that during the summer period we have an inordinate number of jet skis that operate along the coastline. Quite clearly, many of my constituents and visitors to the beach find these jet skis to be not only a nuisance but very intrusive to the peace and tranquillity that ought be enjoyed when people visit the beaches. This is a matter that I have taken up with a previous minister transport minister, and I have made it very clear to the current transport minister that I will be taking up this issue with vigour on behalf of my constituents and others to seek an appropriate resolution.

Another issue that I just want to flag that has been brought to my attention by many of the people who fish our local waters is the proliferation, if you like, of commercial crabbing along our metropolitan coastline. Clearly, this has been a season that has been unheralded—if that is the right word—with respect to the lack of crabs that have been around this year.

Of course, many of those crabbers are putting the reduction of those crab numbers squarely on the commercial crabber. It is a matter that I intend to take up and have briefly raised with the relevant minister. Of course, what we want is a level of participation to occur; that is, for recreational crabbers to be able to continue to catch crabs along our metropolitan coastline. I have other issues that I will raise in the future and I look forward to continuing to make grievances.