Public Works Committee: Riverland Regional Visit

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:29): I move:

That the 508^th report of the committee, entitled Regional Visit to the Riverland 9-10 September 2014, be noted.

In September, members of the Public Works Committee travelled to the Riverland to inspect a number of public works that had previously been considered by the committee. It included a visit to the recently completed Riverland General Hospital, where we were warmly welcomed by both staff and patients. We heard several positive stories about the opportunities the revamped facility is now providing, including how it will support the regional community. We also heard how the spend on the project was used extremely well.

We also inspected several of the riverine recovery projects along the River Murray, the upgrade of lock and weir No. 5 and the beautiful Chowilla wetlands. Here we saw firsthand the work being undertaken to replicate the original flows and the impact the River Murray and the wet, dry or flooding cycle have on the adjacent areas. It was a great opportunity to better understand these projects and other impacts on the surrounding environment. In addition to the flooding impacts, we were able to inspect several of the fishways and how these will assist fish in their migration up the river.

Whilst in the region, committee members met with local government representatives to canvass the key issues affecting the region. This provided a unique insight into the region and the ability to hear directly from local representatives what they saw as driving forces, key opportunities and impediments to their area. It was a very worthwhile discussion, and I thank the local mayors and deputy mayors for their time.

I would also like to acknowledge departmental staff for their time and assistance with our visit. Several staff members travelled from Adelaide to be with us on the sites, so thank you. It was a really informative visit, and I think all committee members would agree with that. We intend to undertake further regional visits next year. I recommend the report to the house.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:31): I too rise to speak on the 508^th report of the Public Works Committee and the visit to the Riverland, which I was very proud to be a part of. Being a member of the Public Works Committee and also the local member for the Riverland, I thought it was a great initiative for me not only to showcase what a beautiful place the Riverland is but also to look at some of the infrastructure upgrades and builds that have gone on along the way. Most of the committee attended, and I met the committee in the Riverland.

We looked at the Riverland General Hospital, and it was great to see the completion, finally, of the $36 million hospital upgrade. I note that the Public Works Committee did approve $41 million but that only $36 million was spent. There is still more needed to be spent, and I look forward to the government addressing issues with the community health centre, particularly the hydrotherapy pool that was touted as potentially being part of the project but was never fulfilled.

The general hospital is a great outcome for the region. It provides more opportunity for locals not to have to travel to Adelaide for specialist appointments, and it also gives the region more relevance when people choose the Riverland as a destination. The community raised money for the chemotherapy chairs to complement the rest of the upgrades, not only the day procedure unit, accident and emergency, and renal dialysis, but also many more, including the mental health suite, which I think is an absolutely long overdue part of the hospital.

Mental health services are vital to the community, particularly in regional South Australia after what we encountered during the last millennium drought. I would like to put on the record that, while many are still complaining about the federal government's co-payment, at the regional hospital we pay a $60 co-payment: we visit the hospital, we pay $60, and I think people just need to be aware of that.

We looked at some of the riverine recovery projects. These really are rolled-gold infrastructure, and they are critical to the health of particularly the Ramsar-listed wetland at Chowilla. It was a long overdue project, and it was budgeted at $41 million, but I think it ended up blowing out to about $60 million. It will enable management to bank water and achieve about 50,000 megalitres a day that will enable water to go into wetlands and floodplains to water river red gums. In some instances, it will water some of the black box population—but only some of it. We really do need 80,000 or 90,000 megalitre flows to get the black box population watered.

It is a feather in the cap. It would be nice to think that the Murray-Darling Basin Plan will be rolled out and that we will not need the regulator, but it is there and it is an insurance policy to safeguard us from the devastation caused by the last 10 years of drought particularly in that region. We looked at the Pike River projects, and there are a number of those. I will just go back to the Chowilla project: there are six other small regulators to help bank up the water and I think they need to be recognised as a very important part of that Riverine Recovery Project.

We visited the fishways at Lock 5. It was very sad to see that, after all that infrastructure money that was spent, we now have an element of society saying that we have to humanely kill carp and that we cannot bury carp because of the collapse once they are buried. I think carp are one of the scourges of the river system, and we need to find ways of better managing and disposing of the carp caught in those fishways.

We visited the Mundic Lagoon and looked at the fishways. We also visited the Lake Merreti regulator and the Woolpolool regulator between locks 5 and 6. I think they are great assets, when you look at the degradation caused by the drought. Merreti was a 40-day, 40-night watering program, and I note that the locals are up there yabbying at the moment, so I think it is a great outcome for all.

Again, we did meet with local government representatives and RDA people. It was not part of the scope of the Public Works Committee, but I think it was an olive branch to those organisations to have a say and put forward their point of view, just to highlight some of the positives and deficiencies. We are trying to do business in the region. We looked at the RDA funding, the lack of infrastructure and the cost of power in the region.

Exporting power out of the region was something that was topical. For those members who do not know, South Australia has reduced its demand in power and we are now exporting power into Victoria. It goes through the interconnector in the Riverland and there are losses in those powerlines; sadly, the people who use power in the Riverland are paying for those losses, and that is having a significant impact.

We looked at CFS fire regulations for some of the infrastructure and new developments in the region. Again, we moved on and looked at crown land issues, tourism and flood banks—we looked at a number of issues up there. The ferry replacement, I think, has been through Public Works Committee and that is a great initiative, and long overdue, converting timber plank ferries to aluminium ferries. I note that Berri Barmera Council flagged that the motorsport facility in the Riverland is something that is much wanted by the greater population.

I thank the committee for coming up to the Riverland. It was a great trip. Not only did people look at what environmental infrastructure can mean and what regional health means to regional people but it also showcased what the Riverland has to offer. I thank the committee, and I think it was a trip worthwhile.

Ms DIGANCE (Elder) (11:39): Thank you to the member for Chaffey for his contribution in support of this visit to the Riverland. I agree wholeheartedly that it was worthwhile. It was certainly good to see the projects Public Works Committee had approved over time and, certainly, it was of value speaking to those people who live and work and advocate on behalf of the region. I look forward to further trips next year to other regional places.

Motion carried.