Listening Post

Ms VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:44): I would like to speak about my regular listening post that I often hold in my electorate. The most recent one I had was last week at the Burton Community Centre, and it is always a great opportunity to meet with local community members and to hear them express their views and concerns to me. At this particular meeting at the Burton Community Centre, I was glad to have a local ward councillor Chad Buchanan, from the Salisbury council, attend with me and to assist with a wide number of topics that arose.

More often than not when you go out to the community people come to you as an advocate on their behalf but do not understand the three levels of government that the Australian system works under, and so many of the inquiries I often get in my office are council based, which we do endeavour to assist with, but it is always helpful to have someone from council on hand.

As I conducted a mail-out to the local area of Burton and Direk (which is still a very new and growing area despite being established for several decades now), it was great to be able to be accommodated at the Burton Community Centre and to use the crèche room as a meeting space. It is right next door to the quilting guild's regular meet-up that was happening while we were there, and the ladies were completing some lovely, vibrant projects.

It was a good turn-up considering that it was a chilly day and that it had rained intermittently. There were many people waiting there even before the appointed time to have a chat to me, and literally it was nonstop the whole time we were there. Topics that were covered included information and inquiries about the northern connector and whether that was coming and inquiries about the new Cost of Living Concession arrangements by the state government. Many people wanted to know about how it would work, and it was a pleasure to be able to inform them about that good news.

There were people waiting to find out about immigration and hoon driving, and there were inquiries about a potential rise in the GST. There were inquiries about mandatory pet desexing and whether concessions would be given to people on low incomes if mandatory pet desexing came into place. There were also people who wanted to talk about solar energy, wind energy and the royal commission into nuclear power in our state and the potential for economic growth in those areas.

It was very interesting to talk to many people about the complex DPAs that are going on in the Northern Adelaide Plains with the growth of suburban houses and the adjacent employment lands in those areas, and we had quite a few people wanting to chat to us about that. Quite a few people had an interest in the St Kilda precinct, and they were very happy to hear about the new SA recreational fishing grant of $20,000 for a new fish cleaning station at St Kilda, as I know many, many people in the local area use that the boat ramp as well as the St Kilda playground and the facilities nearby for their families to have good recreational time away from their work life.

One of the people who is passionate about St Kilda is Jo Scott. She is a volunteer at the St Kilda Boat Club, and Jo also helps with disadvantaged children in Elizabeth. We were talking of how best to improve our community. She has a strong passion for St Kilda and the tourist precinct and is involved in associations there as well as in her local Burton area. She is a true treasure, and I am always happy to see Jo when I am on the hustings in my electorate.

One person who popped in who is also a pleasure to see, and who is a remarkable man at that, is a local celebrity in the Salisbury area. He volunteers working with children who have a disability at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Since 2003, Ian has been known as Santa Ian. He visits hospitals, kindergartens, primary schools and community centres during the Christmas season doing his best to produce Christmas magic for the community. I also understand that in 2014 he spent a month as a highlight at the Winterfest at Ferrari World in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates as Santa. Santa Ian is truly an international Santa and very committed to our area, and he has been involved in many community projects over the years.

As a local MP, it is always a privilege to listen and connect with the wonderful characters who contribute to the community in the north—particularly in Taylor—and those who care so deeply for their surrounding neighbours and neighbourhoods. I would like to thank Councillor Buchanan and the staff of the Burton Community Centre, Christina and Bridget from my electorate office who attended their first listening post and who assisted me on the day, and all the residents who came along and made the effort to work together to improve the north. I look forward to telling the house about more listening posts in the near future.