Grievance Debate

Chaffey Electorate

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:28): I rise today to speak about a number of achievements in the Riverland and Mallee in recent times. I am always buoyed by the talent and creativity of my electorate. As many of you would know, the electorate of Chaffey is a food bowl to South Australia and the high quality product and produce in the electorate is a credit to those who pour their hearts and souls into their businesses.

Jim Markeas of Mallee Estate Wines (based in Renmark) was named as the recipient of the JMA Engineering Riverland Wine Industry Award (formerly known as the Riverland winemaker of the year) at the 43^rd Riverland Wine Show last week. There were more than 350 entries in the show, held at Ruston's Rose Garden. Jim has been winemaking for 17 years. He grew up on the family fruit block, a son of Greek migrants, Peter and Eleni, who arrived in Renmark in the 1960s. Jim and his brother built the winery in the 2000s to process their own fruit when prices started to slide and they now process about 500 tonnes per year. They have developed export markets in both China and the US and they are very proud of their product, as the Riverland should be.

Kolophon Capers is another Riverland success story, run by Barry Porter and Helen Jones. Their capers and caper leaves are prized. Pickled Kolophon caper leaves won a gold medal at the Sydney Royal Fine Food Show. Of the 300 entries in the regional food competition, only 21 gold medals were awarded. Kolophon Capers has previously won silver and bronze medals in this event. Kolophon Capers supplies a number of restaurants nationwide, the finest restaurants in the country, and their products are used by some of the world's leading chefs right across the globe.

Jeremy Schutz was crowned this year's SA Rural Ambassador recently at the Royal Adelaide Show. He is the youngest ever Pinnaroo Show president, at 23 years of age, and he also runs his family farm at Pinnaroo. He is a qualified fitter and turner, plays various sports, including football at the Pinnaroo football club, and is a CFS volunteer. He previously won the Young Rural Ambassador in 2009. He takes away a $5,000 scholarship from the Royal Agricultural Society and the South Australian Education Foundation. He will now travel to New Zealand in 2016 on a two-week study tour as a major prize.

Maddie Ziegler is South Australia's Vocational Student of the Year. A 19-year-old Waikerie nursing student, Maddie won the vocational student of the year at the SA training awards. The Riverland was also represented by Waikerie's Bethany Smith, who was runner-up in the People's Choice category, and fellow finalist Kara Bottrell.

Maddie has previously won the KMC training VET student of the year, the Waikerie High School VET student of the year, and the Riverland and Mallee vocational student of the year at the Rotary Run Awards. She studied the Certificate III in Aged Care and Certificate III in Disability at Glossop High School's Trade School for the Future, gained employment with Pioneer Haven in Waikerie and developed a passion for nursing. She is now studying at the famous Flinders Uni Rural Clinical School at Renmark. She will represent South Australia at the Australian Training Awards in Hobart in November.

At the Premier's Natural Resource Management Awards and South Australia Landcare Awards in Waikerie, Browns Well Landcare chair, Lew Westbrook, the junior Landcare team at Barmera Primary School, and the Regent Parrot Recovery Team were acknowledged with awards. Lew has been volunteering for more than 10 years, with a passion for conserving malleefowl and rabbit eradication.

And of course, how could I forget the Riverland's very own Senator Anne Ruston, elevated to Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. They are two vital portfolios in the great electorate of Chaffey and many people in this chamber would understand that Chaffey, being one of the premium food bowls of South Australia, now has a federal representative in agriculture and water. I congratulate her. She has been an absolute gem over her reasonably short career in politics. She is a hard worker, a successful businesswoman and a great friend of mine, and I am sure that her efforts have been rewarded, not only within her business, but now her assistant ministry to minister Barnaby Joyce.

I think that she will do an outstanding job, and all South Australians should be proud that we have a great representative alongside those other ministers and assistant ministers in the current Coalition government. Congratulations to all of the award winners mentioned. I am sure there will be many more in the coming weeks in the great electorate of Chaffey.