Goyder Electorate

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:26): On behalf of the opposition I congratulate the Odenwalder family on the addition to their family. Well done.

I would like to speak about two exciting new developments in Goyder, both related to residential developments that are occurring which are good for the regional communities they are based in and good for the state. They are in no particular order but I will go to the first one that occurred, which was in Wallaroo. There has recently been some publicity about it, particularly the publicity that was given to the creation of an accommodation option that will house up to 100 people.

This is a very exciting development because it means that, finally, within the Yorke Peninsula region there is an opportunity not just for one bus but for multiple buses of people visiting our area to be accommodated. It is on the former Incitec site at Wallaroo, which was subject to a very significant rehabilitation effort by the company. I congratulate them on the corporate responsibility they showed.

The site has now been purchased with the intention of undertaking a very exciting development. It is not just the hotel-style accommodation—independent modular units which will be two stories and, I think, 116 square metres each, so they are quite large—but also residential development and allotments that will be created for individual homes to be built on. In total it will be $220 million worth of development when it is fully completed, across an 18 hectare site. It will involve 1,000 full-time jobs with total employment expected to rise, during the construction period, to 2,200. The individual units being created for the hotel accommodation option will be $395,000 each for people to buy, and they will then be managed by another company called SilverNeedle Hospitality group, which has international connections.

We are very pleased to see this exciting development taking place in the area. The official launch was held 13 days ago and a variety of people were involved in that. I recognised the Minister for Regional Development, the member for Frome, there, and he was involved in the promotion of the site. Unfortunately he was not able to stay for the later launch of it, but I know that he has been a very big supporter of the project as well.

It is an exciting one for our region, and I congratulate the Wallaroo Shores tourism and regional development company that has been involved in it. They have been briefing me for some time on the project, and I have also met with the group in their Adelaide offices. One thing that has shone through to me is the commitment they have to the regional community. It is very exciting to have it in the area.

The second development I want to talk about is at Two Wells. This is a project that is quite well known to the member for Taylor, Two Wells previously having been within the Taylor electorate but transferring at the last election. The developer of this site is the Hickinbotham group of companies, and it is eventually intended to be two development sites—Eden, and then Liberty will follow later on—and they are quite large allotments.

I think people will be excited by it because the allotments are between 1,200 square metres, which is very large indeed—a good size for a country town, but very large compared with most metropolitan areas—up to a two-hectare site. This is an exceptionally exciting development which will ensure that not only Two Wells grows but that this whole region will grow too.

The Hickinbotham company has been passionate about this area for years, it seems. It was probably about six or seven years ago when I went to some of the initial planning sessions that were held involving the company. While it is fair to say that some people in the local community questioned why growth was going to occur and why they wanted to do it, the absolute majority of people there, and the Mallala council in particular, have been exceptionally supportive because they recognise the opportunities that will come from it.

In the range of an additional 3,000 people will live in the Two Wells community into the future. It represents a quantum growth opportunity for that town, but the important thing for me is that the focus has been, as part of the development—and it is something that I particularly congratulate the Hickinbotham company on—on the fact that they want to build the community. That is what it is focused on. Yes, there is expected to be a return financially to them, and as they are taking a lot of risks they deserve that opportunity to occur, but their focus is on ensuring that the community growth that occurs as part of it is pronounced.

One of the exciting announcements as part of the development was that in the very early stages an education facility is to be built, controlled by the Lutheran schools group, I believe for reception through to year 12, and eventually at a cost in the range of $40 million. I think the date quoted for it to be opened was January 2017. They have over 200 registrations of interest from young people to become part of the school in the initial intake. Not all of them will do that, I know that, but it is an exciting project and I am so proud to stand up here and talk about two developments occurring in regional South Australia that will make significant differences for decades to our local community.