Pride of the South

Ms HILDYARD (Reynell) (15:40): I rise to inform the house about an outstanding southern community group, Pride of the South. More than a year ago, I was approached in my office by different community members who identified as LGBTIQ about a desire to connect LGBTIQ community members in the south to support each other, to raise awareness about issues they were experiencing and to work together to progress matters that would mean they were better supported in our local and broader South Australian community.

I was very happy to get these wonderful community leaders together in my office and to support them to set up an identifiable group in the south which would bring people together around the goals I have mentioned and which would demonstrate to existing and new southern residents that our community welcomes and supports our LGBTIQ brothers and sisters. Since Pride of the South first unfurled their magnificent banner at last year's SA Pride March, at which they had numerous community members approach them to articulate how happy they were to see this group set up in the south, the group has gone from strength to strength.

Through social events, campaigning and raising awareness on crucial issues like marriage equality, connecting with local schools for IDAHOT Day and with local community organisations, and through reaching out to more vulnerable community members, they are making a difference in terms of ensuring our community is an inclusive and respectful one. I have had the great honour of working alongside these remarkable individuals. It is a group that continues to rapidly expand and has gained a level of prominence in the south.

In particular, I mention the generous and determined contributions by big-hearted community leaders Shayne Glasgow, Llewellyn Jones, Michael Tomas and Rex Moulds, who were essential to establishing the group. It boasts a growing membership and an abiding commitment to reaching out into our community to those who feel marginalised and impacted because of discrimination coupled with some antiquated views, held by a minority of people, that negatively impact the everyday lives of our LGBTIQ community.

Two weeks ago, this remarkable group achieved an outstanding result that reflects our community's inclusiveness and the compassionate spirit at the heart of our community. By working together, they successfully campaigned to make sure that the rainbow flag is flying over the City of Onkaparinga chambers for the duration of Feast Festival. It was my honour to stand with this group and to speak for and with them at the council. As part of my deputation to the council, I made the point that words are important and that symbols are important, and indeed they are.

I commended the council for its consistent message of 'strong, vibrant communities', and I made the point that it is an important message about inclusion and working together. As I travel throughout our southern community, I am reminded of these words with the council's own vibrant signage loudly declaring our togetherness. 'Strong, vibrant communities', as the catchcry of our community, is on signs, letterheads and websites in a spectrum of colours as a symbol of our community's diversity, with the letters of each word interlinked, showing that there is as much that binds us as there is that defines us.

This colourful symbolism has always reminded me of the rainbow flag that celebrates freedom and the fight for inclusion and recognition for our LGBTIQ brothers and sisters. Flying the rainbow flag is an act of solidarity and a declaration by our community and our council in support of inclusivity. It says that love is love, and it is a flag of both human respect and human rights. The rainbow flag is a proud symbol with a rich heritage that has been defined by a worldwide social movement that says that we all deserve respect and equality before the law. It says that we are all equals, and that our sexuality should never preclude us from our communities. This is something worth celebrating. It is something worth doing loudly and proudly.

I am very proud that through Pride of the South's work, and through the actions of dedicated community members, the council, irrespective of a small number of dissenters with outdated views, voted to fly this flag. My sincere thanks to those councillors who moved, seconded and supported this motion. Our community has a long memory, and this vote will be remembered. A significant number of South Australian councils have been wonderfully accepting of our LGBTIQ community and have also agreed to fly the rainbow flag. I am happy to place on the record that the City of Onkaparinga can now be named amongst them.

It was my great privilege to be at the council chambers on 21 October to witness the raising of the rainbow flag. This was an historic occasion, as the flying of the flag represented a win for diversity and inclusivity for all community members. The flag will remain flying until this weekend when our community will gather for our very own inaugural Southern Pride March down Beach Road in our beautiful Christies Beach. I will proudly march with our LGBTIQ community members and will also proudly continue my support and deep respect for Pride of the South long into the future.