Country Shows

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. Minister, can you inform the house about the role of country shows in South Australia?

The SPEAKER: Minister, I was pleased to be at the Callington Show on Sunday.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL (Mawson—Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Recreation and Sport, Minister for Racing) (14:54): Thank you, sir. I was going to mention that you were at the Callington Show. I saw that you were on Facebook talking up the wonderful exhibits at the Callington Show.

I would like to thank the member for Light for the question, and acknowledge the hard work that he has done on behalf of the Gawler Show over many years as the mayor and also as a local member, and acknowledge that, in late August, the Gawler Show celebrated its 160^th anniversary. I know that the Governor opened the show, and it is—

Mr Whetstone: It's a two-day show.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: It is a two-day show, yes.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Yes, it's great, it's fantastic. I think that everyone in this place who has country shows in their area realises just how important they are for the local fabric—

Mr Whetstone: Where's the funding?

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: We have increased some funding. We have taken the ambassadors' money which was $60,000 and put it up to $65,000, so that is good news. I must mention that the member for Chaffey is a show champion when it comes to jams. Congratulations again on the wonderful work you do in the blue ribbon manufacturing—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I can't make jam.

An honourable member: Fig jam!

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: I think we did the fig jam joke last time. We did. There is $65,000 now for the Agricultural Societies Council of South Australia's annual grant for the Rural Ambassador Award and Young Ambassador Award. I would like to congratulate the 2016 Rural Ambassador, William Bray, who works on his family's cropping and sheep farm near Jamestown, and Caitlin Marshall, the winner of 2016 Young Ambassador Award. Caitlin grew up in Coonalpyn.

It is terrific. As someone who grew up in the country, I know that our Glencoe Show does not happen anymore, but still we have the Millicent Show, which comes up next weekend, I know that the member for MacKillop will be there on the weekend at the Millicent Show. Mount Gambier is obviously a really important one as well.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Which one?

Mr Whetstone: Gerald Schultz from Pinnaroo.

The Hon. L.W.K. BIGNELL: Well, congratulations to Gerald Schultz on behalf of the member for Chaffey and the member for Schubert. It is very good to put that on the record in here that he won the national award. That is terrific news, indeed.

On Saturday I was delighted to open the 99^th Kingscote Show on Kangaroo Island. The Leader of the Opposition was there as well as the local member, of course, the member for Finniss, and the member for Hartley. It was great to see people from both sides of the house out supporting country shows. It is good to see all the community come together, although, after all the rains this year, I spoke to some sheep farmers who could not make it along to Kingscote because they had to be out doing a lot of work because shearing has been put back. They had to make a few alterations about where they had exhibits because the oval had been so waterlogged.

I do want to put on the record my thanks to David Hall, the President of the Kangaroo Island Agricultural and Horticultural Society and all the committee members who, like so many people involved in the other 48 shows around South Australia, put in so much work all year to ensure that their town and their area's big show of the year goes off really successfully.

It was good to catch up with Jamie Heinrich down there. He is a sheep farmer and a recipient of one of the 2017 Nuffield Australian Farming Scholarships, and I know that we have a few Nuffield scholars in here. It was great to catch up with Jamie. I would also like to congratulate Jonas Woolford from Streaky Bay, who is also a Nuffield recipient, and Toby Bekkers from McLaren Vale. He is a great fellow, a great mate of mine and a really good winemaker. To all those people who volunteer and do so much at our country shows around South Australia, we thank you. It is an important part of not only bringing the communities together but also acknowledging the best in show for everything from jam and cakes to wheat and exhibits.

The SPEAKER: The minister's time has expired. The leader.