Regional South Australia

The Hon. T.J. WHETSTONE (Chaffey—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (15:12): Today, I rise to speak about something that this house should be very concerned about, and that is regional South Australia. Once again, regional South Australia is a critical contributor to our state's economy, and there is an increasing demand for the goods and services from our regions, from agriculture to food, wine and tourism, to mining and minerals and processing.

For too long, regional South Australia has been put on the backburner, but today I can say that regional South Australia is contributing over 50 per cent of our state's GSP with just 28 per cent of the state's population. The government is proud to support our hardworking South Australians from those regional communities, and we know that it is tougher to live in the regions than it is to live in metropolitan cities. It is tougher to do business, it is tougher to find medical services and it is tougher to find education. It is tougher to do all elements of logistics, but those people prevail, and I congratulate them.

This government wants to encourage growth and innovation in regional areas to drive job creation and foster strong and vibrant communities. That is why this government has agreed to enter into a long-term funding agreement with regionally based RDA boards to ensure continuity of services. The government will provide $3 million per annum to seven regionally based RDA boards from 2018-19 to 2021-22, and each RDA board will need to submit four-year business plans.

Again, we are prepared to put money on the table and support the RDAs, but we are asking that they submit business plans so that everyone can forward project what their projects will be and how they can support communities into the future. It is not just an ad hoc, kneejerk reaction. The commitment by this Liberal government demonstrates our ongoing support for regional South Australia. We are providing a long-term secure funding arrangement that means the RDAs can plan ahead with more certainty.

As I said, the RDAs, like any form of institution, have to be run like businesses. They have to forward project exactly what they are going to do and how they are going to do it. We all have to live within a budget. The RDA boards in South Australia work in partnership with state, federal and local governments to support regional and economic development. From the Adelaide Hills, Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island; the Far North; Limestone Coast; the Murraylands and, of course, the Riverland; Yorke and Mid North; and the Barossa to Whyalla and Eyre Peninsula, RDAs are working closely with industry to identify regional needs and project solutions.

These boards provide important services to regional communities through developing detailed regional economic development plans, by providing independent advice to local, state and federal governments on regional issues and by facilitating awareness of relevant government programs available to regional communities. By providing security of funding, the government will allow the RDAs to work more productively for their regions. Collaboration across the regions will allow RDAs to work more broadly on the issues that can be found in common across regional South Australia.

It is also critically important to put that security behind the RDAs so that they can attract good people, so that they can attract good team players to get the best out of an RDA organisation. As I have said, the seven regional RDAs are a critically important part of the development of regional economies into the future. RDAs are out there working every day, led by good people to make sure that regions matter. As I have said on many occasions, regional development, the support of regions, is one of the key focal points in this state's economy.

It is a sustainable economy in relation to agriculture, food and wine and the primary industries sector. Regional development is also a renewable, sustainable industry because we all know that the man on the land is supporting those communities, and we all know that the communities are supporting the man on the land. It works hand in hand. The communities have been doing a job in adversity over the last 16 years. The regions here in South Australia will have a spotlight shone on them to make sure that regions really do matter.