South Australian Districts Netball Association

Ms LUETHEN (King) (15:24): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Could the minister please update the house about his recent visit to the South Australian Districts Netball Association and how the Marshall Liberal government's $320,000 investment to fix their local car park and traffic flow will help our local King and north-eastern community?

The Hon. A. Piccolo: Is that the question or the answer?

The SPEAKER: The member for Light is called to order.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:24): I thank the member for her question and acknowledge how much of a passionate advocate she is for her community, how this hardworking member, who listens to her community and engages with her community, achieves such great things. She is absolutely a fierce advocate for her community. It was a pleasure to join with her and the Premier on the weekend at the local netball courts in Golden Grove. I noted as we went around and met a few people that she bumped into a few old netball friends of hers she used to play against. They smiled and shook hands but knew as well that she is a fierce competitor. They know how fierce she is. She does a marvellous job.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It is a non-contact sport, but it doesn't mean you are not fierce when you play the game.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It was great to be at the Golden Grove courts and to be with the Premier and the member for King, delivering on one of our election commitments—another one of them. The Premier and I had a very busy roadshow handing out, I think, $7-odd million worth of election commitments to community sport, grassroots sport. We know how important that is.

This election commitment, as the member for King pointed out, was $320,000 towards better access to the car park for these netball courts in Golden Grove. The way they have to get to them at present is they wander through the back streets; they also park in the back streets. The member for King has come up with a great solution in working with the local council to give them access off the main road so that cars can get in and out easier.

We found out at these netball courts that they have over 30 clubs that play there. In fact, I bumped into the people from Tea Tree Gully as well, where the member for Newland has been doing some wonderful work, also. There are 200 teams that use these courts each week. Last year, there were around 400,000 players who used these courts and the car park facility. Again, it was great to be there with the Premier, the member for King and a couple of the local players, Abbey and Emily, who don't drive yet but I know that, as they start to drive, we want to see them using this facility and being back at these netball courts playing for a long time.

We acknowledge that Thunderbirds player Fiona Fowler was there as well. The Premier had a bit of a chat to her and got a few tips, which was good to see. The Tea Tree Gully Council was also there, represented by Mayor Kevin Knight and Councillor Bernie Kean. The President of SADNA, Mr John Adams, was also there along with the CEO of Netball SA, Ben Scales.

It has been a brilliant piece of work by the member for King, as I said, to harness her community when she was campaigning in the area. She wore out that many pairs of shoes, it wasn't funny. She still has her blue Nikes, and they are the ones, no doubt, she plays netball in. She is fast and she is agile and she is out there listening to the community, delivering on what they need. That is the sort of government we are. As I said, it was a pleasure to be with the Premier out there engaging with the community, with candidates and members on this side of the house who have listened to their community.

When in opposition, we ran a sports survey to hear what the shortcomings were with a lot of our community clubs, and every member on this side engaged with their region, found out what they needed, and we are doing everything we can to deliver what the regions need and what the communities need to deliver better sporting outcomes for their communities. We know that sport is a real fabric of a community. It brings people together. It allows communities to engage. It allows young people a chance to be fit and healthy and then progress through to playing in their senior years and staying active in a community.

It gives the ability for sports clubs and groups like this Golden Grove tennis complex where the member for King took us on the weekend to see all the families and all the people there and the things they do to give back to the community beyond netball. Umpires were involved as well, people running the canteen; it was just a wonderful community feel. I look forward to getting out into the communities even more in the weeks, months and years ahead with the Premier and the rest of this parliamentary team to deliver more for the people of South Australia.