Sports Facilities

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:03): My question is to the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing. Can the minister update the house on round 1 of the government's grassroots football, cricket and netball facility grants and how the funding will deliver grassroots sport in South Australia?

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:04): Thank you very much, and I thank the member for MacKillop for his fine question—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —and acknowledge his understanding of how we are delivering for South Australia yet again, especially when it comes to sport, in partnership with, of course, the SACA and the SANFL, and netball is on board as well. Those sports that are growing in their female participation have been a real key focus for us to make sure that we deliver the facilities that they—

Ms Hildyard interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Reynell is warned.

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: —have been lacking for so many years. In our first round, we have unearthed more than $15 million worth of projects and, in total, will be delivering more than $24 million worth of projects across the two rounds. That's an amazing achievement and we are very proud of that.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: We look forward to this rolling out as we go. That really is just getting started. The delivery of these projects has been from Hope Valley, in the member for Newland's electorate, to Flinders Park in the member for West Torrens' electorate, and up in Whyalla, in the member for Giles's electorate. Just on the weekend, I was down in the South-East with the member for MacKillop, and we also bumped into the member for Mount Gambier. There are some great projects and some great communities, who are very appreciative of what we are delivering.

I will run through a couple because the people we met over the weekend, gee, didn't they think the member for MacKillop was a super guy for the great work that he has done. At Kalangadoo, $153,000 has gone into developing their project. It's a wonderful project, neglected by those opposite for so many years, but the member for MacKillop has delivered for them. The president of the football club, Adam Box; the president of the netball club, Katie Croser; Jayde Peacock, the grants coordinator; and Andre Carlson, the president of the Community Club, were so happy to see us down there. Can I tell you that the afternoon teas there are as good as I have had. Don't tell anyone else, but they were as good as I have had, and the slices were adding to my waistline.

Then we went to McLaughlin Park, and that was fantastic as well, with the Saints over there—$108,000 for increased lighting on their facility. Craig Tunkin is the president there. They have done a great job with their facility because they have worked with the other sports. They have come together, and they do the projects depending on what the need is. The lighting there is fantastic, and they are improving the goalposts, and the goalpost pads as well, because they are not at spec at the moment. They work in conjunction with the basketball club, the netball club and the soccer club, and they really come together to deliver projects for their community. They should be commended for that.

We managed to travel to the South Gambier Football Club as well. There is more than $200,000 going to their club, and they were very ecstatic about that too. It is a great football and netball club that really is growing its participation. To see so many games happening there was wonderful. They are redeveloping their change rooms and they are getting lighting for their netball courts and resurfacing a cricket pitch. They have some plans to do more things down the track, and it was great to help them out. I was there 12 months ago, with the member for Mount Gambier, to follow through and see these delivered after they had put together their application. They went through the process and they were successful. It was fantastic.

A couple of others, while I have the time, include $264,000 for Hope Valley, in the member for Newland's electorate, to install a comprehensive modular unisex change room facility, which is on the plan. Scott is the chairperson of the sports club. The member for Newland was very happy to be delivering that project in his community.

I was up at Karoonda with the member for Hammond maybe a month or so ago. Bruce Kerr is the president there, and they were really pleased with their project—over a quarter of a million dollars for them—that really is the heart of their community. Half a million dollars is going out to Northfield, in the member for Enfield's electorate, to a really great project at the Edward Smith and LJ Lewis precinct at Northfield. Sandy, the president of the Adelaide Warriors Cricket Club, told me that he had been waiting 13 years for that. I am not sure what was happening on the other side, but to deliver this for their club, after 13 years of waiting for an upgrade, was fantastic.

In Flinders Park, the member for West Torrens's electorate, they were elated when they got $224,000 for their family-friendly unisex change rooms. It is a great club, and I commend everyone there for the great work they did, in particular Carol Shard, who is the executive committee member.