Newland Electorate

Dr HARVEY (Newland) (15:35): In March 2018, I was elected to this place committing to deliver a strong plan for real change that would deliver better services for households and families, reduce the cost of living and create more jobs. I am proud to be part of a government that is delivering on its promises.

One of the most important projects in my community is to deliver better health services by upgrading Modbury Hospital. On coming to government, Modbury Hospital had had services stripped away under Transforming Health, and now we are rebuilding and restoring key services. Within the first 12 months of coming to government, multiday surgery had been reintroduced to Modbury Hospital, significantly reducing interhospital transfers.

Last year, the long promised but never delivered extended emergency care unit was finally delivered by the Marshall government, helping take pressure off not just the ED at Modbury but also other hospital emergency departments. Late last year, I visited Modbury Hospital with the Minister for Health and Wellbeing and the member for King to see the work underway. We saw the space on the first floor almost completely cleared to make way for the refurbished and expanded surgical ward, which will support more surgeries and a greater range and complexity of surgeries to be performed, to be assisted by a four-bed high dependency unit, as we promised.

We also saw work commencing on the new outpatient department and 20-bed purpose-built palliative care ward adjacent to the main entrance of the hospital. Also coming is the new short stay general medical ward. We went to the election promising to deliver better health services, and the upgrade to Modbury Hospital is reversing damage done under Transforming Health and ensuring that people living in the north-east and northern Adelaide Hills receive the health services they need closer to home.

The Marshall government is delivering lower costs for households and businesses through our energy policies, which have seen the price of electricity beginning to come down. We have seen the standard retail offer for households come down by $62 on average, compared with the $268 increase in 2017-18 under the previous government. And further savings are coming with an expected further $138 coming off default market offers with controlled loads from 1 July.

A very exciting project being delivered in my community is the opening of our reservoirs to recreational activity. Already the South Para Reservoir has been opened, allowing kayaking, fishing, hiking, cycling and much more across a vast and beautiful space only 30 minutes from Tea Tree Gully. Just further up the road, the Warren Reservoir has become more accessible for kayaking, and I am extremely excited about the fact that the Hope Valley Reservoir will be opening up for land-based activities at the end of this year. This will see opportunities for walking and picnicking within that wonderful space that so many of us have been driving past regularly for years but have not had access to.

Banksia Park International High School and Modbury High School are receiving wonderful new facilities as part of the Marshall government's $1.3 billion investment in our schools. A new performing arts centre and an indoor/outdoor commercial kitchen and cafe, plus more, are coming to Banksia High, and a new year 7 hub and new wellbeing and technical studies areas are coming to Modbury High.

We are helping our children get to and from school more safely with upgrades to the school crossings at Kersbrook Primary School and Ridgehaven Primary School. Moreover, we are improving the safety on our roads by upgrading the intersection of South Para Road and North East Road at Chain of Ponds. Whilst much talked about briefly before the election by the previous government, there were no plans. By contrast, the Marshall government is currently working on technical designs and will commence works later this year to help motorists in that part of the Adelaide Hills get to and from Kersbrook more safely.

Sports clubs like Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club, Tea Tree Gully Netball Club, Banksia Park Netball Club, Hope Valley football and cricket clubs, Tea Tree Gully Gymsports, Tea Tree Gully BMX Club and Tea Tree Gully Golf Club are benefiting from improved facilities and the government's support for grassroots sport and keeping our young people active and healthy. The government is lowering the cost for primary school children to participate in sports clubs like these by doubling the value of sports vouchers to $100 per child. It has also been so popular that these vouchers have been expanded to also include swimming lessons and dance.

Over the past two years, we have been very busy delivering on what we said we would do and keeping the promises we made to the people of South Australia: delivering more jobs, lower costs and better services.