Question Time

Regional Development Strategy

Mr TRELOAR (Flinders) (14:09): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister advise how the Regional Development Strategy established by the Marshall Liberal government is delivering for our regional communities?

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM (Finniss—Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development) (14:09): I thank the member for Flinders for his question.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for West Torrens is called to order and will cease interjecting.

The Hon. D.K.B. BASHAM: It was fantastic to be in Port Lincoln two weeks ago with the member and the Premier for the launch of the government's Regional Development Strategy. The economic and social prosperity of the regions is important not just to the member for Flinders but to all of us on this side.

The government believes in strongly supporting our regional communities. We are working to create jobs and invest in our regions to help them thrive. We are fixing regional roads, we are building and upgrading schools, supporting sports clubs and providing better health care. Our regions are the economic powerhouse that drives the prosperity of the whole state and contributes $29 billion per year to the South Australian economy across a range of industries, including fishing, farming, mining, manufacturing, and tourism.

The strategy is an important blueprint for how our government engages with regional communities and works with them to foster improved opportunities. Each region is unique and the specific opportunities and needs are unique. The Regional Development Strategy recognises the importance of regions and identifies key areas to focus on to deliver key projects and create local jobs.

The strategy was developed with statewide consultation. The consultation was led by a community advisory panel that met with more than 100 stakeholders, and over 280 people attended community forums across the regions. The panel identified concerns from those regional communities over past years that they felt ignored and left out of decision-making processes that directly affected them.

From day one this government have engaged strongly with our regional communities. We have taken steps to empower those communities by establishing decentralised local health networks and creating regional landscape boards. We have listened to those communities about their priorities and we have taken action, priorities such as:

sealing the Strzelecki Track;

upgrading regional roads, including the Eyre Highway, the Stuart Highway, the Sturt Highway, the Horrocks Highway, and the Barrier Highway;

investing in new schools in Whyalla and Goolwa;

investing $25 million into the wild dog fence;

upgrading hospitals such as Ardrossan and Yorketown; and

building a new Mount Gambier community recreation centre.

These are all great examples of how this government is listening to communities and acting on their priorities.

The strategy outlines how the government will work with those communities to spur regional development across the whole state and support those communities to thrive. It is supported by the launch of the Our Regions Matter website. This website—www.regionsmatter.sa.gov.au—showcases many investments being made in regional South Australia to improve health care, education and sporting facilities.

Anyone in the regions can go to the website to see what is happening in their community. Businesses will be able to go to that website to have a look at the infrastructure investments being made and make decisions on where to establish to create jobs in their regions. The website will be a welcome resource for regional communities. There has been over $3 billion worth of investment into the regions by this government, and this is creating jobs in the regions and empowering the regions to deliver for South Australia.