Gibson Electorate

The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:29): I rise to share with parliament some of the events that have recently happened and events I have hosted in my electorate. Of course, we love getting out into our community and doing things for our community, and that is why we are here.

On 7 September, I was standing up there in the gallery and speaking to a group of new citizens in my electorate about what happens here in Parliament House. I invited these wonderful people and their families along to Parliament House to celebrate the fantastic milestone of their Australian citizenship. Some of them have lived in Australia for decades, while others just a few years. Everyone had a different story to tell, and it was a pleasure to listen to everyone's journey about how they came to be in Australia today.

Kids in the group were particularly excited to hear about the red bloodline in the House of Assembly carpet. That was a story that fascinated them greatly. You can imagine their shock when we went into the Legislative Council and they saw the carpet in there. 'A lot of fighting happens there,' was actually a quote from one of the children because of all the red in the upper house.

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting this fantastic group of people, and I want to welcome and congratulate Jane Hawkes, Romina La Cagnina, Kalyani Chakka, Paul Murphy, Alodia Doroja and Ksenija Malesevic. Again, they are wonderful people and it is great to have them as Australian citizens and wonderful to have them in our community.

In September, I also visited the Marion Croquet Club to wish three long-term members a happy birthday: Carolyn Stacey was celebrating her 80^th birthday, Gemma de Ridder her 90^th and Phyllis Boots her 100^th. Sporting clubs like the Marion Croquet Club are so important in our community not just for the physical benefits of exercise but also for the social benefits for one's wellbeing. I would like to thank the president, Glenna Bulley, for helping organise the celebration and the lovely spread we enjoyed for afternoon tea. It was great to see so many people getting out and getting active as part of our Game On program as well.

Last month, I had the privilege of visiting several local schools in my electorate. Each school had its own very exciting news. The year 6 and year 7 students at Warradale Primary School have been studying civics and citizenship, and it was a delight to visit them to share what I do in my role as their state member of parliament. As part of my visit I also facilitated a mock debate. Students chose the question, which was: should we study more or less maths at school?

Both sides made some very persuasive points, and it was great to see these kids looking at issues from a range of angles. A massive thank you to principal Josh Vick and year 7 teacher Bec Maddigan for arranging the visit. Students were highly engaged and they clearly benefit from the fantastic support they receive from Warradale's school staff. Of course, they have a development happening there. I know that the school is incredibly excited about that. We look forward to seeing their new classrooms arrive very soon.

I also visited Brighton Secondary School for the official opening of Tarni Warra, the new middle school building. Tarni Warra means 'sound of waves' in Kaurna. The state government invested $13.8 million into this state-of-the-art building that has been intentionally designed to support teaching and learning for middle school students.

The Minister for Education was also there, and we were delighted to unveil a plaque to celebrate the opening of this Tarni Warra building. A number of people participated in the official opening ceremony, and I would like to acknowledge head prefects Nic Bergoc and Izzy Conner, who did an outstanding job as the MCs for the event. I also acknowledge Robert Taylor for the Kaurna welcome. As always, it was outstanding. I acknowledge year 8 students Chante Waters and Asha Lawson, who shared their learning experiences so far in the new Tarni Warra building.

Lastly, I would also like to acknowledge principal Tony Lunnis, who made this all possible. It is a great school in our community that has been fantastic to me and my family, with my kids all going through the school. I thank everyone involved and look forward to the exciting times ahead in that new building.

The third local school was Brighton Primary School, where I was joined again by the Minister for Education and principal, Ian Filer, in unveiling a plaque to commemorate the opening of that school's superb new building. As part of the state government's capital works program, we invested $5 million into this state-of-the-art building, with the school contributing a further $154,000 to the project. This building features spacious learning classrooms, including a canteen and teacher preparation areas. It will be home to many positive learning experiences for students for many generations to come.

I would like to include in my speech and take a moment to congratulate Ian Filer on his retirement after more than 40 years of teaching. The contribution he has made during his time in the education department and at Brighton Primary School has been immense. I wish Ian all the very best.