Florey Electorate

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (16:07): Doing your best is something I am sure everyone here does and we all encourage everybody else to do, especially our young people. Every job and task is important and deserves our best effort, if for no other reason than to ensure things do not deteriorate and we do not have to do the same thing again.

I often find myself apologising to constituents who need to contact my office because they have called on a government department or service or a private business or enterprise for reasonable assistance or with a reasonable request to be fobbed off or told simply things like, 'The computer says no.'

More worryingly, something that seems to have crept in lately is to be told completely untrue things which are being delivered to them as facts. The Florey electorate office has always striven to treat every person as family, meaning if you would do it for your family you would certainly do it for everyone else, and I thank my staff for sharing this belief with me. We also present constituent positions as true until we have proof or cause to believe they are not true.

Our whole system of society operates on truth, and in this place we can only enjoy privilege as long as we can believe what we are saying is true. Parliament can only operate when we know each of us is being honest, and I believe this to be the single most important element underpinning my work here in this place and out in the community.

On behalf of my constituents, I have always been fearless in my advocacy based on facts and strong in my representation, putting my constituents and electorate first. The issues concerning my electorate concern me, and with no other allegiance my choice will always be to defend the services and amenity of my community.

Soon, the most pressing issue will be the retention of acute adult mental health services at Modbury Hospital. Announcements of decommissioning and moving the 20 beds from Woodleigh House will not be accepted. There are any number of people ready to stand with me on this issue—consumers or family members of those who rely on this local service close to home and vital further support for those who most need it.

A new build is mooted, and it can only happen behind Woodleigh House which, although in need of replacement should be left operational until another treatment space is ready, which could include amongst other things a veteran-specific area.

We should also mention the need for young people's mental health support, which brings me back to my starting point: young people doing their best. In the past few weeks, I have been able to attend graduation and valedictory ceremonies for schools all over the north-eastern suburbs.

Modbury High School had its usual marvellous assembly with amazing music; the Heights School, another strong school in our area; Torrens Valley Christian School last night had a wonderful ceremony; and last Thursday, I was able to attend the ceremony for Banksia Park International High School at the Adelaide Town Hall. Their music program is obviously exceptional. We were treated to a marvellous choral piece and some terrific musical pieces as well.

It was my pleasure to present the inaugural Arts Prize. I was also fortunate enough to co-present with the Premier their inaugural Muriel Matters Award for Activism. I thank the Premier for the honour of joining him on the stage, the same stage where Muriel Matters appeared in Adelaide in 1910, some 111 years earlier than the night I stood there.

Teachers and families do their very best to support students and, by doing their very best and taking every advantage and opportunity given them, students can actually achieve whatever they wish to do. I saw in these latest graduating classes of all the schools in my area great hope. Young people truly are ready to take on the world with great confidence. Obviously, some have not made up their mind about where they want to go in life but others are very determined and already very set on the path they wish to take.

I think it is incredibly heartening to see that confidence and young hope as they venture off into the world supported by their families. There were a great many families at each of the events, and I think it goes to show how much every person wants to see their child succeed and how I know every family member does their best to give their children the best opportunity and best start in life.

While so many of our children do not have a good start in life, it is beholden on us through our education system, our public education system which offers the same opportunities to all, and again for others who are able or perhaps lucky enough to win scholarships to private education, to see those young children who may not have had the best start in life to actually know that they can go on to achieve and contribute back to our society to make the world a better place.