Mayors

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (15:25): As the dust is settling on the most recent local government elections around the state, I rise to speak as the shadow local government minister on some of those who have finished their term on council, including a number of mayors, some of whom served for a short time and others for a longer time.

As I am well aware, the role of mayor is much more diverse and complicated than anyone who has not done the job would ever know and, more often than not, is a thankless job. I would like to congratulate retiring mayors Alison Nunan, Kay Rasheed, Graham Excell, Brenton Lewis, Neil Martinson and Leon Stasinowsky on their hard work as mayor, as they have decided not to renominate for their position at the election. Leon, in particular, was on the Loxton Waikerie council for decades.

I would also like to thank them for the strong working relationship they have had with me throughout the years. As a former President of the Local Government Association for two years and a member of the LGA board for a number of years, there are also three mayors I worked closely with on that board who decided to conclude their term.

First is the retiring mayor of the City of Whyalla, Clare McLaughlin. Clare is someone who was determined and hardworking in her term as mayor, putting forward the future of Whyalla and the challenges it was facing to decision-makers across government and business. She also worked collaboratively in her region, both Eyre Peninsula and Spencer Gulf, and I truly admire the integrity she showed throughout her term.

Special congratulations go to retiring mayor Peter Mattey from the Goyder council. Peter is a man I have worked closely with throughout the years, especially on the LGA board, including during my time as the president. Peter is an example of someone who has given so much to his regional community over 40 years on council, firstly as a councillor at the district council of Hallett and then Goyder and then taking on the role as mayor for a significant period of time. Peter has also been a voice for regional local government and local government as a whole throughout that time. I would like to publicly acknowledge that work.

Congratulations also to David O'Loughlin from the Prospect council. David is another man I have worked with a lot over the last number of years, even though we might have had different political affiliations. David has led local government at all levels, as the President of ALGA, the national association, the President of the Local Government Association SA and, most importantly, the Mayor of Prospect. His commitment and drive should not be underestimated. I have always enjoyed robust debate as well as healthy banter during all our interactions throughout the years.

There were also a number of results through the local government election process which saw incumbent mayors lose their positions, including some long-serving ones. I would like to acknowledge Erika Vickery OAM from the Naracoorte Lucindale Council as someone I have worked with closely and collaboratively to put forward the interests of regional communities in particular. Erika is a passionate community leader who has always put her local community first and has been a champion for the long-term future of the Limestone Coast, including the ever-increasing multicultural community of the South-East.

I would like to acknowledge some other long-serving mayors who were not returned by the community but who have been serving their communities and the local government sector as a whole: Dave Burgess, Peter Hunt and Ann Ferguson OAM. These three have been regional Local Government Association leaders and LGA board members as well as passionate community advocates for a long time.

In my own electorate of Flinders, the tenure of three mayors finished up: from Port Lincoln, Brad Flaherty; from Ceduna, Perry Will; and from Elliston, Malcolm Hancock. These three men have been regional leaders and a regional voice for the whole of Eyre Peninsula. I have enjoyed over the last four years in particular working with those gentlemen to put forward the opportunities, issues and challenges—the future as a whole—of Eyre Peninsula.

There are other mayors who finished up at the election, some of whom have been serving for a long time and some for a shorter time but, as I said before, they are all worthy of recognition. I note Brett Benbow, Wayne Thomas, Greg Flint, Richard Sage, Phil Heaslip, Ben Browne, Simon Rothwell, Simon McMahon, Hannah Allen-Jordan, Elizabeth Fricker—and Sandy Verschoor, with the Lord Mayor role in particular being a significant challenge and responsibility. Local government leadership is unique. It is so challenging yet so rewarding. I would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment of these mayors in particular in taking up this unique challenge.

As the shadow local government minister, I am looking forward to continuing my close working relationship with the local government sector, including the Local Government Association, its board and its organisation, with Clinton Jury as the CEO and new President Dean Johnson, and the number of new mayors and local government representatives from around the state. The future for local government is bright, but we must be bold and visionary with the opportunities for further reform and continual improvement.