Bills

Supply Bill 2024

Second Reading

Debate resumed.

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11:52): I rise to speak to the Supply Bill 2024, which is a great opportunity for us to reflect on the significant investments the Malinauskas Labor government is making. This government is delivering on its commitment to boost the capacity of our hospitals and health sites, having recruited 1,400 extra nurses, doctors, ambos and allied health workers since the state election. But we are not finished yet. We also saw construction commence on the new Women's and Children's Hospital, which will contain 56 more beds than the current hospital, plus capacity for more beds in the future.

It is an absolute honour to serve as the Minister for Tourism and the Minister for Multicultural Affairs. I have the privilege of promoting our great state and attracting people here while also enacting our policies and programs to retain the diverse range of skills, talents and experiences amongst our growing population.

We have an ambitious plan for the future. The state prosperity plan made very clear to people where the focus is for us, where we want to see the opportunity in a decarbonised world, what we have to offer and how we need to go about making sure we are in the right place at the right time for economic growth. We want it to be something that benefits us for future communities. We have work to do getting the workforce ready and getting ourselves there, but this is boldness that we have not seen for a long time, and it is an opportunity for South Australia to take those things we do so well—we are world leading in renewable energy, and now the rest of the world is catching up and demanding to have that knowledge and technology. This gives us an opportunity to be in the driver's seat.

When I talk about tourism, what an extraordinary year we have had. I will firstly talk about Kangaroo Island. Mr Speaker, your advocacy, as the member for Mawson, was very successful in making sure that we achieved additional flights and an improved flight schedule from Kangaroo Island. This is really important. KI is such an arrowhead for us, particularly in international tourism. We know that when the itineraries of international trade tourist companies are being organised, they need to make sure that they have an itinerary that includes KI, as it is something that is very important to them, and we need to create efficient connections on and off the island. It is a must-do when you come to South Australia, but we have to do it at the same time as they are coordinating other elements into those itineraries.

In regard to the reopening of Southern Ocean Lodge, can I say that I had so many people asking me when it was opening, when was it coming back. They were very much looking forward to it, particularly in the international tourist trade market. They were pre-booked many months in advance by international guests, and it still remains one of those absolutely stunning immersive experiences, particularly for the luxury traveller.

The sod was turned at The Cliffs golf links, and it was great to talk to Sam Atkins just recently at LIV Golf to see where they are at. That will be a wonderful addition to KI. We know that it is the talk of the town. People who love golf cannot wait to go and play there. Of course, there are great new opportunities with the new SeaLink ferries as well. They are going to see a significant increase in passenger numbers and accessibility to the island. Work has already begun on the upgrade of the Penneshaw and Cape Jervis jetties, ready for those new ferries.

I made a commitment to people who were impacted by the largest, highest river water in a century to keep my eyes on the river. There is no doubt at all that our Rise Up for our River campaign has been incredibly successful. It was successful because we went out there and talked to people. We talked to tourism operators, and we talked to local government about when the timing was right and what they needed.

We did three rounds of vouchers. We have already seen $10.7 million in economic benefit in those first two rounds. People may recall that we could not have houseboats in round 1 because they were not ready then, but they certainly were hit hardest and longest by all of the different parts of the tourism sector. In the third round, we already have $1.2 million in direct bookings. We made sure that that third round, although it was smaller than the other two, extended over the autumn period so that people who were successful with those vouchers had the opportunity to travel up until 30 June. That is traditionally a much slower time, so we were listening to those operators to see what we needed to do.

Within that, there was more than $1 million in our Rise Up for our River campaign. It was due to that marketing campaign, regardless of whether you had a voucher or not, that I have heard time and time again people tell me that it made them look at the river in a different way and they made sure they booked a holiday there. I have had such great feedback, with people finding absolute gems in our river regions and then talking to their friends who have gone and booked as well. We must keep our eyes on the river. I want to thank the team at the SA Tourism Commission particularly for the work they did in that area.

We launched our marketing campaign, 'Travel. Our Way.', and it is very specific about South Australia. We certainly have this positive momentum at the moment about pride in ourselves and pride in what we have to offer. This has come particularly from some of the events, but we are also number one in food and wine, and this is something that we are very proud of. Our regions are very accessible. We have the beautiful Flinders Ranges. People absolutely love being immersed in the outback, and it is so accessible in South Australia.

We just launched our 'Winter. Our Way.' campaign, which is a theme on 'Travel. Our Way.', particularly to interstate markets. Victoria is our biggest market and New South Wales is second, but we are seeing an increase in Queenslanders coming here. Just on the weekend, at Tasting Australia, I had a conversation with some people from Rockhampton. They come every year for Tasting Australia. In fact, they come to South Australia about three times a year. They said, 'We just love being here in autumn. We love the food. We love the wine. We go to a different winery every single time.' They were at McLaren Vale this time. They like to get on the databases and continue to buy the wine directly from the cellar doors.

Cruises and aviation have been coming back. Obviously, they were hit really hard during COVID. This year we had 130 cruise visits exploring South Australia from the South-East to the West Coast. I am really thrilled to see that we have the big ships going to Port Lincoln and also to Kangaroo Island, but then we have the smaller ships that are going to different areas like Wallaroo and Robe as well. We are getting quite a good reputation. Obviously, we are a very friendly state. What we want to see is those cruise ship visits as the taster, the sweetener: people see a little bit of what we have to offer and then they come back and book a longer visit.

I was so thrilled to stand beside the Premier and announce the return of Emirates, who are coming in October this year. That connectivity is incredibly important. They are linked to 300 different destinations throughout the world. We know that people have been looking for Emirates to come back and are really pleased. VietJet also made the decision to fly direct to Vietnam from Adelaide, and that is a new airline for this year.

Let's talk about events. We have another huge year of events under our belt. We have seen the extension of WOMAD, probably my favourite festival, for another five years. We have also had additional support for the Adelaide Festival and the Fringe, which is boosting our Mad March that we are so well known for. Of course, we have had great results from Harvest Rock. Gather Round and LIV Golf are in their second years. The weather was absolutely stunning for LIV Golf. We saw people come back with not just one mate but 10 mates, or they came back with the family as well. We saw the numbers up more than ever before.

This year the Tour Down Under came back in its traditional format. We are so thrilled to build on the work of previous Tour Down Unders, with women coming here now at the absolute highest level with world tour status. We continue to build both the men's and women's competition and get the best cyclists in the world to come here for the Tour Down Under. Once again, we have people who absolutely love this event. They come from all over Australia and different parts of the world to follow the same cycling routes as the professionals. They love what they get to do. The other thing, of course, is the great expo that we have in Victoria Square. People can look at the best bikes in the world, have those conversations about fitness and talk to people about the maintenance of bikes. We hear great feedback about that every single time.

We have also had quite a few one-off events in the last year. It was fantastic to have the State of Origin here. It was a perfect night in May, and it was really fantastic to have that. The five games we held here for the FIFA Women's World Cup were absolutely fantastic. In fact, the best viewed game, between China and England, had more than 50 million people watching. It was outstanding. The fan festival sites we had here at Festival Plaza were absolutely loved and won the best fan festival site in the nation by FIFA. It was fantastic.

We have seen, obviously, the focus on women's participation in sport. The support for professional women in sport has been increased. We have been getting there for a long time, but the FIFA Women's World Cup really was a catalyst moment. I often share with people the story of when my 13 year old was playing FIFA on the Xbox. During the FIFA Women's World Cup, he said, 'Mum, I'm Sam Kerr today,' while playing his game. It was a moment of change when a 13 year-old boy chose to be a professional female football player while playing online.

We also had Laser sailing. That was a fantastic event. We had people here from more than 30 countries, and they stayed for about four weeks in order to gain points to be eligible to enter the Olympics. We also had the athletics here, the Masters Games. Of course, Frida & Diego was held here at the Art Gallery, and that had significant numbers come as well.

Of course, we have more to come throughout this year and next. Business events and conventions have been hugely successful in the last year, with a record-breaking convention year behind us. Specifically for tourism operators, industry has been connected like never before to international markets and media, with Adelaide hosting Tourism Australia's Dreamtime; AHICE, which we saw just last week and which is the biggest international hotel event in the Southern Hemisphere; and ATEC Marketplace. We have also been awarded, in March next year, the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, the 40^th anniversary of which will be held right here in Adelaide.

I would like to recognise the work of the Tourism Industry Council South Australia, which continued to be supported by the Malinauskas Labor government with additional funding, particularly their work in producing a tourism careers guide. It is a little bit old-fashioned. It is a printed copy, but it goes through the different job opportunities and also the pathways for people to have a career in tourism.

I particularly want to acknowledge their work in the establishment of the South Australian Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council (SAATOC). This is based on the WA model that has been running for more than 20 years. In WA, there are now more than 200 Aboriginal-led tourism operators. We have fewer than that here in South Australia, but we see the opportunity to support the capacity and the development of more Aboriginal tourism operators, telling their stories and talking about their connection to the land. We certainly know from an international perspective that this is what our international tourists want. They want to hear about the oldest living culture on this earth and they want to see operators who have that connection and can tell that story. I want to thank Shaun and his team for that great work.

I am also pleased to see the continued support of tourism across other portfolios. I specifically thank the Premier and the Major Events Attraction Committee—which was recently chaired by the Speaker, and which I work closely with to deliver outstanding calendar events—and of course the Deputy Premier, the Minister for Environment, who works closely with me to deliver the Experience Nature Tourism Fund. We have worked closely together, looking at managing the commercial tour operator licences for businesses working with our national parks.

Minister Close and her department are also responsible for some of our most outstanding tourism products, including the Ediacaran fossils, Granite Island and the Mount Remarkable Epic Trail. I have had the opportunity to go out and see these different operations. There are also the Naracoorte Caves, which continue to be a massive drawcard in South Australia.

My colleague Katrine Hildyard, the Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, works closely with my office and agency to ensure community sporting outcomes from those major sporting events. Of course, that significant announcement of $18 million to support grassroots involvement of women and girls post FIFA Women's World Cup was outstanding.

I have also been pleased to work alongside the Minister for Arts on boosting regional and multicultural inclusion in both the Adelaide Festival and the Fringe. Just last week, Festival City Adelaide hosted a festival and event policy forum. It was an excellent forum to talk about the opportunities here to grow that sector, but what I really want to draw attention to is the launch of their careers guide outlining the different job titles and how you get there within the festival and event policy.

It is very similar to what TiCSA did with their tourism careers guide; this is a complementary careers guide. If your child or grandchild comes to you and says, 'I want a career in the arts,' or 'I want a career in events,' then this is a way to look together at how they achieve that going forward. I also thank the Treasurer, who has understood the needs and challenges for regional accommodation. He has focused round 1 of the Economic Recovery Fund on regional tourism.

Wearing my other hat for Multicultural Affairs, I get to go around the world every week by staying here in Adelaide. We know when we look at our Census data that we have South Australians living here from 200 different countries, speaking 180 languages. When we came to government, we put an additional $16 million over four years into the multicultural portfolio. We have been working hard to deliver those election commitments: tabling the Multicultural Charter, the rollout of the pilot of the ambassador program, and the delivery of the now annual Multicultural Festival that more than 10,000 people attended.

Of that money, $4 million over four years is for community language schools. We did both the infrastructure grants, which is something that has never been done before, but that additional money has meant that they can support those more than 90 registered community language schools that are running events or running schools every weekend with capacity support. We have been focusing on training, and training in different locations. These are mostly volunteers and we have really built the ability to support them in a much more nourishing way.

We are looking at these hub locations as well at Regency TAFE and I am about to announce one at Torrens University. There is also one at Salisbury TAFE that enables four or five schools to be in the one location using those facilities when they are often very quiet, but also supporting each other the same way.

Of course, those grant programs continue: Stronger Together, Expand Together, Celebrate Together, and people can enter. We have just done some exciting work within the Public Service in the People Matters Survey, asking people for the first time, just like the commonwealth and the Queensland government, about their ethnicity and looking at diversity in the Public Service.

I want to talk about those election commitments we are rolling out in the Ramsay electorate. The Salisbury Football Club scoreboard has been installed and made its debut on ANZAC Day. We have a commitment for a new school gymnasium at Brahma Lodge Primary School and there is $6 million towards relocating the Brahma Lodge Kindergarten onto the school site as well as that gymnasium.

We have had resurfacing of Waterloo Corner Road between Ascot Drive and Heaslip Road and we continue to work with DIT about site investigations and community consultations. Night works have also commenced on the Haydown Road/John Rice Avenue intersection to have traffic lights there. It is a very busy intersection. There are people going to the Lyell McEwin Hospital, there are ambulances going there. That is a much needed investment to support that area in the north. We have had Park Terrace level crossing consultation, and we have 48 extra beds at the Lyell McEwin Hospital.

I also introduced for the very first time the Ramsay Volunteer Recognition Awards, and I was delighted to host our outstanding volunteers from my electorate here in Parliament House. I support the bill.

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (12:12): I rise to speak today on this important bill for the operations of our state, the Supply Bill, and to provide a bit of commentary on what it means for the portfolio areas that I am responsible for and also for the electorate of Flinders and the important aspect of the state that that is—the contribution that my electorate makes to our state's economy and the need for that to be reflected in investment from the government into areas that continue to add to the productivity of our state. This is no more so than in infrastructure and roads which support the industry, individuals, businesses and residents of my electorate.

Under the previous Liberal government, we saw significant works that were funded by both the federal and state governments—in partnership, in conjunction—which invested into the backbone of the transport connection network on Eyre Peninsula in particular, and investment into those significant highways. We saw, under the previous Liberal government, significant investment into the Eyre Highway, which goes all the way from Port Augusta to the Western Australian border. We saw significant investment in the shoulder sealing along the Tod Highway, which goes through the middle of the peninsula from Kyancutta, south all the way down nearly to Port Lincoln. We saw considerable investment into the Lincoln Highway and the overtaking lane work that was done there.

It is a frustration when I continue to see that the need is great but that investment from state government is drying up. For those of us who are on those roads every single day, we see that the amount of usage is continuing to grow, both domestic and industry use. We see the amount of grain from our productive farmlands that are on the roads. We have also seen, with frustration, the way projects that had the potential to be so significant, so important, for our region have actually had to be redone over and over again because of failed works.

My community and I have been frustrated at the failings of the works done on the Lincoln Highway—the overtaking lanes had to be redone several times—while the intersection between the Flinders and Tod highways, a project that should have been an investment into the longevity of our region, unfortunately failed over and over again and had to be redone. That has had a significant impact on freight movement, on people getting to work and on kids getting to school. On top of that there are the works with the Western Approach Road at Port Lincoln which, again, has had to be redone several times.

As decision-makers, when we put money into projects around our state we need to make sure they are done appropriately for transport needs not just for now but for the future. This leads me into the most recent frustration for my community, and something I have spoken about in this place before: the works that have been done on the roundabout intersections along Liverpool Street in Port Lincoln.

It has been front of mind for those of us who have to traverse those roads, because all of a sudden there has been traffic congestion, trucks having to stop in the middle of roundabouts as traffic blocks up. We had an inflexible minister and decision-makers, not understanding the needs of the Port Lincoln community, taking out the left-turn slipways at the roundabouts for some sort of pedestrian safety outcome, which was not proven by the numbers given to us.

The unique way the traffic moves through Liverpool Street is that the left-turn slipways are needed, they are absolutely a necessity for people to be able to get off that main thoroughfare if they want to. Unfortunately, this decision—which was made at a bureaucratic level, at a ministerial level, without an understanding of the traffic needs—has ended up having a lesser outcome for my community.

I hope that in the short amount of time the cabinet was in Port Lincoln members saw that the works that have been done will mean it will be worse for the people of Port Lincoln. I get that they flew in for only a short period of time and then had to leave, but I hope the minister has had the chance to see that those works have reduced traffic movement outcomes in Port Lincoln.

Investment in the health network in regional South Australia is a must, and it is needed not just for regional hospitals but also for health delivery and GP services all around regional South Australia, especially for my community on Eyre Peninsula and the West Coast because of the distance between those communities. We need a health system that is suitable for our needs into the future, and we need proper GP services that reflect the challenges of living in regional areas. If we are to truly maximise the economic and financial opportunities we have in our state, then I hope the federal and state governments are putting thought into supporting these communities that put so much into our state and federal economies.

Communities and councils have been working together to get long-term solutions, but it should not be their responsibility: it has become so out of necessity, but it should not be their responsibility. The latest arrangements being mooted for Streaky Bay and Elliston, for instance, will have a lesser outcome for health services in those towns in the short term, with the hope that in the longer term it can be arranged for more sustainable health outcomes.

I have real concerns with any steps that are put in place to lessen health care within our regional communities, and I urge the state government not to turn its back on providing adequate health care within our regional communities. Make sure you invest appropriately, because these are the towns and cities that punch above their weight when it comes to their economic contribution.

There have been many words spoken in this place about the importance of the PATS (Patient Assistance Transport Scheme) system and the way it is able to support people within regional centres to be able to get the necessary specialist care and to do it in a way that is more affordable. It is still a challenge to afford it, with this system, but it becomes more affordable.

It really is imperative for the state government to be looking at the PATS system: putting more money into it, putting the resources to actually process the existing claims, and also looking at the scheme as a whole and recognising that the cost-of-living challenges that we are all facing are exacerbated and magnified in our regional centres. The cost of travel and accommodation for people who have to take necessary steps to gain their medical care within the city should be reflected in an upping of the PATS as a whole, in the support structures that it provides. We need to invest in the foundations of our community so that health care does ensure quality and sustainability in our regions.

Across regional coastal communities the importance of jetties as a part of the social and community fabric should never be underestimated. There are some 20 jetties across the electorate of Flinders. I have over 2,000 kilometres of coastline, and each of those jetties in the different communities is important to that community. The one that has been front of mind for me, and front of mind for my community, is the Tumby Bay jetty. It has been closed for an extended period of time due to degradation of the more than century-old structure, leading to what the council has assessed as being unsafe for the community. That is a terrible outcome, both for locals and for visitors alike, and it is why the community came together for action. It is something that I have been bringing up in this place the whole time I have been here.

It is not just the Tumby Bay jetty that is at the top of the list at the moment. There are also challenges that are on the horizon, and even closer than that when it comes to some of the other jetties: the Louth Bay jetty, the Denial Bay jetty, the Ceduna jetty and the Streaky Bay jetty. Most of these jetties are owned by state government and leased to council, but not all of them. The Streaky Bay jetty, for instance, is one that is owned and managed by the state government. The arrangements that are in place at the moment, the leases that are in place, are soon expiring and major works are going to be needed on these structures.

It has been encouraging for me to see the immense work that the Tumby Bay council, along with the department, have done in looking at this. It has culminated in the adjusting of the engineering arrangements to allow for some short-term patch-up work, which I hope means that the Tumby Bay jetty can reopen again soon for the short term. Those long-term arrangements, those long-term funding structures, need to be in place to make sure that we do not lose these incredibly important pieces of community infrastructure. These are the arrangements that the state government needs to put in place.

The appropriate funding of the future of our jetties is so important. They are a key component of a vibrant coastal community—supported by, as I said, locals and visitors alike—to be able to experience our unique marine environment and to go fishing, to go swimming and to be able to simply walk along and experience the beautiful lifestyle that we have. It is so important for our community wellbeing. Although councils and local communities have a role to play in partnering with the state government in the long term for these jetties, it is key for the state government to recognise their responsibility as the owners of these pieces of infrastructure and to properly step up and provide long-term solutions.

As the local member, I will not give up until we get a suitable long-term solution for the jetty at Tumby Bay, and indeed for jetties across the whole of my electorate, because, as I said, we cannot afford to lose such iconic pieces of our coastal communities.

Our communities in South Australia deserve to feel safe in their homes, in their streets, in their workplaces, in their towns and in their cities. We have seen some alarming increases in offending, especially assaults, thefts, break-ins and other antisocial behaviours, in areas such as the CBD here in Adelaide but also in our suburbs and in our regional centres. We have heard some horrific stories that have been shared by everyday South Australians who deserve to feel safe. As I said, it occurs even in regional areas, such as in Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna.

As the shadow minister for police and community safety I have deep concerns about police resourcing within our state. I hear too many stories about some of the struggles that are being faced, including hearing that for every recruit who is coming into the police force we are losing just as many to retirement and resignation. Even with the additional rhetoric that is coming from the government, this margin continues.

This issue of recruitment and retention of police within our state is only exacerbated within the regional parts of our state, and there are the challenges that we hear all the time from senior police leadership about the challenges of being able to get officers into our regional areas when there already is, unfortunately, in this state a 200-officer deficit. That is 200 officers short of where we should be, and it is only being exacerbated in regional areas.

Unfortunately, I am hearing stories from communities all around our state, and some of these stories are frightening, honestly. As well as that there are the anecdotes I hear from police on the beat in these types of communities. The police are getting worn out and worn down—overburdened with work—and they are questioning their long-term career. This is happening at the same time when interstate governments such as Queensland's are offering significant incentives and financial supports to not just recruit police officers from interstate and overseas but actually keep their officers too.

Here in South Australia there has been very little. We hear that there is apparently a Premier's task force into policing, which we have barely seen or heard anything from. In fact, we heard only last week that they had their final meeting over 12 months ago. Over 12 months ago was the final meeting of the Premier's task force into police, and what have we heard? Nothing. What is actually happening?

The communities of South Australia and communities within my electorate are crying out for action from this government. They deserve to know what is actually happening, and they want to have people who are offending in their communities held accountable for their actions. Where is the strategy for recruiting police officers? Where is the appropriate resourcing for our police force within our regional areas? Where is the strategy that is actually there to help and support our police and keep them from leaving? The numbers we are seeing going out the door are incredibly worrying. Where is the action from the government?

The regional communities right across South Australia add so much to our economy: tens of billions of dollars are contributed. This is why as I am speaking on this Supply Bill I would like to highlight and underline the fact that we as decision-makers should be investing into those regional communities. This is no more so than within my region. It is a highly productive area in terms of the agriculture, indeed, but also in terms of the fishing and the aquaculture industry. We saw with the last Liberal government the investment into the South Australian Seafood Growth Strategy, because they recognised that these are the industries which build the foundation for the economics of our state.

Instead of that proactive nature, from this government what do we see? Unfortunately we are seeing these industries getting an extra cost burden, extra red tape, an extra bureaucratic burden. The Department of Primary Industries should be a valuable partner and should be an advocate for our fishing and aquaculture industries, but it seems like they are only making business harder. The businesses that are coming to me right across the aquaculture and fishing industries in particular are frustrated with that extra cost that is being put on them for no real reason but to justify jobs. Productivity is not being added to by this bureaucratic burden, but the cost of doing business certainly is. This government needs to show leadership when it comes to the fishing and aquaculture industries, because if it does not, we are going to lose those fishing businesses, those individuals who have been in the industry for so long and who have so much knowledge about the industry. Without them the productivity of our waters will be significantly diminished.

There are plenty of exciting economic opportunities that have their foundation within the electorate of Flinders. I have not time today to cover all of them, but what we really need to get right within the electorate of Flinders is our long-term water supply. I have been encouraged by the way that the upper house in this place has been tasked with putting a committee together to look at the long-term supply and distribution of water on Eyre Peninsula, because it is so essential.

There is plenty of noise in this space at the moment and unfortunately I worry that the government is not listening to the local communities when it comes to the decisions they are making. They are bulldozing ahead. We had the rhetoric last week from the Premier that there is nothing that will stop a desalination plant at Billy Lights Point. Why do you not listen, Premier, to the people of the electorate of Flinders, who are actually trying to be proactive when it comes to the long-term water supply. We have people who are willing to be a part of providing solutions but unfortunately this government seems to have its head in the sand and is continuing on with a third of a billion dollar project, which no-one on Eyre Peninsula thinks is in the right place or the right arrangement.

This is all happening in the shadow of the Northern Water proposal, which, on the other hand, does have widespread support for the location. It is just up the road from the proposal at Billy Lights Point, but it is not within an aquaculture zone and it is not within slow-moving waters of the bay area at Port Lincoln, like the Billy Lights Point proposal. It is in a place where there is actually the opportunity for industrial growth for the whole state, but unfortunately the recommendations that have come from SA Water have just been blindly listened to by the government and subsequent ministers and this is something which has been a real frustration for my people on Eyre Peninsula.

There is not enough time today to cover everything that I need to about my electorate, because there is so much opportunity, but there is so much need. We look at the opportunities within the economic development space, but we also see that on the other hand there needs to be investment from government into some of these key foundations, some of which I have covered, but we really need to have a long-term strategic perspective on others, such as regional housing. I am not just talking about a few houses here and there, which is a bit of government spin, but we need to have an investment in incentives and programs which actually enable regions right across our state to truly thrive and to get government out of the way and let private business and investment and industry do their thing.

The amount of red tape, the planning and development restrictions and the native vegetation obligations for people who are looking at investing in our state actually mean having lesser outcomes for our state. It means that all the economic potential that is at our doorstep could potentially be missed because of this bureaucratic burden. The investment in child care and the investment in education within our regions are crucial if we are going to have a truly broad-based economy which continues to have its foundations within regional South Australia.

Ms O'HANLON (Dunstan) (12:32): I rise today to support this bill with a sense of pride and purpose as the newly elected member for Dunstan. The electorate of Dunstan is a close-knit community and it is also an outspoken community. The people of Dunstan are not afraid to say what is on their mind. I know this because I spent many months—if not years—doorknocking and, more importantly, listening to what the community has to say. For example, health care: the people of Dunstan I have spoken to recognise the Malinauskas Labor Government's broad complement of policies and investments in the healthcare sector. They know that every element of the government's health policies matter.

This is why I am so proud of a number of important initiatives in my electorate under the visionary leadership of Premier Peter Malinauskas and Minister Chris Picton. The first is the establishment of a state-of-the-art ambulance station located on the corner of Magill Road and Portrush Road. The construction of this ambulance station signifies more than just bricks and mortar; it symbolises our dedication to ensuring swift and efficient emergency responses for those in need. It also recognises the importance of investing in the health and wellbeing of our constituents and the wider community.

No-one should ever have to endure prolonged wait times or insufficient medical attention during moments of crisis. This new facility will be equipped with state-of-the-art resources and staffed by skilled professionals. This will bolster our capacity to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies.

As we all know, emergency medical services are the lifeline of our community. The addition of this ambulance station will assist emergency staff in their tireless work, and I am excited that it will soon open. It also demonstrates the government's commitment to public safety and welfare. In moments of crisis, there are two things that can make all the difference between life and death: the timely arrival of medical assistance and the reassuring presence of paramedics.

The Malinauskas Labor government's investment in the Norwood Ambulance Station is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of our constituents. It reaffirms our belief that every individual deserves access to emergency assistance when required. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank our paramedics and emergency responders. These dedicated people work tirelessly, often in challenging conditions, to provide aid, comfort and support to those in need.

Secondly, I am thrilled that South Australia's first 24/7 pharmacy is located in the electorate of Dunstan. This is a fantastic new initiative by the Malinauskas government. It represents a significant milestone in our efforts to enhance access to essential healthcare services. This new service provides all-day access to medicines and health advice to relieve the pressure on our busy emergency departments.

Access to healthcare services is a fundamental right that every individual deserves, regardless of the time of day or night. The absence of a 24/7 chemist has left many in our community vulnerable. Many people have been forced to endure unnecessary delays and hardships in obtaining the medications they need to manage their health conditions. The introduction of a 24/7 chemist in Norwood has changed that. It offers a lifeline to those who need urgent medical assistance during the night or on weekends.

People no longer have to endure the anxiety and uncertainty of waiting until morning. Instead, they have peace of mind knowing that help is always at hand, that they can access the medications and healthcare advice they require. I am proud to be part of a government that prioritises investing in essential services such as health care. This investment not only improves the quality of life for our residents but it also strengthens the social and economic fabric of our community by creating new employment opportunities.

As an active MP, I love engaging with my community, where I am constantly looking for opportunities to be of assistance. I enjoy getting out and hearing firsthand what is going on in the community I represent. Because of this, I am confident that there will be many more initiatives in the electorate of Dunstan; for example, the improvement of traffic conditions, making our schools safer and strengthening the arts and businesses in the heart of our community. I have just begun my term as the member for Dunstan, and I will continue to work tirelessly for my community. I commend this bill to the house.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:37): I rise to make a contribution to an important part of the parliament, and that is to approve the Supply Bill moving through. It is done in a bipartisan approach that is essential to a steady progress through so that we have expenditure to pay the bills and keep the state running. Over time, I have made contributions in this place and reflected on the impacts to my community in the electorate of Chaffey. I will first touch on a couple of the burning issues that really need to have a continuous spotlight shone on them; in particular, road infrastructure, health and education.

We have seen an outgoing Marshall Liberal government that put a significant focus on maintenance of regional roads and making our roads safer. What we are seeing at the moment is a continual defunding or walking away from those projects that have now accumulated a backlog of somewhere in the vicinity of $2 billion to $2.5 billion. That is a significant concern to anyone, whether you live in the city, whether you live in the country, whether you are a transport business or whether you are a tourist. It is important that those regional roads continue to be brought up to a standard that has safety in mind, has productivity in mind and also has efficiencies with the road network in mind.

The member for Flinders has just spoken about a number of roads in his electorate, what they did receive and now what we are seeing a government walk away on. It really is a responsibility of a government to govern for all of South Australia. We continually see this. In my first two terms in parliament, I watched the then Labor government continue to be city-centric, play favourites and put funding into pet projects, and continue to ignore the calls on the plight of our regional road network. During that stay in government, we did see a significant—I think it was somewhere in the vicinity of many billions of dollars that went into regional road programs, and the electorate of Chaffey was a recipient of some of those programs.

But, sadly, despite the great work that was done and achieved in that time, we are now starting to see the remainder of those programs in a go-slow mode, none more evident than the Sturt Highway. The section between Dutton East Road and Halfway House Road is a section of road that has had a works program on it for more than 18 months—18 months—and it is still an unsealed section of the Sturt Highway.

For those who are unaware, the Sturt Highway is a federal highway. It is a main freight thoroughfare from the eastern seaboard into South Australia and also a connection to the west of our nation. For far too long, it has been going on under the eye of this current government. It all started out with an $87.9 million safety program to upgrade and make the highway safer with safety upgrades, overtaking lanes, parking bays, a lot of roadside safety barriers and a lot of signage, and that was all great.

But now we are not seeing the completion of this project—unlike what we saw with one of the great outcomes for the Mallee district in Chaffey, the Browns Well Highway, a road that is becoming more and more used with heavy vehicles and permit vehicle loads coming through the region. Coming from the eastern seaboard to the west, it is a road that is regularly used. It has now become a very common thoroughfare for tourists coming from one side of the nation to the other. We saw the Goyder Highway with safety barriers and shoulder upgrades. We saw the Old Sturt Highway, which was in an appalling condition. We have seen a little bit of resurfacing, but there is much more to be done.

I do want to also take aim at both state and federal governments that have taken away over $400 million in regional road programs, none more evident than the Truro freight bypass. Yes, it is in the electorate of Schubert, and yes, it does concern some of the residents in Schubert, but I can assure them that if we look at history, towns have usually been able to benefit from a bypass. We have seen towns, communities, progress associations and businesses adapt and allow visitation that is unhindered by the steady stream of heavy vehicles and trucks blasting their way up the main street of Truro.

We need to understand that the Truro freight bypass was, in its initial stages, a single lane freight bypass. It was put to both the then Coalition federal government and the cabinet of the state government that there be consideration for it to be duplicated to a dual-lane highway. That was never realised, sadly. We had a change of government, both state and federal, and they have just walked away on what I would consider is one of the most important freight route upgrades in this state.

Of course, there are a number of roads, and many in this chamber would be aware of the unprecedented flood that the River Murray had. There were no more affected communities than along the river from the border down to the mouth. In the electorate of Chaffey, 550 kilometres of the River Murray saw inundation at almost every point. We saw six locks submerged, and that meant that there was no restriction on unregulated water flow coming into South Australia.

It did significant damage not only to houses, to communities and to the shack community but to our road infrastructure. There is still much to be done. Eighteen months on from a flood, we are still seeing damage to a number of state-owned roads, local government-owned roads and, to a lesser degree, the federal highway. It is all connected.

As I look out of my lounge room window I look at the Lyrup causeway, which is now restricted down to one lane. That was impacted by the power of those floodwaters, which have washed away some of that sub-base. We are now in a bit of a 'he-said, she-said, who's going to pay for it'. We have a local government that do not want to pay for it; they evidently do not have the capacity. We have a state government that have washed their hands of it because they have said that it is not their road.

There was a lot of federal government money that was put on the table to deal with the rebuild and to get those river communities back into operation, as they were prior to the flood. That is simply not happening in many instances. I think by and large we saw the majority of our road network unscathed. Much of it was inundated with floodwaters, and there is still work to be done—roads to be either rebuilt or repaired—to make sure we have a safe and efficient road network, particularly through the flood zone of the 2022 floods.

Of course, we look at the opportunities within the health system and the health network. If we look at where we are suffering at the moment, it is those marginal communities that have seen either doctors or nurse practitioners that have moved on. We have seen a shift of focus away from sustainable river communities into a health system here in Adelaide that is on the brink of collapse.

We have seen a government come into place promising to fix ambulance ramping; that is clearly not happening. As the stats today would demonstrate, we are experiencing twice the lost hours on the ramp that we did when this government came into government. We are seeing the uncertainty with building a Women's and Children's Hospital on a site that was not a preferred site of the health department and definitely not a preferred site of the police. That is going to cost significant money, just like the NRAH did in its build and its shakedown.

What we are now experiencing in the South Australian health system is just the tip of the iceberg of what is happening statewide. We are seeing Karoonda hospital being converted into a nursing home. We have seen a number of Riverland hospitals, other smaller community hospitals and now these communities not even having a nurse practitioner and not even having a visiting doctor. That is something that must be addressed in this upcoming budget.

I do want to touch a little bit on portfolio responsibilities. As I have always said, on this side of the house we have always been passionate about promoting South Australia to the world. I say that with all due care, because the former Labor government continued to look a gift horse in the mouth. A number of international trade offices were closed in one way, shape or form. If they were not closed, they were de-staffed, and when they were de-staffed, the doors were locked—the lights were on but no-one was home and no-one was there to serve a growing economy that was just beckoning in South Australia.

Obviously, the global investment that has boosted industry and the economy has been demonstrated, but from 2018 up to 2022 we saw the opening of new trade offices. They were opened strategically. It was a hub and spoke approach, where we would have hub offices strategically located in some of our leading global trading partners and the spokes were other countries, emerging countries. We would be able to utilise those hub offices to be able to look at how we could grow and install trust in South Australian produce, merchandise, services and the like and then, potentially, down the road, those spoke countries would have standalone trade offices. I think that has been an outstanding success.

What we saw is that the former Liberal government broke the Department of State Development into three new entities: Industry and Skills; Energy and Mining; and Trade, Tourism and Investment, which is now obviously called Trade and Investment. That restructure absorbed Invest SA, along with Attraction SA and trade promotions within PIRSA, into Trade and Investment.

We have seen an amended approach to Invest SA, and it is a very good model of how we can entice and promote some of those small South Australian businesses that are currently dealing using a domestic or intrastate approach into taking that next leap and that next leap is to go global. It is about being an exporter to an international destination or to a number of international destinations and that takes a lot of commitment, money and a support base, whether it is through DFAT or whether it is through a standalone trade office.

If we look around the world, we see some of those global trading countries that are doing it so well. We look at New Zealand, as a neighbour of ours, and we look at other trading partners. Obviously, our largest trading partner is China and then we look at the US, Europe, South-East Asia and northern Asia. We look at any potential trading partner as one of our most important.

We do not have to have the biggest number of services or the largest amount of merchandise going into a country because we need to invest in a more diverse trading basket. We saw what happened. The former trade minister, the turncoat, the traitor, who was a Liberal leader, went over to the Labor government and became a Labor trade minister and gave me a belting for almost two years for saying that South Australia must diversify its trading status into more than one basket and that was the China basket. It was proved that he was, in fact, incorrect.

We learnt a very hard lesson with the sanctions put on trade into China and what it has meant for our Australian economy and the South Australian economy, particularly with red meat but also grains, barley, lobster, wine and feedstocks. Many industries and many commodities have been severely hurt economically and their future viability because of the penalties, the sanctions, the trade barriers and the tariffs that were put on those products or that they were just stopped on the wharf. That has had a significant impact on the viability and the confidence of any South Australian or Australian business that was very comfortable with the prior arrangement, which was dealing with China as the largest trading partner in and the largest trading partner out.

What I have been very buoyed to see is that with some commodities we have explored opportunities for diverse global trading partners, but what we continue to see and hear are the current governments of the day, both federal and state, now saying that we are going to wait to see what China does. We are going to wait to see if China comes back on board. Things will never be the same because of the pandemic. Yes, China is an important trading partner for South Australia, but we have seen through the pandemic and the trade barriers how much reliance on one country can destabilise and hurt another trading economy once those barriers are put in place.

My most recent trade trip away, and I thank the former Minister for Trade for taking me on a bipartisan approach, was to India. That was instigated through a conversation. As a former trader before life in this place, it gave me an understanding that we have to actually focus on not just outbound trade missions, we have to focus on inbound, and we have to focus on better trading relations. Trading relations are built on trust. They are built on that continual return delegation or visitation. It does not just have to be outbound; it has to be inbound as well.

We have to remember that a lot of our trading partners want to see where their food is grown. They want to see that we are growing it with clean water. They want to see that we have a blue-sky approach. They want to see that we have accountability. When a trading partner puts their trust and many millions and millions of dollars into an economy, that leap of faith has to be justified, and that is exactly what I am calling on this government to continue to do, to build on the great work that the former Liberal government put in place to make sure that South Australia is a trusted trading partner to any global economy and not deal in more of the same rhetoric that we are hearing from both the federal government and the state government. It is all about putting our eggs back into the China basket because it is easy. I can assure you, it is not.

The wine industry is probably one of the biggest losers in this country with those trade barriers. Prior to those barriers being put in place, as an example, a Riverland litre of wine was fetching somewhere in the vicinity of up to $2 a litre. We have Chinese buyers in the marketplace at the moment looking to pay between 30¢ and 35¢ a litre. It does not cover costs. It does not make anyone viable.

What it does show you is that, as Australian trading exporters and trading partners, we have to get a lot smarter about what we do. We have to be much more versatile, and we have to go out there and put much more effort into a diverse model of trading partners globally. We need to put our trust back into those businesses that are putting their life, their money, and everything on the line to making sure that their venture into a global trading relationship is a successful one. South Australia is a great place to trade. South Australia is a great place, a great destination for exporting, and I look forward to making more contributions in this place.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:57): I rise to indicate my support for the Supply Bill presently before the house. This bill, importantly, is to allow continued provision of public services in South Australia, including the salaries of our hardworking public servants while the state budget process is underway.

I am so proud of the positive effect that this Labor government is having on our health system. In just the last few weeks, we have opened 20 new beds at Flinders Medical Centre in an acute care medical ward for older patients in a purpose-built environment. The Malinauskas Labor government has recruited an additional 1,432 health staff since the 2022 election. We have ended the cutting of doctor and nurse numbers, the cutting of staff in hospitals, and have actually begun a serious recruitment drive.

This has meant our health system now has 691 extra nurses, 329 extra doctors, 219 extra ambos, and 193 extra allied health workers full-time equivalent above attrition. These figures smash our election promises with double the 300 additional nurses promised at the election, while the 329 additional doctors are more than triple the 100 pledged.

Additionally, a brand-new purpose-built hospital avoidance hub for older patients opened at the Repat Health Precinct last month. The new care service replaces an existing service, which has been operating at the Repat for 2½ years in a temporary space. In that time, it has helped more than 10,000 people avoid an unnecessary visit to the emergency department. The new purpose-built and larger $3.5 million facility improves the existing service, providing an environment specifically designed for older people to get the care they need. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00.