Winter Shelter Connections

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (17:30): Members may recall several weeks ago I mentioned in this place the work of the Playford Salvation Army, and particularly Fi Allan, who has this year taken on the role of heading up their Red Shield Appeal. This year, they have done something slightly different to the generalised campaigning that they have often done. This year, they are working hard to raise $20,000 for a trailer that incorporates a toilet and a laundry for those people who are sleeping rough and may not have access to those things on a day-to-day basis. The intention of that trailer is to drive around the City of Elizabeth, particularly on cold nights, and help some of those people out.

I do want to pay tribute again to Fi Allan and to the City of Playford Salvos for that work, but there are other people in my electorate, church leaders particularly, who are doing some really good work in helping out the disadvantaged, particularly those sleeping rough through the winter. I refer particularly to a group of church leaders who have come together in order to establish what they are calling the Winter Shelter program.

The idea is similar to our Code Blue initiative. Their intention is to open their doors at night, and indeed during the day, to people who are sleeping rough, who may need somewhere to rest, somewhere to go to the toilet or somewhere to eat. They have done this collectively, which is fairly unusual, I think. A large group of church leaders in the community get together, putting aside whatever differences they may have, and simply work towards a common goal, which is helping out those who are disadvantaged and doing it tough.

I do want pay tribute to some of those people. There is Pastor Lindsay Mayes, whom members will know, whom particularly the member for Taylor will know and perhaps you, Deputy Speaker. He has been a good friend of mine for longer than I have been in parliament. He heads up now the Andrews Farm Community Church. Previously, he was at the Elizabeth Church of Christ. Not only is he a strong community leader, but he is very quick to call me on the phone whenever we debate something contentious in this house. We have robust debates, and sometimes we agree and sometimes we do not. Lindsay, if you are watching, I do always value your advice.

There is also Pastor Ken Henderson from Playford Baptist. Fi Allan, of course, is part of that group, as is Associate Pastor Mark Zerna from the Elizabeth Church of Christ, who I will talk about a bit in a second, and Reverend Cathy Thomson from Saint Catherine's Anglican Church, which is the church opposite the Downs pub where my band, the band that I was in in my teenage years, got its start—and indeed its finish. I want to thank them for their forbearance during those years, for putting up with us and encouraging us along the way. There is Pastor Kyle Moyle from the Good News Community Church, Pastor Bryan Sellars from the Northern Communities of Hope and Alex Kemp from the local Anglicare.

I also want to mention the support of Matt Burnell, the member for Spence, who has been very encouraging along the way, and also Chantelle Karlsen, who works in my office but also wears another hat as a local councillor in the City of Playford. She is working very closely with this group, because despite their good intentions there are some barriers to opening up their doors freely for anyone to come and visit. There are certain governance issues they need to work out, not the least of which is to do with insurance. We are working through those, and Chantelle, in her role in my office and also with the council, is working very hard to iron out some of those concerns.

I want to end by mentioning again the Elizabeth Church of Christ. I was delighted to be approached today by the Minister for Human Services, who handed me a certificate announcing that in the latest Grants SA round the Elizabeth Church of Christ have been granted almost $48,000 for redevelopment of the Cafe Hope initiative on their church site.

It is a cafe which is open, I think, every day, certainly every weekday. It opens on Christmas Day and provides free meals for people who are doing it tough. It is an excellent initiative and there are always lots of friendly faces there, but some of the facilities are getting pretty tired, so I am really happy. I assume they know; I have not had a chance to call Mark yet, but I assume they know they are getting the $48,000 and I know they will put it to good use, particularly for those people who are most disadvantaged in my community.