Paralympic Games

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (15:21): I rise today ahead of the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which will take place in the early hours of tomorrow morning, to pass on my regards and best wishes to the South Australian contingent and, more broadly, the Australian Paralympic team who are about to leave their mark on Paris with their performances in the pool, on the track or on the cycling velodrome or the many other sporting infrastructure that is there supporting our athletes at these games.

In particular, I would like to highlight a few of the athletes who will be competing over the next week or so over in Paris, including Jed Altschwager and Nikki Ayers who both compete in the para-rowing PR3 class in the mixed-doubles sculls. I have just had the St Michael's College students in from the western suburbs and just learnt that Jed is an old scholar of St Michael's as well, and they will be having a green and gold day to support his performances later in the week—so good luck to our mixed-doubles scull pair.

Amanda Reid from West Lakes is competing in the para-cycling events in the MC2 class. Sam Von Einem—a hero when it comes to table tennis—will also compete at the Paralympic Games. Sam is a fantastic local South Australian lad who has really set the world on fire with his performances over the last couple of years. We really look forward to seeing what he is able to do on the world stage when it comes to the table tennis events. There is also Darren Hicks, a fantastic man whom I have had the opportunity to meet on a couple of occasions. He will be competing in the para-cycling events over in Paris including, I believe, the individual pursuit, the time trial and the road race.

Driving down Henley Beach Road towards the beach, as I do quite frequently during the week, I reflect that there is an advertising billboard currently up with Darren Hicks on that billboard, And I sit there and think to myself, 'Would this have been the case 20 years ago?' It is a pretty special thing to see our athletes being recognised in that way. To a couple of expat South Australian athletes—Jesse Aungles from the swimming team, who I had the great privilege of being able to coach for a very short part of his career in his very early days; and Michael Roeger (pride of Strathalbyn), a fantastic lad, out there in the distance running events—best of luck.

I only wish to reiterate the words and the sentiment that I shared in the media earlier this week to express my disappointment that the South Australian government is not providing funding in the same way that every other state government is providing funding to support our Paralympic athletes over in Paris. I think that is regrettable. It is a fight that I do not think we need to be having 20 years post the fact, and where the Paralympic movement is at the moment. Alas, that is the situation we are in, but I pass on my best wishes to our South Australian athletes competing at the Paralympic Games in the next week or so.

I would also like to provide while I have the opportunity a small update and an interim update to my community in regard to the Western Hospital. It was reported in The Advertiser this morning that a buyer has been sought in regard to the situation at the Western. While that transaction has not occurred yet, there is an expectation that there will be a new owner of the Western Hospital by early November. That is something that is well and truly welcomed by my community.

To have had a petition tabled in this house with more than 20,000 signatures on it I think expresses very clearly the place that the Western Hospital has in the hearts of the western suburbs. It is a facility that we need to have continue to operate. The healthcare services that are delivered at that hospital are immense, and given the significant stress that our public system is under, they need to continue to be offered on that site.

While there may be some more specific questions in regard to the potential impact on the GP clinic and oncology services and, frankly, the staff who work within those units at the hospital, I understand that there are commercial considerations that need to be taken into account as all of these issues are continued to be worked through. But I did want to share the good news that has been reported by The Advertiser this morning that appears to present the fact that there is a clear future for the Western Hospital and for those services to be maintained on that site into the future.

I personally want to thank the businesses and every individual who signed that petition because the message was clear: this hospital is important. It needs to stay open and continue, and that has been heard loud and clear by the administrators of the hospital, the government and those looking to purchase that hospital.

The SPEAKER: Member for Colton, I would like to join with you in wishing our Paralympians all the very best in Paris over the next couple of weeks and acknowledge your enormous contribution as our most successful Paralympian. We can only lament the fact that we did not get to see you on billboards 20 years ago, but something that is going to last a lot longer than a billboard is the State Aquatic Centre, which has been the place where we have seen national titles and Olympic trials, with that pool quite rightly named after you. Thank you again for your contribution, and good luck to everyone in Paris.