Giles Electorate

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:18): Given that this is the last week of this parliament, I think it is an appropriate time to reflect on some of the great things that have been done in the electorate of Giles. I tried to get through the list the last time, but there were too many things so I will start again.

Clearly, the $2.4 billion sovereign steel package is the stand-out: unprecedented legislative action, unprecedented support, which was a real shot in the arm for the Whyalla community in general and for our contractors who were really suffering, who will not now go to the wall. We are coming close to the end of the non-binding bid process, so it will be interesting to see what the interest is, given there will be $1.9 billion on the table from the state and federal governments to assist the new owners.

The Port Augusta Technical College was a proud achievement, not just for Port Augusta but as something serving the whole region and, given it has accommodation, we have students coming from as far as Kadina to make use of the college and the accommodation, with some block education in Port Augusta. The $3 million in support, in Port Augusta once again, for the Australian Arid Lands Botanic Garden at Port Augusta was very welcome by the garden. The new ambulance station in Port Augusta with the additional crews is a real plus and now that it is completed construction will start very soon on the new ambulance station in Whyalla, which will also accommodate additional crews to address some of those issues we have with delays in responding, which is all very positive.

The multimillion dollar upgrade at the Port Augusta Hospital is well underway. There is also the multimillion upgrade at the Whyalla Hospital, that has run into a few problems—which happens when you are dealing with older buildings—and there are some concrete issues in the ceiling that have to be addressed. There is also the federal and state partnership to address the Port Augusta Wharf which has been fenced off now for many years. It is good to see that the wharf is going to be refurbished. It is situated on the edge of the central business district in Port Augusta, so it is an incredibly important asset.

There is the $6 million for the Whyalla sports hub and it is great that the work is going to commence this year. This has been a long time coming. It has been a bit of a saga but progress is now well underway, so we will have a new home for the Westlands United Soccer Club, which will enable Discovery Parks to expand on their old pitch to create a destination caravan park.

Junior soccer will also be accommodated and there is also the potential for the female football league in Whyalla—which is thriving—with the oval there and also the potential for cricket and other stages that I am hoping to see down the track. We also funded over 20 CCTV cameras for Port Augusta and a safety audit in Port Augusta was carried out as well, which has been well received, and we are looking at potentially expanding that.

Importantly, there is the $12 million from the federal government and from the state government for addressing some of those longer term youth issues in Port Augusta, especially around crime and antisocial behaviour. What is it we can do with diversionary strategies? What is it that we can do with really early intervention, so kids do not go off the rails?

Bedford exists in Whyalla, so the intervention there has protected those jobs in Whyalla at Bedford. We will be talking later today about one of the things I have been pushing on the enhanced cuttlefish protection in Whyalla. That is now going to be delivered and is a real plus, for not only its intrinsic value but also the fact that it attracts tourists. We now have business operators also making use of the cuttlefish aggregation. I could go on with this list because there is quite a bit more, but I think that is a very good start.