SMITH, SGT M.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (14:51): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Road Safety a question about Sgt Michele Smith.

Leave granted.

The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN: Recently, Sgt Michele Smith from the Port Pirie local service area was recognised for her dedication to policing, particularly for her outstanding efforts in improving road safety by being named South Australia Police Officer of the Year. Will the Minister for Road Safety outline some of Sgt Smith's achievements?

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Road Safety, Minister Assisting the Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (14:52): I thank the honourable member for his important question. Dealing with road trauma is a big part of police work, and officers in rural South Australia are all too familiar with its devastating consequences.

Working and living in Port Pirie, Sgt Michele Smith tragically has to deal with road trauma and its heartbreaking effects while in the line of duty. Commendably, after finishing work for the day, Sgt Smith regularly involves herself on a volunteer basis with various road safety initiatives. Sgt Smith has been involved in the Port Pirie Community Road Safety Group for the past two years. She has played a major role, not only in her position as Secretary organising meetings, the minutes and agendas but also in establishing the use of road safety signage and trailers to spread the vital road safety message in her community.

One of the many innovative projects Sgt Smith developed was the '30 Lives, 30 Reasons' exhibition, which toured the Mid North of South Australia during October and November last year. The exhibition was centred around remembering local people killed on local roads. It was about remembering the holes in the communities and the pain that does not go away, and acknowledging the victims as real people, not nameless statistics.

The families and friends of these people were approached to provide their stories; they also provided photographs and personal items. The exhibition was set up to evoke a typical rural environment and featured a large, handmade Quilt of Remembrance. Entwined in the quilt and placed throughout the display were 30 black road markers, which represented the lives lost—people who once were familiar faces in the district—and visitors to the exhibition had to navigate their way around these markers. The exhibition ran for four weeks, toured seven Mid North locations and was viewed by over 2,000 people.

Sgt Smith has also been involved in the Road Accident Awareness Program (RAAP) that visits schools raising awareness about the dangers of driving and about how one simple decision can have life-changing consequences. I have spoken on a number of occasions in this chamber about the RAAP program and the good work of the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service.

Sgt Smith has also been a prime mover in organising drink drive awareness campaigns, as well as chairing a number of community-based committees, particularly in the areas of crime prevention, community support and education. A particular emphasis is on the drug and alcohol safety issues affecting local youth in the rural area around Port Pirie. She also works collaboratively with community service providers such as Country Health SA, Families SA, Drug and Alcohol Services SA, the Department of Education and Children's Services and non-government organisations. Sergeant Smith was nominated for the Police Officer of the Year award by the Port Pirie Region of Country Health SA and the Victim Support Service.

On behalf of the government and, of course, the Minister for Police, the Hon. Paul Holloway, I offer my heartfelt congratulations and thank Sgt Smith for her tireless efforts. Her dedication to improving her community, particularly in the area of road safety, is second to none and she has potentially saved countless lives in her local service area and beyond.