YORKE AND MID NORTH REGION

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:52): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Regional Development a question about the Yorke and Mid North region.

Leave granted.

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO: Many of us have very happy memories of time spent on the Yorke Peninsula. It is a great spot for relaxation and holidays. Given that there is more to this beautiful region than is represented in the travel brochures, can the minister advise the chamber about her recent trip to the Yorke and Mid North Regional Development Australia area?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Public Sector Management, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for Gambling) (14:53): I thank the honourable member for her most important question. The Yorke and Mid North region has a very highly dispersed population base. While Port Pirie is the main regional centre in the area, smaller towns such as Moonta, Clare, Balaklava, etc., make up distinct service centres right across the region. Also, in this region many people reside outside of those particular service hubs, so driving through you really get a sense of the hurdles and opportunities that are faced by the region, now and into the future.

During my meeting with the RDA, which supports the government's efforts in facilitating regional development through partnerships with local communities, business and government, they described the broad industry base that exists across the region. Traditionally, agriculture, fishing and forestry have been the main economic drivers, however, over time, industries such as manufacturing, property investment, tourism, building and construction have grown in the area and make an important contribution to the region's economy.

My first few meetings with businesses in the region were with Balco and the Australian Milling Group. Both provide very important processing facilities. Balco are processors and exporters of high grade oaten hay and also grain products, and they have been instrumental in the development of the Bowmans site, which is the biggest inland container port.

It was pleasing to visit the Australian Milling Group at Bowmans. Earlier this year I granted $390,000 from the Regional Development Infrastructure Fund to assist with the expansion of their processing plant for lentils. While the silos to store the pulses have been constructed, I understand that the purpose-built sorting and packing system is partially complete and is due to be fully commissioned before the end of this year.

In Port Pirie I was able to get a sense of the manufacturing and commercial trades that service the area. Cheesman is a company with a 100-year history of providing metal trades services. During my visit, I heard how the company's experienced and skilled labour force is able to produce large welded frames for train carriages within the allowed tolerance of one millimetre—with which I was very impressed. I am sure this can-do attitude and customer focus will serve the company very well in years to come.

My visit to Total Electrical Construction provided insight into how ingenuity and strategic thinking can be harnessed to develop a very small niche business into a multifaceted company providing electrical services, civil and residential construction and commercial rigging services in the area. As Minister for the Status of Women I was also very impressed that the director, Grant Dempsey, has also recently strengthened his management team with a new general manager, Moira Coffey, who will, no doubt, be able to apply her experience in the mining industry (where she worked as a geologist) to help the company take advantage of the current major expansion of energy and mineral exploration.

The next stop took me to one of South Australia's food icons, Golden North ice-cream. Since the 1920s this local company has grown in size and strength with an annual output of 11 million litres of ice-cream and other ice confectionery products. I understand that it uses local honey and milk to create its famed honey ice-cream, and the management team is working hard to develop a range of new products. Mr President, I am sure that you do not realise this, but their vanilla ice-cream recipe is still the same one that they have used for 30-odd years. They have never cut corners.

The PRESIDENT: The best ice-cream in the world!

The Hon. G.E. GAGO: I have to confess that they gave us a most superb ice-cream tasting which we all enjoyed very much—it was quite delicious. It was pleasing to see the strong community focus of this company and how its investment both in the workforce and new production machinery is paying dividends.

Of course, development in the region includes accommodation for people living in the area. I was very pleased to be able to meet Gary Wahlstedt of the Wahlstedt group, who, in addition to building houses, also through their Country Living arm, builds lightweight prefabricated buildings, including transportable homes. I was also able to see firsthand their steel frame production facility which is truly amazing and quite inspiring.

I was very pleased to be able to see the work done by Modra Hayes near Warooka. It is an innovative materials and product engineering company. Modra Hayes designs and builds using unique composite fibre materials, tools and products for various industries and has been operating since 2002. This company has built a remarkable lightweight demountable building which can be used in a wide range of settings.

My visit also included Cheetham Salt which produces salt products using power, wind and sun to evaporate sea water and create one of the staples of life. Mark Quintrell, one of the managers there, showed us through the company's Price production facility. Since 1919 they have been creating salt there, with a wide range of different products supplied to industries all over.

The Yorke and Mid North region is a varied one with many different natural attractions and it provides the setting for a wide range of different industries. I was very pleased to see the RDA there is working very hard to build this very sound base and to help further develop regional business and take advantage of the region's strengths and opportunities.