AGRICULTURAL SHOWS NEXT GENERATION GROUP

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (15:58): I rise today to talk about the South Australian Agricultural Shows Next Generation Group. I am pleased to speak about this group today as we move into the final quarter of 2012, which is the Year of the Farmer. This year has been a focus on the country areas and communities and the people who live in regional South Australia.

In many cases these communities are struggling to retain their younger population because of study and work opportunities away from home, and that is why I wish to highlight the important work that South Australian agricultural shows have done in trying to motivate young people to contribute to, and provide leadership in, local communities. The mission statement of the Next Generation Group is to drive participation, education and innovation in the South Australian show movement and local rural communities for young people involved in and with an interest in South Australian rural enterprises activities and lifestyles.

It is targeted at young people aged 16 to 40 who live in South Australia and it aims to increase the awareness of opportunities for rural and non-rural people through their participation in all aspects of country shows and the Royal Adelaide Show. Also, it is to provide pathways for succession planning and leadership development in the show movement, to develop and maintain networking opportunities for the target group and to educate and inform the general public about the importance of rural and agricultural enterprises, activities and lifestyles, food production and security, natural resource management and the employment and career opportunities in the rural sector. Another aim is to bring new ideas and to challenge the target group to develop and promote innovative activities. Outcomes that are cited by the group are:

opportunities and activities implemented to foster and maintain the enthusiasm of secondary students and young adults in the show movement;

increased numbers in the target group participating in the show movement as volunteers, exhibitors, stewards, convenors and judges;

developing pathways for the show movement to implement succession planning strategies for all aspects of shows;

the facilitation of networking opportunities at local, association and royal show levels; and

education of primary and secondary students and the general public at local shows and the Royal Adelaide Show about the importance of the rural sector, food production, food security and potential employment and career opportunities.

Another important outcome is the promotion of young primary producers and their achievements. It is important to give great credit to two particular groups involved in the show sector for their work in establishing the next generation group. Firstly, that is the Agricultural Societies Council of South Australia (which is the peak body for all country shows) and the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia (RA&HS), which, of course, conducts the Royal Adelaide Show. Without their leadership and stewardship this group would not have come to fruition.

I also make reference to the role of those groups in the Young Rural Ambassador and Rural Ambassador programs which operate now in country shows right across the state. The culmination of those programs are all the regional winners who come to the Royal Adelaide Show every year for the final judging.

I give great credit to the leadership of the Agricultural Societies Council and the RA&HS, and particularly Mr Peter Angus, a Mallala farmer who is also the Rural Ambassador Award Coordinator with the RA&HS who has done much to develop those awards. I think that Mr Angus certainly understands the value of that form of leadership development through country shows and into the general community as he was the rural ambassador at the Gawler Show a number of years ago, and he went on to be the rural ambassador for the northern areas of South Australia and for South Australia, and ultimately the first national rural ambassador for the whole of the country.