LANZILLI, MS D.

The Hon. J.A. DARLEY (15:37): I rise today to speak about a momentous and long overdue milestone for South Australia: the appointment of the first female Valuer-General in Australia, Ms Delfina Lanzilli. In mid-2010, the former valuer-general, Mr Neil Bray, gave notice that he would be vacating the position of Valuer-General for South Australia on appointment as Valuer-General for Queensland. The position has been vacant ever since; however, several people have acted in the position in the interim. Ms Delfina Lanzilli was one such person.

By way of background, the Valuer-General is appointed for a five-year term and, as such, it was imperative that the correct person be appointed to the position. This was one of the main reasons it took so long for the position to be filled. However, I am pleased to say that, after acting in the position for 12 months and proving herself to be the best person for the position, Ms Lanzilli was officially appointed as South Australia's Valuer-General in April this year.

Ms Lanzilli faced competition from candidates around Australia who hailed from both the private and public sectors. With over 25 years' experience in the property, rating and valuation areas, Ms Lanzilli is well placed to undertake the demanding tasks required for the Valuer-General position.

The State Valuation Office, which the Valuer-General heads, undertakes annual valuations of all properties within South Australia, with a combined value of about $350 billion. Of these valuations, an average of 4,500 objections are received each year, which require the valuation to be reviewed and justified with sales of comparable properties.

It is imperative that these values are correct, as they are used as a basis for taxes and charges by a large number of rating and taxing authorities in both state and local government, raising land tax, the emergency services levy, the natural resource management levy, sewerage rates and water rates, amounting to many hundreds of millions of dollars. Within the first six months as the Valuer-General, Ms Lanzilli has already undertaken a review of her department, with the aim of not only streamlining the business but also improving the business model by providing for special valuations, thereby attracting more clients. I applaud Ms Lanzilli for being proactive and taking the initiative to do this and believe many other departments could benefit from undertaking the same.

As a former valuer-general, I know how difficult the job can be. The person must not only be able to perform the valuation based duties required for the position but also be able to relate to the general public and manage their staff within the State Valuation Office effectively. From what I have seen of Ms Lanzilli, I have been impressed with her abilities and look forward to seeing them develop in the future. Ms Lanzilli should be commended for being appointed as the government's chief expert valuer and congratulated for being the first female in the position.