Shadow Country Cabinet

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (15:44): I rise today to speak about the upcoming shadow country cabinet visit to my local area of the Limestone Coast. I am delighted that this coming weekend and early next week the South-East will host all of the Labor shadow cabinet, where shadow ministers will meet with industry and community members throughout the region and will listen to their ideas and concerns. I am personally looking forward to engaging even further with the forestry industry, along with both the Leader of the Opposition and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, and considering their concerns and their aspirations for the future.

Since being elected to this place, I have had the pleasure on many occasions of welcoming members of Labor's shadow cabinet and also our backbenchers, along with the Leader of the Opposition, to the South-East on a number of occasions. I believe it is vital that the Labor opposition engages with people in regional South Australia and in particular the South-East, given that I am a little bit biased, as it is my home town.

The Labor opposition wants to hear directly from regional residents about what they want from a future Labor government, what they want us to do in key policy areas that affect the region. We will be meeting people in Mount Gambier, Penola, Millicent and Naracoorte, with public forums in both Mount Gambier and Naracoorte. We have invited all the councils to meet with us: Tatiara, Kingston, Robe, Naracoorte Lucindale, Wattle Range, Mount Gambier and Grant.

Community cabinet meetings were first introduced in South Australia by the Rann Labor government in 2002, with meetings including both metropolitan and regional locations. Under the former Labor government, premier Weatherill and his entire team listened to the concerns of more than 6,200 people who attended country cabinets in regional South Australia.

However, unfortunately, the Marshall Liberal government scrapped country cabinet meetings as soon as it was elected. The Marshall Liberals have repeatedly indicated that in fact regions do not matter to them by not supporting motions to reinstate country cabinets across the state. In contrast, the Malinauskas shadow cabinet has met in the Riverland, Port Pirie, Whyalla, Kangaroo Island and this weekend in the Limestone Coast.

While members opposite have a hashtag of #RegionsMatter, actions speak louder than words. What we have seen over the last two years is anything but regard for the regions, particularly, in my case, the South-East. We have seen the Keith hospital having to rely on donations from the local council. We have seen residents of Lucindale, Robe and Kingston have their community paramedic service cut and only secured funding to reinstate the program after a fierce community campaign.

We have seen the government ignoring its own election promise regarding police stations, with Kalangadoo Police Station still to this day without a police officer. We have seen severe cuts to the Victim Support Service in Mount Gambier in the South-East, leaving some of the most vulnerable in the community with no support, but, 'That's okay,' say the Liberals, 'we have a hashtag of #RegionsMatter.'

The government in fact often responds that their regional MPs are always in regional South Australia and therefore there is no reason for country cabinet to take place. We know that Victor Harbor is very well covered by the Liberals, certainly in supporting their real estate industry, if nothing else, but the Premier has given scant attention to the South-East. He has rarely visited, and local people have noticed this. I would like to thank the former member for Croydon, the Hon. Michael Atkinson, who is currently down in the South-East to help promote the visit of Labor's country cabinet. It is very much appreciated, Mick, and I am sure many people in this place hold your hard work in great esteem.

Regional residents like those of Mount Gambier, Millicent, Penola, Naracoorte, Kalangadoo, Keith and Bordertown all deserve to be engaged and have access to elected officials and decision-makers, as not everyone has the ability to drive down to North Terrace to meet with ministers. One piece of feedback we have had on many occasions is how much people appreciate the opportunity to meet in one room with all the shadow ministers, or all the ministers in the case of an actual cabinet, and not have to know who they have to approach to ask a question.

They can stand up, they can give their point of view, they can ask their questions, they can raise their concerns, and the person in the room who can answer will be there and be able to do so. That is one of the key advantages of shadow cabinets and shadow country cabinets. I would urge the Marshall Liberal government to reconsider their rejection of this initiative. It is a good initiative. Just because it was Labor who did it first, you should not be immature and say, 'No, we can't follow them.' I look forward to shadow country cabinet in the South-East this weekend.