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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-15 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

URANIUM MINING

The Hon. G.M. GUNN (Stuart) (15:18): The first matter I want to raise is that I was surprised to hear the Greens' member in the other place talking down developments in South Australia. The extension of the Beverley uranium mine will be of great benefit to the people of the state and is an expansion of another good Liberal initiative. Without the Liberal government, that particular project would never have got off the ground because at that time, the Labor Party was telling people that, if you developed uranium mines, the sun would not come up in the morning.

Now we have this great development and we have those people who want to live in tents with candles because that is the sort of process that they really think we should be involved in instead of developing clean, efficient energy products. Everyone knows that the nuclear industry is expanding around the world and we are well placed to participate in and benefit from it, and to create jobs and opportunities for the people of the state which is a really good thing. I am proud to say that I voted for the Roxby Downs development and I am the only one left in this place who did.

I want to make a brief comment in relation to what happened up at Yunta and the great difficulties and the attacks that were made on my constituents. I really do want to know who was responsible, or who recommended that Mr Robinson be let out of prison, because an aged constituent of mine who lived by herself on her station was subjected to physical violence, which is absolutely unacceptable. She is a good, hard-working person who would have never breached the law in her life or done anything but good for the community she lives in. I know her personally. It is appalling that a woman of her age would have to go through that sort of trauma, through no fault of her own. A police officer also suffered injuries when he was carrying out his duties, another person was run down, and the community in general was put through a great deal of stress.

There was great anger in that community about how the local residents were treated and why a person of this type—a person who has committed such tremendous crimes against the community—was allowed back into society. I sincerely hope that steps are taken so that people who have engaged in this sort of outrageous behaviour are not allowed to again inflict vicious attacks on ordinary, law-abiding citizens going about their business.

People living by themselves or in isolated communities do not expect to be attacked—not in their own homes—and I just wonder what effect it will have on that lady when she has to go back and live in that home by herself. She is 75 years of age. I think it is appalling, and so does the community, which has supported and helped her and has the highest regard for her. They are very angry about what has happened to her. I have had lots of telephone calls from people, and I cannot repeat what they said and what they think about it, but they are appalled by the distress she has been put through.

The other matter I want to mention is that my constituents at Peterborough are very keen to see their aged care facility upgraded. When they have run it in the past themselves, they have done a great job. They currently have $650,000 in the bank. They had another $50,000 given to them when the ambulance service was taken over. The other $150,000 went to upgrade the airstrip. They have got $700,000. They wanted Country Health SA to make an application to the commonwealth and it refused to do so because it thought it might cost the state government some money. Anyone who knows about the demands for aged care facilities is just appalled to think that they would not even make the application. So, I call on the minister to find something productive for these people engaged in country health, because surely it is their job to put in applications.

Ms Breuer interjecting:

The Hon. G.M. GUNN: I can say a bit more about it, if you want me to. It is an absolute outrage. When the community was running it, they did not need bureaucrats to supervise what they were doing—and they will not in the future, because it is an absolute nonsense, and common sense is not applying.

Time expired.

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