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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-10 Daily Xml
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MOUNT BARKER DEVELOPMENT PLAN AMENDMENT

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (15:07): My question is to the minister for planning. Will the minister immediately review the decisions of the former minister for planning in respect of development changes and urban expansion at and around Mount Barker?

The Premier has created the new special portfolio of food marketing and assigned it to the minister for planning and development. Yesterday, the Premier announced via Twitter:

I have asked John Rau to look at ways we can protect the unique identity and integrity of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. We will look at special legislation. We must never allow the Barossa or McLaren Vale to become suburbs of Adelaide.

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: None of this is necessary to explain the question.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Well, it's not. With the greatest respect, the Premier understands the question.

Mrs REDMOND: I will continue the explanation. Residents of the Adelaide Hills, which is one of South Australia's—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is a point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: A ruling.

The SPEAKER: I think the question was fairly self-explanatory. The leader seems to have a volume of information there. Are you going to keep reading the whole lot?

Mrs REDMOND: I am down to the last two lines, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Well, finish it. I will give you the benefit of the doubt this time.

Mrs REDMOND: Thank you. The Adelaide Hills, of course, is one of South Australia's great wine regions and part of our food bowl, and the residents there have been fighting the government's decision to expand Mount Barker significantly—plans headed by the former minister Paul Holloway.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Tourism, Minister for Food Marketing) (15:09): I thank the honourable leader for her question. Given the fairly broad range of topics covered in the question, I hope everyone will enjoy the answer.

I will start with the issue about the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. I would like to explain to the parliament very clearly what is going on there. The member for Mawson has been working extremely hard in relation to his community; and I must say the member for Schubert is known, on all sides, as being a—

The Hon. M.D. Rann: A baron of the Barossa.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Indeed, a baron of the Barossa, and a tireless campaigner for his electorate. When, in the fullness of time in 2022 or 2026, he decides he is going to stop representing them, I believe there will be a large bronze statue assembled, probably in Tanunda, or somewhere like that, I am not sure—

The Hon. M.D. Rann: Like Bacchus.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Indeed, it will be like Bacchus, but in the form of the member for Schubert, perhaps one of those goat skin containers with wine slung over his shoulder.

Mr Venning interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: He gets it, Madam Speaker! The honourable member gets it! His electors are pleased that the government is going to stop urban infill in his beautiful electorate, and that is a magnificent thing, and I am pleased that he is pleased.

I am also pleased that the member for Mawson is pleased, because he has put in a great deal of work in and around his electorate, talking to people, gauging the feeling of people and talking to ministers. I think—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.R. RAU: The first call I think I received, after being given the privilege of taking on these responsibilities, was from the member for Mawson. It happened about 30 seconds after I was sworn in, and he said, 'I need to talk to you about McLaren Vale.' That is the sort of commitment we have from that member. Now, the other matter that was raised was the matter of food. I would like to say, very briefly, that the concept of me having responsibility for food—and I need to talk to the member for Schubert about this because he has offered me some culinary delights in the beautiful Barossa— is that food is part of the tourism experience.

Tourism in South Australia, to get real added value, is going to have to look at experience tourism, not simply going to have a look at the beautiful Barossa, take a photo and go home. It is about going there and, as the member for Schubert would tell all of us, enjoying the Barossa Valley. The member for Mawson tells us all about enjoying the Clare—no, he doesn't; actually he talks about McLaren Vale. I'm sorry that a certain member of the upper house is not here because I could pay tribute to her because she lived up in Clare and talked constantly about that. Anyway, she knows who she is.

This is the important thing: that is where the food issue fits in—it fits in with planning, it fits in with tourism, and it is going to be a great area working together. As to the other element of the honourable member's question, I will get back to her.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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