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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
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Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 8 May 2014.)

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (11:04): Mr Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise in support of this motion, and may I add my voice to the congratulations on your election to the speakership. May I also take this opportunity to congratulate all newly elected members and, indeed, all members, to this the 53rdParliament.

Although it is an honour and a privilege to be addressing the chamber for the very first time, I would of course prefer to be addressing it from the benches facing me. The words of Dr Barney McCusker, a great community member and orthopaedic surgeon, keep coming back to me: 'Winning the election, Troy, just gives you a place at the starting line. Do not think you have won the race; the race has not even begun yet.'

In getting me to the starting line of parliament, there are many who deserve recognition and thanks beyond my presence here today. I stand here due to the support and dedication of many and, as witness to that, the number of people who have travelled from Mount Gambier to be with me here today is outstanding, and I thank them. The most important, who are in the gallery today, are my family, and I acknowledge and thank them for their support over the last 12 months. Campaigning takes its toll on the entire family, not just the candidate.

I wish to confer my congratulations to the Governor, His Excellency Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce, for opening the 53rd Parliament of South Australia and for his speech outlining the government's objectives over the next four years.

I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the service of the previous member for Mount Gambier, Mr Don Pegler. Don has served our community with distinction, not just over the last four years here in parliament but for over 20 years as mayor and councillor of the Grant district council. As a country MP, there are many sacrifices that need to be made and, unfortunately, time away from family and friends is often the hardest. Don, on behalf of the electorate, I thank you for your service.

I wish to begin this speech by thanking the electors of Mount Gambier and the confidence they have shown in me. It has been 17 years since a Liberal member last represented the electorate, and that member was Harold Allison, who, by the way, is the only Liberal to have represented the electorate in parliament. Like me, Harold was also a schoolteacher and, although he was the first and only Liberal member, he served with distinction for over 22 years. I can only hope to achieve the same professionalism and longevity that he did.

The electorate of Mount Gambier is a beautiful part of South Australia. It boasts many attractions, including the famous Blue Lake, a thriving progressive community with a large range of shopping and entertainment, as well as rugged coastlines and rich agricultural lands based on volcanic soils. It extends from Tarpeena in the north, which is predominantly based around the timber industry, through the City of Mount Gambier and into rich agricultural and viticultural areas, such as Kongorong, Allendale and Caroline Hills, ending with the largest rock lobster fleet in South Australia—that being Port MacDonnell and Carpenter Rocks.

The City of Mount Gambier is the largest regional centre outside Adelaide, and the productive capacity of the region is rich and diverse. Forestry, agriculture, viticulture, tourism and fishing are all major employers and exporters for the region. With a renewed focus, these areas have the potential to contribute even further to the state's economy.

A maiden speech is traditionally a chance to focus on one's path to parliament, a chance to articulate what is important to them and their electorate, and some of the objectives that they hope to achieve. My path to this chamber has been different from some who currently sit here today and those who have sat here before us. I did not study politics at university, I did not come from a union, nor did I work for a member of parliament or a political party. My path has been through family experiences, family business, life experiences, taking risks, employing South Australians and being employed in South Australia. These experiences are what have moulded me into the person I am today and the values and beliefs that I now hold.

Undoubtedly, my greatest inspiration comes from my wife, who has had a profound effect and impact on my life. We met as young adults in our early years at university and have been a team ever since. We have travelled together, travelled apart, done the long-distance relationship, bought our first house together, started our first business together and started our family together. It is my wife whom I thank for keeping me grounded, putting things into perspective, and reminding me what is important and what is not.

I remember coming home after a Liberal Party meeting, pretty excited and positive, because we had been working on a strategy and it was starting to fall into place. My wife listened like she does, provided her feedback and advice like she often does, then looked at me and said, 'That's all very nice; now let's work on our family strategy.' I am a very fortunate man to have found a partner in life who is not just my wife but my best friend, business partner and an amazing mother to our three children, who are here today—Joirdan, Jackson and Bridie.

I am the eldest of three children, coming from a loving family with humble beginnings. My parents are here today and I think it would be fair to say that life has certainly thrown many challenges and surprises our way. One of the biggest surprises, of course, is me standing here today, addressing you all in my maiden speech. Mum and dad made many sacrifices to get where we are. Building our first home was done entirely on weekends and after hours when they had finished their day jobs. I have memories of carrying what seemed like thousands of bricks. However, upon reflection, at the age of seven and eight, it probably was not the case. Perhaps it was only a hundred bricks or so.

My parents have worked hard to provide a good life for my two sisters and myself. My great-grandfather on my father's side first settled in the South-East in the 1900s and owned his own mobile sawmilling operation. His son—my grandfather—carried on the business and went to fight in the Second World War, both in Egypt and Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda Track. I had the privilege of walking that track with my father over five years ago and experienced just a small amount of the hardship our diggers would have endured. Many of them were young men barely out of their teens, and walking the track certainly gives you a deep appreciation of those who sacrificed so much in order for us to enjoy this wonderful country and democracy that we have here today. I am a great believer in the ANZAC spirit and a defender of its traditions.

My mother's father worked tirelessly to raise eight girls as a single parent, keeping food on the table and ensuring that they were all kept warm and safe. I learned the value of hard work from my mum and dad and, by the age of 12, had my first paid job delivering papers on my bike starting at 6am, six days a week. For those of you who have visited Mount Gambier during our winters, you will quickly appreciate that there were always job vacancies in the paper-round business.

In my first speech here today, I wish to formally recognise and acknowledge both my parents, who are sitting in the gallery, and the debt of gratitude that I owe them. My mum took on a second job so that I could further my studies in Adelaide, and I know firsthand how hard it is for country students to continue their studies away from their home towns and the impact this has both financially and socially on a family.

After university, my initial employment was as a teacher in Port Augusta. Port Augusta is a magnificent place with a supportive community and one where I developed fond memories and friendships. I had the pleasure of five years working there, which broadened my experiences and proved to me that this great state extends well beyond the CBD of Adelaide. After five years in Port Augusta and a backpacking adventure through Europe, I returned home to Mount Gambier.

In my professional career, I have worked with many talented and skilled principals, teachers and staff. I was privileged enough to witness a transformation of Mount Gambier High School under the leadership of Garry Costello who, with a dedicated staff, turned one of the state's poorest performing schools into one of the best. The thing that shone through more than any other was leadership. Empowering highly motivated school principals to make decisions and drive innovation is a critical component to increasing student performance.

The desire to run my own businesses eventually got the better of me, and I resigned from the education department to start a restaurant and bar in Mount Gambier. It was here that I came face to face with many of the issues that affect small business today and experienced firsthand the impact that excessive regulation and bureaucracy have on a small family-run business.

I remember the phone call I received from our accountant warning me were about to incur payroll tax as a reward for growing our own business. So, what did we do? We stopped employing staff, reduced their hours and increased our own. Excessive regulation in applying for a change to a liquor licence saw us tied up in court for two years and thousands of dollars out of pocket for reports and legal fees. That was finally approved. Unfortunately, more time was spent on compliance in the business than actually working on the business.

Much of my professional life has revolved around working with young people and analysing the systems that are meant to support the next generation achieving their highest potential. All the research continually points to the quality of teacher as being the single most important thing when improving a young person's performance. This was certainly the case for me, and I have also heard in this chamber examples from other members' maiden speeches where a significant teacher inspired them to be more than they thought they could be. They challenged them to think in different ways, had high expectations and motivated them to enjoy learning and enjoy achieving. That is the system we need to strive for for every student in this state.

Nationally, 21 per cent of adults have a degree or higher education qualification. In South Australia, that is only 13 per cent. In the Limestone Coast, it is only 6.7 per cent. I concur with comments made by the former member for Mount Gambier in his maiden speech that:

We must build on courses offered locally, and for those who need to travel away to study, we must make it easier for them and their families to meet travel and accommodation costs. As a community, we must also show leadership and encourage young people to go on to further education.

I believe there must be more effort in establishing a strong regional tertiary education system. The positive effects of this are amply demonstrated by looking at Warrnambool in Victoria, just across the border from Mount Gambier, which has flourished with the establishment of Deakin University in that city. One such local opportunity lies in the building of the phenomenal success of Generations in Jazz, offering university qualifications that will attract students from across the globe into Mount Gambier under the guidance and tutelage of James Morrison.

In a very strange way, I need to thank the previous Labor treasurer and premier for me being here today. It was their decision to sell the South-East forests which spurred me to take a closer interest in politics. It was probably the underlying reason that I decided to join our local Liberal Party at a branch level.

The sale of the forests has had a devastating impact on the confidence of residents in the South-East. As Mick Malthouse says, if he could bottle just one thing and give it to his players, it would be confidence. Good teams lose when they lose it, and ordinary teams win when they find it. The lack of genuine consultation and coming hot on the heels of the global financial crisis saw the region's confidence plummet. The community was concerned that the sale would lead to massive exports, job losses and a reduction in fire services, which would put our entire community at risk.

Nearly two years after the sale, we are now starting to see the effects. Exports through the port of Portland are at record levels and increasing. Local mill operators have spoken to me about the difficulty in sourcing raw product, and although the industry is very buoyant, it is based at the moment on an export market. The ForestrySA board have now made recommendations to the government that up to 100 jobs need to go in the South-East.

Although it is not evident at the moment, any reduction in fire services will put our entire electorate at risk, because people need to understand that we are entirely surrounded by forest. It is important that the government understands these fears and we work together to restore confidence in the timber industry. Industry requires leadership, commitment and stability to ensure forestry remains a major financial contributor and local employer to the South-East.

Tourism is an industry that has underperformed in the South-East for some time now. We lack a local tourism body to promote and continue to grow the tourism experience in our region. I will be throwing my full support behind developing a new tourism body for the region. National events, such as Generations in Jazz, the Mount Gambier hill climb, Autofest and BMX championships, are all growing steadily, but with assistance could become even larger, benefiting the region and the state further.

Two weeks ago we saw the Generations in Jazz festival in Mount Gambier. This is a major event for South Australia and the region. I was pleased that the Deputy Speaker, the member for Florey, was in attendance and can attest to such a significant event. Over 5,000 people attend this event and people need to realise that in the jazz world Generations in Jazz is what Tamworth is to country and western. It is the largest event of its kind outside America and needs to attract major event status.

On the tourism theme, over six million people travel the Great Ocean Road each year, and Mount Gambier's proximity to this means we are sitting on a great tourism opportunity. Our tourism strategy needs to be markedly different from that of Adelaide. I look over the border to Warrnambool and I see a regional hub in a city of similar size to Mount Gambier, serving a region of similar size, yet that is where the comparisons end. The Victorian government has invested heavily in their regions and as a result they have grown and flourished.

In the field of mental health, Warrnambool has seven resident psychiatrists—seven. We have none. It is an embarrassment that our region cannot establish a significantly similar service. Our mental health problems are just as real and just as prevalent. A lack of mental health service also affects many other service providers such as police, corrections, Families SA, law practitioners, the courts system and the general community.

Currently, residents from the South-East are required to travel to Adelaide to undergo many treatments that should and could be offered in a regional city the size of Mount Gambier. This lack of service puts pressure on metropolitan facilities as well as being a drain on systems like the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme. Doctor shortages and the lack of specialists require much needed attention.

One of the key issues arising from my electorate during the campaign was the need to install traffic lights at the Wireless Road and Penola Road intersection. This notorious intersection is currently rated by the RAA as the most dangerous intersection in country South Australia. I was proud that the state Liberal Party committed to fund a solution to that issue.

Another contentious issue that arose during the campaign was unconventional gas, or fracking. I stand here not as an opponent to mining but as a member representing a constituency which is very concerned about the impact of this activity in our region, particularly the effect that it could have on our valuable water resource. I will seek to protect our region's most valuable natural resource, that being water.

I read the other day an article entitled 'What would Sir Thomas Playford do for South Australia today?' written by political editor Daniel Wills. At the end of Playford's era (some three decades), South Australia was an industrial powerhouse. Its economic output had increased tenfold. The article centred on the need for bold ideas and the unfairness of the electoral system at that time. These are the last two topics I would like to touch on in my maiden speech. I firmly believe our future lies in bold initiatives, but also in getting the cost structure right so that we are an attractive option for businesses wishing to operate in South Australia. Forestry, agriculture, fishing, tourism and higher education are key components of the South-East and with targeted investment could add significantly to the state's economy.

I would like to support comments made by the member for Davenport in his Address in Reply. If we are serious about governing for all South Australians, then we need to look seriously at how our electorate is structured and how our governments are returned. Don Dunstan marched on the steps of Parliament House, espousing a belief that one vote, one value was necessary to achieve electoral fairness. Let us not forget that it was a Liberal government under Steele Hall that changed the system in the pursuit of fairness.

I would argue that the current 'one vote, one value' principle should be refined further to mean 'one vote, one democratic or political value'. How can you have a system where over 60,000 of the two-party preferred vote is ignored, and those 60,000 electors have no say in who forms our government? How can we allow a system where 53 per cent of the two-party preferred vote does not deliver government? Dr Dean Jaensch in 1991 predicted that the Electoral Commission had been set an impossible task to achieve fairness, as described in the constitution: 23 years on he has been proven correct.

It is obvious to me that looking at the electoral maps, and all results from elections held this century, that only an ALP can form government with 50 per cent of the two-party preferred vote. In fact, at all elections in the 21st century, the figures show that only the ALP can form government with less than—and sometimes significantly less than—50 per cent of the two-party preferred vote.

This parliament urgently needs to look at our electoral system. Perhaps parliament should ask the Electoral Commission if they think the task given to them is impossible to achieve, based on the criteria they have been given.

In finishing, there are so many people to thank. I had not been involved in a state campaign before. I came to this one very green and very inexperienced. Most of my friends and family were not politically active and had no idea what they had got themselves into. I need to thank my campaign manager, Peter Bayley, and of course his partner Lynn Herriot, for my taking up so much of his time. We ran a 12-month campaign full-time, and Peter volunteered over 40 hours a week for the entire 12-month period, managed an office and kept a pretty novice candidate on the straight and narrow.

To Ashlyn Clark, who came on board and was immediately thrown in the deep end, I thank you as well. To the member for Dunstan and Leader of the Liberal Party: I thank you for the focus that you had on my region, the number of visits you made and your genuine support for regional South Australia. I also thank you for the professional and personal advice you gave me throughout the campaign, having gone through one four years beforehand. The electorate of Mount Gambier certainly embraced you and are bitterly disappointed you are not the next premier of South Australia.

To Tony Pasin and Dale Howard: I thank them for their support on weekends and after hours. Having just gone through a federal campaign, their suggestions were invaluable. President Margaret Considine, and all members of the branch who kept it operational, even though we had not had a sitting member for 17 years—I thank you. To my SEC and branch for many dedicated hours, especially fundraising (and a particular mention to Nevin Lamont, who is here today, and has done an outstanding job as Treasurer over an extended period of time), I thank you.

To my political neighbour just in front of me, Mitch Williams: I thank him for his guidance and counsel over the last 15 months, as well as the many hundreds of houses we doorknocked. To Michelle Lensink, John Dawkins and David Ridgway, who visited the seat probably more than any other shadow ministers: I thank you. I thank all the shadow ministers who came down and supported me. Politics is a team sport, and it is tremendous to have the support of the entire team behind me for the campaign.

I thank Matt Brooke and Shane Mobbs for their strategic advice and coordinating a small army of volunteers to do mailouts, and achieving our target of 600 posters in one night. To Liam O'Neill and Alex Johnson, who volunteered their time willingly, and provided direction and support when needed, I thank you. A final mention to all those who contributed financially to my campaign. The support from the local community has been outstanding.

In closing, we must look after our regions. The statistics show that South Australia's regions are the economic powerhouse of this state. I represent a regional electorate. My metropolitan counterparts and electorates need to be further educated on the fact that this state does not end at the Tollgate, and that our farmers and producers in particular must be given the attention they deserve. I look forward to my time working here with my colleagues on both sides of the house to make South Australia a better place for all of us to live and enjoy. If we get it right now, then our children and their communities will experience the benefits for generations to come. Thank you, Mr Speaker.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The SPEAKER: The member for Torrens.

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (11:31): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and I congratulate you on your re-election to high office which, I note, you carry out with a degree of eloquence, a sense of, at times, the dramatic and often with the temperament of an old-style schoolmaster always in pursuit of the use of proper English. Congratulations also to the member for Florey on her elevation to Deputy Speaker—well deserved. Congratulations to all newly elected members, particularly those sitting on this side of the house: the member for Kaurna, the member for Reynell, the member for Lee, the member for Elder, the member for Giles, the member for Napier and, in the other place, the Hon. Tung Ngo, whose tale of his journey to our shores and his achievements since are truly inspirational.

In supporting the motion for the adoption of the Address in Reply, I pay tribute to the wonderful role His Excellency the Governor, Kevin Scarce, and Mrs Liz Scarce play in our community. I welcome the opportunity to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land on which we stand—the Kaurna people—and to pay my respects to their elders past and present as together we walk along the path of reconciliation.

Mr Speaker, parliamentary colleagues and family and friends in the gallery: in 2005, I gave my first speech in the Australian Senate. Today, I have the honour of addressing this house in the Parliament of South Australia as a newly elected member for the inner north-east seat of Torrens. My values and views have not changed, so what I said all those years ago remains relevant. My values were influenced by many people who have passed through my life and also by many experiences which are often left unspoken. Today, I seek your indulgence to reflect on some of these that have led me to this place.

In 1950, my grandparents on my father's side packed up a few of their most beloved belongings in suitcases and a wooden chest and, with their three children, boarded a ship and migrated from Europe to Australia, making South Australia their home. They left behind them family and friends. They did so because they wanted a better future for themselves and for their children. They settled in South Australia, learned to speak, read and write English, all the time working hard to save to buy their own home. In 1955, as a family, they took the oath of Australian citizenship.

As a 17 year old, my father travelled Australia, finding work in a goldmine in Tennant Creek and then in Cloncurry on a cattle station as a station hand. Like many migrant families, they worked hard, saved and established their own business—a butcher shop in O'Connell Street, North Adelaide. Over the years, they opened other butcher shops. He also worked at the Gepps Cross abattoirs where he became a union delegate for the meat workers' union, worked his way up to the position of head export meat grader, became a public servant and, of course, joined the Public Service Association.

My parents married in 1957 and, by doing so, my father stepped outside family expectations by marrying not only an Australian woman but also one who was of the Church of England faith, not a Catholic. My mother, who is of Scottish heritage, grew up in Unley, where she attended Unley Primary School; she went on to be among the youngest to attend the Adelaide School of Art. Together, my parents built a house on the all-Australian quarter of an acre block, which was eventually home to their six children and an outside home to countless animals.

We pretty much had an idyllic childhood until the day our lives changed dramatically when our sister Michelle was knocked over by a car while crossing the road opposite our home. For months our parents sat vigil by her bedside, where she lay in a coma in the Adelaide Children's Hospital, while we sat and played night after night and weekend after weekend in the hospital's waiting rooms.

My sister was eventually moved to Estcourt House, where she was to spend the next five years; for those five years, we travelled the 20 kilometres during the week and every Sunday, bringing my sister home only for special occasions. When I was in year 7, Michelle died. Many marriages fail to survive the death of a child and, sadly, my parents' marriage was not to be the exception.

So, at a young age, I learnt how events over which you have no control up-end your life. I learnt also that there is a need to put in place systems that provide support for families in crisis, whether brought about by failing health, disability, isolation, divorce, single parenting, unemployment, educational disadvantage or the loss of a loved one.

Along with my brothers and sisters, I attended the local state primary school, where there was a diversity of cultural backgrounds. These were the days when the prevailing view was that children should be seen but not heard. I recall the students having a genuine issue they wanted to raise. One recess time, discussion led to a group of students deciding to have a sit-in or sit-out, as it was in this case, and not to return to the classroom until we could have the ear of the deputy principal—it was, after all, the early 1970s.

The deputy principal heard our concerns and our parents heard from him that afternoon about the action we had taken. My father, who is here today, did not respond the way I had expected. A union delegate he may have been, but I was grounded for the remainder of the term for my actions; in those days, the term was 13 weeks—a harsh consequence for an 11 year old. However, the issue of concern was resolved, some new friendships were made, and I managed to negotiate with my dad that netball be exempt from the grounding; so, in all, a reasonable outcome.

I followed my sister Toni to the local state high school, which was where I was on 11 November 1975 when one of my teachers, who was passing the classroom, stopped to tell me that the prime minister had been sacked. Although I loved English, the thought of sitting in a classroom when events were unfolding outside was unthinkable. Without a note of permission, I left the school grounds and caught a bus, heading home. On the way, I passed Russell's parents' place and saw his car parked there. An apprentice at the time, his union had called a stop-work meeting and the members had voted to go out in protest. We all sat around Russell's family kitchen table, with his mother, Pamela, who is here today, and his late father, Kevin, a waterside worker, listening to the ABC report on the unprecedented action of the governor-general in dismissing the elected prime minister of the day.

At the completion of high school, I was one of thousands who benefited from the Whitlam government's policy of broadening access to the tertiary education system. The government's abolition of tuition fees and the introduction of the means-tested tertiary education scheme enabled many in our community to access higher education. The reduction of the financial disincentives on students recognised the importance of a tertiary education for those who had the ability and wanted to embark down that path. It was a system by which some in this chamber, on both sides, benefited, along with the thousands around the country who today hold high public office and the position of CEO in government, corporate and private enterprise, as well as those who are leaders in their profession.

Access to higher education should be for all those who have ability, not just for those who can afford it. Without the initiatives of the Whitlam Labor government, tertiary education would have been beyond my reach as, coming from a large family, even with my part-time job, we just would not have been able to afford it. Education really is a window to the world and through education comes knowledge and opportunity and all people should have the opportunity to access good quality education at all levels as children, as youth and as adults to enable them to develop and fully realise their potential throughout their lifetime.

On leaving school I studied to be a teacher. I chose teaching as a career because it is where I thought I could make a difference; where I could impact in a positive way on the lives of others. So, at the age of 20 I began my teaching career and also became a member of the South Australian Institute of Teachers, now known as the Australian Education Union. I soon learnt that teachers commit to their students in providing the best education possible, often against an adverse background of social, physical and time obstacles. It was at this time that I began to mix with people who shared similar ideas and who worked together towards common goals. For me, that was to work towards achieving a society in which there is justice, fairness and equality, where there is access to support services for those who need them, and an education system that delivers for all.

In my 21st year I joined and became actively involved in the Australian Labor Party. I enrolled in the newly accredited labour studies course at the Adelaide College of Advanced Education and was fortunate enough to have some great lecturers in Pat Wright and the late Graham Smith. I became the teachers union delegate at my school and was later elected to the teachers delegation of the United Trades and Labor Council.

Eight years on, sitting in the staff room of an Adelaide north-eastern suburbs school, I opened my letter of transfer from the state education department only to be notified that my new appointment would be at the very same state primary school I had attended as a child. I visited the school where I was assigned a year 7 class and I was also put in charge of the student representative council. Going through the list of students' names, many were familiar. I would be teaching the children of people I had been to school with. I had gone full circle and it was definitely time for a career change.

I had long believed in the importance of literacy levels being a barrier to opportunity for many, particularly for those in disadvantaged groups. With this as a catalyst I applied for and was successful in being granted a special secondment by the education department to the newly Murdoch-acquired South Australian daily newspaper, The Advertiser. With the support of newspaper editors and the education department, I developed a number of education initiatives targeting those in primary schools through to university years. In the evenings I attended the University of South Australia and, as my role in the media developed, I resigned from the education department to work full-time for the newspaper.

I joined the Australian Journalists Association, which now forms part of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. As a member of the house committee I became involved in issues affecting our daily working lives. Seven years after starting at the newspaper, and with encouragement from my journalist colleagues and the leadership of the union, I filled the journalist industrial officer vacancy in the South Australian and Northern Territory branch of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

Within a short time I was elected as the branch assistant secretary and then branch secretary, representing the professional and industrial interests of my members. In fact, members opposite may be surprised to learn that one of their own was a member of my union and even assisted members during an industrial lockout. I quote in part from a valedictory speech given by Senator Cory Bernardi on my departure from the Senate:

Senator Wortley also had the esteemed position of leading a union of which I was once a member. This will horrify those on that side, but in a very short-lived acting career I joined the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance for a week I think. I made it to the cutting room floor and I once saw myself on German television. That was the extent of my career there. I actually owned a pub next to where Senator Wortley worked. The Advertiser went on strike. The workers were out the back in the lane on strike boycotting everything. In true sympathy with the people who used to patronise my business I took out hot pizzas to ensure that they were happy and healthy while they were going about their strike, hoping that they would get thirsty and come in and buy a drink. A few of them did. One particularly militant …communist—that is the only way I can describe him…—came in and started giving me a lecture about taking advantage of the workers and saying that I should close my pub in sympathy with them, and things like that. I took umbrage at this because I was only trying to help them and be a good humanitarian. I made sure that every pizza that went out after that had three times the amount of salt on it so they would get very thirsty. It was a very good day of business.

I heard no complaints about the salt, and little did publican Bernardi know that it was usual practice not to drink alcohol during a dispute, so for most soft drinks where the order of the day anyway. The many workers I represented over the 10 years came from a diversity of positions, from journalists, photographers, artists, camera operators, actors, theatrical technicians and members of our symphony orchestra, to cinema workers, event ticket sellers, workshop stage tradespeople and front-of-house workers. Whether they came through university, TAFE, a cadetship or on-the-job training, there is something they all had in common—a need to be valued for their contribution in the workplace, rewarded by a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and fair and equitable working conditions.

They wanted a workplace free of bullying, intimidation and discrimination in which employment was secure and where family-friendly conditions, including paid holidays and sick leave, were guaranteed; a workplace in which employees were adequately compensated for overtime and shift work; and where they had reasonable notice of their rostered hours; a workplace in which employees have the right to bargain collectively for decent wages and conditions; and a workplace where employees could not be unfairly dismissed. These are still fair and reasonable expectations for workers in Australia today.

On this occasion I continue also to acknowledge the important role of a diverse media and a healthy democracy. The Australian media has an important role in our society and, in my role as secretary of the alliance and having sat on the University of South Australia Journalism Advisory Panel, I am familiar with the demands on working journalists. I listened for 10 years to journalists' concerns as the world they knew changed significantly, seeing the impact it had on jobs as they moved from bi-media to tri-media newsrooms and then to online journalism and single camera crews.

Australia currently ranks 28th of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index. There is room for improvement. We need to guard and protect the freedom of our media in this country; that is why I spoke in support of the Evidence Amendment (Journalists' Privilege) Bill 2010 which introduced protections known as shield laws. They foster freedom of the press and ensure better access to information for the Australian public. It is vital that journalists can obtain information so that they can accurately inform the Australian public. As Nelson Mandela stated, 'A critical, independent, investigative press is the lifeblood of any democracy.'

It is imperative, too, that the Australian media behaves honourably and responsibly in its pursuit of truth and its dedication to informing the public. Those who abide by journalists' ethics are doing their profession and our democracy a great service. I encourage the more experienced journalists to mentor the younger and inexperienced journalists working among them in the significance of their role. I urge them to take the time to do this because their knowledge and understanding will be of benefit to all journalists in this country. They should never lose sight of their role nor let their standards drop and they should proceed with great caution when they find themselves creating the news rather than reporting it. The lines between commentary, opinion and news reporting should not blur.

As I have previously said, it is without doubt that the 24/7 news cycle brought about mainly by new technology is a huge challenge for journalists in their day-to-day working lives, and it is a big challenge for many of us here, too. We are dealing with a minute-by-minute news cycle and it brings enormous pressure. It is an important part of democracy to keep the public well informed, but despite the incredible time pressures faced by the media, these demands should be met while upholding the Australian journalists' code of ethics.

With the increasing pressure to produce an endless supply of stories, there are some aspects of journalism that must never be compromised. These include ensuring that the best journalistic practices prevail and that journalists keep sight of the ethical goalposts in their day-to-day operations, however speedily their work must be delivered. I acknowledge that it may be a big ask, and at a time of enormous change in the profession, but quality journalism must prevail. We must look after the institution, the fourth estate.

It is always disappointing to witness situations in which some members of the media create stories or focus on irrelevant information on which to base a story. I also understand that it may not be of their choosing, but rather that they are simply following a directive. I urge journalists never to take for granted the huge responsibility that is bestowed upon them. I have defended their role for over two decades now, and I will continue to be an avid supporter of excellence in journalism. While I may not always like what they say, while these principles and the code are adhered to, I will continue to defend their right to say it.

Finally, on the issue of media, I remain passionate about adequate funding for our national broadcaster the ABC. This, and maintaining its independence free of commercial advertising, as well as ensuring the continuation of a staff-elected representative on the board, is vitally important. For South Australia, the ABC and regional newsrooms, with local journalists and camera crews and a fair share of production, is a reasonable expectation, and I encourage members on both sides of this chamber to have their voice heard on this matter.

In 2004 I was elected as a senator for South Australia. It was an honour to serve for six years in that position and to be a member of the Labor government that: introduced the apology to the Stolen Generations; saw the biggest ever increase in the aged pension; delivered the first ever paid parental leave scheme; introduced bills to address inequality of rights and entitlements across our community and address discrimination on the basis of sexuality; appointed Australia's first female Governor-General; had as its leader Australia's first female prime minister; delivered legislation which strengthened protection against sexual discrimination and harassment based on age; and that overturned the Howard government's WorkChoices.

It was in this role that I pursued, with determination, the establishment of the federal parliament's Joint Select Committee on Cyber-Safety, which I had the privilege of chairing for 13 months, delivering the report 'High-Wire Act: Cyber-Safety and the Young' in my final week in parliament. The committee inquired into the online environment in which Australian children engage, and included threats of abuse of children with a focus on cyber bullying, cyberstalking and sexual grooming.

A total of 34,000 young Australians between the ages of five and 17 participated in the committee's online survey, the biggest in the world on young people and cyber safety. There were three round tables with industry, academics, law enforcement agencies, non-government organisations, parents and professional bodies, and seven public hearings. I will, in my new role in this place, pursue the implementation of recommendations and initiatives that will make our children and young people safe online.

This leads me to a topic that has been raised in many forms over the years and one that, sadly, visits many homes: the issue of bullying, not only online (which can occur 24/7) but also face to face. Bullying affects not only the victim but also their friends and families; it affects family life. It is, however, not only young children or the young who are subject to bullying; it is a daily occurrence in many workplaces. I have witnessed it, and have represented workers who were victims of it. The cost socially, emotionally and economically is enormous and results in missed days from schools and the workplace.

In Australia today White Ribbon Day has gained momentum. Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge that the wearer does not excuse violence against women and is committed to supporting community action and attitudinal and behavioural change to stop violence by men against women—hence, inspiring social change. It is having a significant effect.

While there are programs in schools to address the issue of bullying, and also legislation that goes some way to addressing it in the workplace, much more is required. In the way that for generations domestic violence was not spoken about by its victims, so too many victims of bullying maintain their silence.

We have, since 2011, had a national day of action against bullying and violence initiated by education ministers in Australia—a step in the right direction. However, it needs to be extended to include the whole community. We should not keep silent about it in the workplace, in our schools or in our communities. There is much more that needs to be done to address this issue and I intend to speak further about it in some detail at a later date.

The 13th of February 2008 was a significant date in Australia when the parliament finally delivered the long overdue apology to the stolen generations of Aboriginal people. We should not forget the intent of the words spoken by the prime minister, Kevin Rudd. These words were only the beginning of the long process of reconciliation. There is much still to be done and it is my view that here in the state Parliament of South Australia we are in a position, through decisions that we make, to advance the process of reconciliation with our indigenous peoples, as well as go some way towards helping reduce the gap in life expectancy, educational outcomes and other areas.

This leads me to another apology at which I was present. It was made in this parliament on 18 July 2012 by the Premier, Jay Weatherill. There is no greater gift a mother can give her child than her love and the knowledge of her love. Tragically, tens of thousands of single young Australian women were deliberately denied this right when they had their babies forcibly taken from them. They lived each day knowing that their baby was out there somewhere growing up without them by their side. Through years of forced adoption practices in Australia, there are women—some who have gone on to have other children, some who have never known the pleasures of raising their own child and those for whom the pain was so unbearable that they ended their own lives.

Sadly and shamefully, it is a dark part of our history that until recent times has been tucked away in a corner and heard by only a few. The loss of a child is not compensated for by the birth of another and so these women have endured a lifetime of pain, often alone with no-one they felt they could reach out to, their sense of loss and implied guilt a part of their waking hours. Recognising this, and the injustice, was a step towards their healing. I remind you of some of what was said by the Premier on this momentous occasion:

We accept with profound sorrow that many mothers did not give informed consent to the adoption of their children. To those people who were disbelieved for so long, we hear you now; we acknowledge your pain, and we offer you our unreserved and sincere regret and sorrow for those injustices.

South Australia became the second state to offer that apology. Eight months later on 21 March 2013, prime minister Julia Gillard made an apology in the federal parliament. Her words in part read:

To you the mothers who were betrayed by a system that gave you no choice and subjected you to manipulation, mistreatment and malpractice, we apologise. We say sorry to you, the mothers who were denied knowledge of your rights, which meant you could not provide informed consent. You were given false assurances. You were forced to endure the coercion and brutality of practices that were unethical, dishonest and in many cases illegal. For the loss, the grief, the disempowerment, the stigmatisation and the guilt, we say sorry.

The apologies by Premier Weatherill and Prime Minister Gillard were the result of recommendations from a senate inquiry into forced adoptions that handed down its report in 2012. Since that time, I have had the privilege and the trust of many of these women, some of whom are only now coming to terms with the fact that what happened to them was not their fault. I have met with them and heard their stories. I am pleased that two of those women, Kathy and Roz, are able to be with us today. The government continues to fund post-adoption support services, and while in this place I will work towards the establishment of a memorial event and advocate for a memorial site of remembrance for the mothers and their children.

There are many more issues I would like to raise, in this my first speech in this place, but they will have to be dealt with as opportunities arise. To hold government is what we all aspire to and work towards in the Australian Labor Party; to deliver on our policies, and to be able to facilitate fairness and equality of opportunity for all in our community. We live in a great state, and today I welcome the opportunity to be a member of the Weatherill Labor government, a government that is prepared to invest in our health system and build a state-of-the-art hospital equipped with technology to serve us today and into the future.

It is not only a government that understands that education is a window to the world, but one that is prepared to open that window; a government which has vision and which understands the importance of manufacturing to this state and one that also understands the devastation felt by Holden workers and knows the importance of having a job that delivers a fair day's pay for a fair day's work, and what that means to a family. It is a government which has delivered the biggest ever investment in public transport, a world-leading medical research institute, and the new, world-class Adelaide Oval.

As a member of this government, the decisions I make in this parliament will be made in the best interests of the people in my electorate of Torrens and of South Australia. The electorate of Torrens is a diverse one, with people of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds settled here, and new citizens regularly arriving from around the globe. It has a strong and vibrant community group sector and some of the most passionate sporting clubs I have encountered anywhere, and important social and learning hubs, such as the North East Community House, Wandana Community Centre and the Hillcrest Community Centre.

Torrens is also home to the excellent Windsor Gardens Vocational College, which aims to motivate and guide young people as they follow their chosen education, training and employment pathways. Some of the students at Windsor Gardens Vocational College are part of the Wiltja program in which young people come to study from lands in the far north-west of South Australia. The Wiltja School offers secondary education from years 8 to 12 to students normally attending remote schools in the Aboriginal lands districts and also Yalata and Oak Valley.

Students board at the Wiltja residence at Northgate, where they participate in a comprehensive recreation program, and I would like to commend the program for its important role in life education, with a strong focus on literacy. Indeed, it has been a great pleasure to further current relationships with groups and individuals in the area, and I also acknowledge the great work done by the Northfield Meals on Wheels volunteers based in Oakden. I look forward to sharing with the house more about the wonderful groups and individuals in my electorate in coming sessions.

And now to my 'thank you's': to the people of Torrens who put their confidence in the South Australian Labor Party and voted for me to be their representative in this parliament, and also to those who did not, I will be there for you in this role as your representative in the parliament of South Australia. To my predecessor, the former member for Torrens, Robyn Geraghty, who was so supportive of my candidacy and who is here today: I recall your preselection, the campaign, and doorknocking with you in the now familiar streets. Robyn, you served the electorate so well for the past 19 years and 11 months. Your tireless dedication to the community and to ensuring a 'fair go' for those you represented is truly legendary. Your work in Torrens and the high regard both you and your late husband, Bob, are held in the community is testament to this. I wish you well and much happiness in the years ahead. It is what you deserve.

It takes the support of many, not just at the time of preselection, but throughout life, to arrive at this place, so I begin by acknowledging my wonderful parents: my late mother, Janice, and my father, Johnny, for their contributions and sacrifices over the years; my mother-in-law, Pamela, who has done so much for us with her continued support and for always being there, and also my late father-in-law, Kevin; the South Australian branch of the Australian Labor Party, in particular state secretary Reggie Martin, who really was the anchor of the ship when the swells were rising in what at times were stormy seas; and also to Wasim, whose assistance was invaluable.

I thank the honourable Gerry Kandelaars for your continued contribution to the campaign, your time and effort to help ensure Torrens remained safe in Labor hands; and to Glenys and her mum, Evelyn: thank you. My thanks also to Bob Donnelly, Jason Wilder and John Adley from the CEPU; John Camillo from the AMWU; Ray Wyatt, Anne and Dannie from the TWU; Deb Black and Jason Hall from the FSU; Peter Malinauskas, Sonia Romeo and Aemon Bourke from the SDA; and Senator Alex Gallacher and Paola.

Special thanks go to Kevin and Trudee; Paul, Lucy and Carene; Grant and Wendy; Samela and Bruce; Angel and Cale; Toni and Kyle; Johanna, Ingrid, Joan, Ben, Amelia, Suzie, Trude, Rex, and to Maggie and Scarlett for being there at the end of the long days. Also to Andre, often with Elise and Brielle in tow, who must have delivered to every letterbox in Torrens. Suzanne, you are an amazingly generous person and I am truly grateful to you for your dedication and support. Peter, your time, patience, expertise and good humour were invaluable and truly appreciated. The member for Croydon, I thank you for your advice and support.

My thanks also to the Torrens ALP sub-branch members, in particular Matthew for his footwork and for coordinating many of the volunteers; to Harold, who really is 80 years young and, along with Merv, still out there holding up ladders, letterboxing and enveloping; to Trevor, for your time and all that you did; and to Judy, and Judy's dear husband, Hans, who was there throughout the campaign, one of life's true gentlemen, who sadly passed away last week. To each of you and all of the other branch members who contributed to the campaign, and on election day at polling booths, my sincere thanks.

I acknowledge the many community organisations and the volunteers who gave me their support, and I will speak about them in detail on other occasions when time permits me to do them justice. To Lisa, thank you for coming back on board, and I look forward to working with you again.

To my beautiful boy, Che', sitting up there with 11 stitches in your forehead from yet another sporting accident and still smiling, for your support and enthusiasm, your endless hours of letterboxing, computer skills, enveloping, staying up late and getting up early to letterbox, setting up polling booths, hours of campaign training, putting up and taking down corflutes, and handing out how-to-vote cards, for your very honest and valued opinion on everything and your good humour—even when I refused to write a note saying that your English assignment was not finished because you were campaigning for your mother all weekend—I thank you. You were eight years old when I began my term in the Senate and 14 at the time of my valedictory speech in which I said:

So tonight, Che', I make you this promise: whatever I do in the future, my base will be in Adelaide and I will be there most nights for the next five years to oversee your homework.

Now, with only two years to go, I am on track for keeping that promise. To Russell, my closest friend, my partner from high school days, ditto with Che', and for your endless hours of support throughout the campaign and over the years, for your love, hard work, commitment and your encouragement, for always being there and for caring, I thank you. I thank the chamber.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

Ms REDMOND (Heysen) (12:09): It is a let-down, I suppose, for everyone after a couple of wonderful maiden speeches. They are always so much more interesting than the rest of us, who are simply doing addresses in reply. I begin, Mr Speaker, by congratulating you on your re-elevation to the high office of Speaker of the parliament and congratulate the member for Florey on her elevation to the position of Deputy Speaker. Those newer members, of course, would not remember the days when you and I, Mr Speaker, used to spend many long hours in this chamber, with not many other people present, while we debated not only the efficacy of various bits of legislation but also the correct grammar one should use when extolling the virtues or otherwise of that legislation. I certainly hope that we get the chance to do that sort of thing again in the future but, while you are in that office, I expect not.

Can I also begin by acknowledging the wonderful work done by Governor Rear Admiral Kevin Scarce and his wife. She has had a couple of acknowledgements in addresses in reply but I think it needs to be pointed out that the Governor's wife, Liz, does an enormous amount of work and is patron of literally hundreds of associations, just like the Governor. Between them, they have done this state proud in the work that they have undertaken, both in their patronage of various organisations (and it is a role they take seriously in every one of those organisations for which they are patrons) and also in the enormous amount of charity work and, in the Governor's case in particular, the work he has done with the defence industry in this state. They are now drawing to the close of their long term as Governor and Governor's wife in this state, but I do want to congratulate them on the work they have done.

Can I also, at the outset, thank a number of people, particularly the people of Heysen, who did me the great honour of re-electing me for a fourth term at the 2014 election. What is more, they did it so nicely that I did not even have to go to preferences in the count, so I was very pleased with that. It is a wonderful electorate. I always think it is the most beautiful part of South Australia, being up in the Adelaide Hills. My electorate stretches, basically, from Crafers down to Clarendon, and from Hahndorf and the outskirts of Mount Barker down around Strathalbyn and surrounds. It is about 1,000 square kilometres and 23 separate communities, and each of those communities has a different heart and a different group of people, and it is a wonderful privilege to travel around that wonderful area and engage with the wonderful people who live and work there. They are very community-minded and, really, it is a great privilege to be their representative in this place.

I also take a moment to thank my family and, particularly, my three children who, like all children of parliamentarians, did not ask for a role in politics. They are now well and truly adults and have left home. My eldest son Matt and his wife Tegan, my second son Noah and my daughter Vanessa have continued to provide me with a great deal of support. Primarily, I think their support comes in the form of making sure their mother keeps her feet well and truly on the ground, and they never let me get above my station, no matter what role I might play in other parts of my life.

They will never forgive me, for instance, for the fact that on radio one day, in answer to a question about what I was proudest of in my achievements, I said that, first, I was proudest of having raised three reasonably decent young adults. They will never forgive me for qualifying the word 'decent' with the word 'reasonably', which they remind me of—of which they remind me (sorry, Mr Speaker)—on a regular basis.

I also thank my former husband Jim for the support that he continues to give. We remain good friends and I am really indebted to him for the fact that he has been a wonderful ongoing support and, indeed, was out on election day campaigning for me.

Can I also acknowledge my staff, in particular Gaynor, who has now been with me for 20 years, right through the days of running my own legal practice in Stirling and through my entire parliamentary journey, and Nick, who came on board in the first year that I was elected to this place and has now, therefore, taken long service leave. We have had a number of trainees through the time. At the moment, it is Amelia, who is a lovely young lass, and I am pleased to say that pretty much all the trainees we have had have gone on to get very good jobs and been very good employees elsewhere. I just think it is a shame that the system does not allow us to keep them for longer.

Can I also thank the wonderful members of the Liberal Party up in Heysen, who have been such an enormous support to me over the whole time that I have been both campaigning prior to my original election and throughout the 12 years that I have now been in this place. I do not want to go through lots and lots of names, but in particular I would like to mention Chris Zanker, the former president of my SEC, and Bryan Reid, who has most recently just retired as the head of my SEC. Both those gentlemen put in an enormous amount of effort. One other person I do want to mention is Barb Evans, who has done an enormous amount not just for me but for prior members of the Heysen electorate. She has been an enormous support over many, many years. I apologise to all the others I have not mentioned, but I think there is a great risk in mentioning too many people because there will be people who are left out.

In embarking on my comments by way of a reply to the Governor's address I wish to say, of course, that the comments in no way reflect upon my high regard for the Governor but note that his speech is actually written either by the Premier or someone on the Premier's behalf, although delivered by the Governor, and as such my comments are really in response to the statements of the government at the reopening of this parliament. The very first comment to be made is about the outcome of the election.

The constitutional requirements in this state require that our boundaries be redrawn after each election so that not only do each of the 47 seats that make up this place have roughly the same number of electors but in theory whichever side wins more than 50 per cent of the two-party preferred vote will indeed win government. The 2014 election outcome was by no means the first; indeed, I understand it was the fourth time that this requirement has not been met.

I do openly criticise the Boundaries Commission on the last occasion. I believe we should have appealed against the previous Boundaries Commission outcome because of the comments that they made, which were utterly appealable, because they took into consideration or, rather, justified their position by saying things which were absolutely irrelevant to their consideration. They had a job to do and they failed to do it, as is evidenced by the outcome of the election, and I think it was utterly hopeless, and that, combined with the person that I consider to be an utterly corrupt electoral commissioner, I think is just a shame for this state.

When the leader gave his Address in Reply he referred to it being a disappointment and used the phrase from the T.S. Eliot poem, from about 1921 or 1922, The Hollow Men, 'not with a bang but a whimper'. I suggest that the word I would like to apply to the government's comments at the opening of this parliament is 'delusional', because this government continues to make unbelievable statements about their intentions, given the situation in which this government over a period of 12 years of utter mismanagement has managed to place us. The one bright side to this election outcome that I see is that the chickens will come home to roost this term. This was indeed the election that the Labor Party needed to lose because the chickens would have come home to roost under our watch, but now they will come home to them.

When I look at the Governor's speech there is a reference to a recommitment to the seven strategic priorities previously announced by the Premier. The reason, of course, that there needs to be a recommitment is that the government has not achieved any of those strategic priorities. The very first one of those is an affordable place to live. The fact is that this state is indeed becoming more and more affordable, and that is because more and more people are leaving because there are fewer and fewer jobs in this state. As jobs disappear and the economy is depressed this state does become more affordable compared to all the other mainland cities precisely because of this government's failure.

Their next idea is to create a vibrant city. Well, I do not know if anybody has tried walking through Rundle Mall recently, but this state should be ashamed of the way our city has developed most recently. Between this government and the Adelaide City Council we are creating a less and less vibrant and inviting city. Indeed, I had the pleasure of seeing Wil Anderson when he was here during the Festival, and there was no doubt that Rundle Mall and what the government and the Adelaide City Council have done to that have made us a laughing-stock.

Clearly, the government has not talked to any restaurateurs, as I have, because they tell me that they cannot afford to open on public holidays. Just in the last month, retail sales in South Australia fell. Nationally, retail sales increased and even in Tasmania retail sales increased, but in this state retail sales fell by 0.8 per cent.

I will not even begin to comment on biplanes and car parking taxes. I will leave those for a separate occasion, perhaps to do a grievance on each of those. The next dot point in the government's recommitment to its priorities is: every chance for every child. We only need to look at the events which led to the Debelle inquiry last year where a young child was raped and the minister at the time, who is now our Premier, was apparently not told about it. Mind you, one was reminded of the term, 'But Brutus is an honourable man', from Julius Caesar. But anyway, the Premier was not told about that.

More important, I think, is the complete failure to advise parents at that particular institution that this had occurred. When I gave evidence to the inquiry I suggested to Mr Debelle that it would have been highly unlikely that the perpetrator had done nothing in his life prior to that event and then went straight from doing nothing to the actual rape of an eight year old. On the basis that that should have been considered highly likely, there should have been consideration of the fact that other incidents had likely occurred involving other children and that parents had a right to know, but clearly that did not happen.

More broadly, on the issue of every chance for every child, if we are going to give every chance to every child one might think that a focus on providing a good education would be a good starting point. Instead, we are below the national average in 19 out of 20 areas now tested by NAPLAN and there is, apparently, on the part of this government, no intention to do anything about that. It certainly has no scheme to address how it is that we have slipped to be at the bottom in 19 out of 20 of these areas.

They also ask for safe communities and healthy neighbourhoods but clearly that depends very much on where you live. Whilst they do point to a decrease in overall crime figures, there is rarely an acknowledgement that most of the prime figures include issues to do with self-protection. Businesses often employ their own security guards, people now have locks on their cars that make them less vulnerable to theft and people put their own security on their houses, and when you take all of that into account then, yes, you do get a lowering of crime statistics, but in fact on most of the issues violent crime has increased under this government's watch.

The next re-commitment is to growing advanced manufacturing. I think we have a huge potential in this state to grow manufacturing. If we look at places like Hills (and the Premier made an announcement with Hills in the last sitting week) and Codan, not many people around the state would realise, when you look at those UN vehicles all around the world and you see that big black box with the great big wavy aerial on the front, that is actually manufactured in Campbelltown in the member for Morialta's electorate. That company also makes more metal detectors than anyone else in the world: a successful story from South Australia.

Osmoflo, in the northern suburbs of Burton, is not well known in this state or around Australia but it is well known throughout the Middle East because it makes, in situ (and puts into containers in situ and ships overseas), reverse osmosis desalination plants that are used in all the mining areas throughout the Middle East. Seeley, Frank Seeley and his wife are two heroes of this state. To have developed an air conditioning system that uses 80 per cent less power is extraordinary.

Maptek, in Conyngham Street, Glenside, has developed things that are used mostly in mining, where they can stop having to have people out there with all the bits and pieces. They can come into a room like this and within minutes provide a three-dimensional map, down to the detail of the pearls around my neck, for use in mining and other areas. The point is that those things are so sophisticated that their technology was used to help rescue the miners in Chile who were trapped so far underground. It was South Australian technology from Maptek in Conyngham Street that managed to help those people.

How can any business survive in this state where they are trying to compete, but they are facing higher costs and taxes than in any other state? Of course, the Premier does not really acknowledge that his government proclaimed that the future of Holden was secure when, in fact, it was never going to be secure, and he knew it. He proclaimed that it was going to be secure and promised all sorts of money. He made a very solemn promise that it was going to be secure. They have not really done much on that side of the house to grow advanced manufacturing in this state. They certainly have not helped businesses to thrive in this state, imposing high taxes on them, but they want us to believe that, in spite of 12 years of failure, they are now somehow going to go into growing an advanced manufacturing sector.

As for the benefits of the mining boom, which is the next dot point, what mining boom? The Premier, through the Governor, did at least in his speech have the level of honesty to acknowledge that the BHP Olympic Dam project expansion did not go ahead. It would be a bit hard not to concede that. He could hardly deny it, but he does not acknowledge that this government put all their eggs in that basket, and the bet did not pay off. As I said, the consequences will be coming home to roost while this government is in power. They will now reap the consequences.

The next recommitment by this government is to the premium food and wine industry from our clean environment. It is almost an evangelical conversion, as though the Premier and his government have suddenly realised that the economy of this state has always been heavily reliant on our agricultural and horticultural sector. Indeed, later in the speech they even refer to the fact that outside the metropolitan Adelaide area contains only 20 per cent of the population but provides more than 50 per cent of the overseas exports. At last this government seems to realise that, yes, there is life beyond Gepps Cross and the tollgate, and I hope that the Premier and others on that side took note of the wonderful comments by the member for Mount Gambier in his maiden speech, because he made some very strong points about that area.

The speech at the opening of parliament, delivered by the Governor, goes on using the sort of sleight of hand that has become a hallmark of this government and of this Premier in particular. For instance, he refers to a new-found confidence in this state. The reality is that it is quite the opposite. Again, the member for Mount Gambier referred to the plummeting of confidence in the area of Mount Gambier after the government's decision to sell the forests in the South-East.

If he goes up to Elizabeth, I am sure the Premier would find that there is not a new-found confidence up there because of the closure of Holden. In fact, if he goes anywhere outside of metropolitan Adelaide he would find that there is not any confidence. Indeed, in going around metropolitan Adelaide and talking to numerous businesses, I find that there is a palpable lack of confidence. It is the absolute opposite of what the Premier asserts: there is a palpable lack of confidence.

The Governor's speech then goes on to talk about $3.4 billion in infrastructure projects, 19 of them privately funded. Of course, no detail is provided about that and the vast bulk are either not yet underway or they are government projects that we cannot afford and have no plan as to how we will pay for them.

The speech also refers to: 'helping to attract an unprecedented number of visitors to our state'. Of course, there is no information given on that bald assertion and I would challenge the Premier to actually show us where and when these people—these unprecedented numbers of people—are coming to our state.

Our share of the international visitor market continues to decline, and, what's more, our share of interstate visitors is not actually going up. We know that from a tourism point of view, interstate and intrastate visitors are where most of our tourism comes from, but, instead of making Adelaide a city which is amenable, this government plans to introduce a car parking tax to make it a less likely place that people will come to visit.

Similarly, the speech contains an assertion that the number of international students has surged, but when you read the detail you will note that the comparison is to the 2002 figure, not, say, the 2008 figure. I suggest that, in fact, there is a reason for that. The reason is that there are in fact far fewer students in this state now from international sources than there were in 2008. One thing in the speech that I do agree with is the statement made in the middle of page 5:

Our economy depends heavily on our capacity to retain our brightest minds and attract talented professionals from interstate and overseas. But they need more than a great place to live—they need a great job.

I absolutely agree with that sentiment; it is just a shame that it is never going to happen under a Weatherill Labor government. Their answer, instead, is to create a new bureaucracy. And then there is the Jobs Accelerator Fund. I have a suggestion to make to the Premier: if you want to accelerate jobs growth, get the impediments out of the way, like the big bureaucracies and the high taxes. Get those out of the way and you might make a beginning on establishing some jobs in this state. The government says it is going to 'intensify…collaboration between business, government and academia'—if Mr Speaker was still here instead of Deputy Speaker—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: He is listening, member for Heysen.

Ms REDMOND: —I would point out that in fact it should be 'among', since there are three, not two, but 'between business, government and academia' is the way it is referred to in the speech. The government suggests there is going to be innovation, but they do not say how or what, and they suggest that the Public Service is to become 'bold' and 'innovative'—and to go where no man has gone before. They commit to an 'outward looking approach'. What a lot of weasel words. That is this government's great plan to save the sinking ship that is the state of South Australia.

We get on eventually to WorkCover, and they say that they want it work 'effectively for both workers and employers', but, in fact, WorkCover in this state has long been the worst work cover system in the nation; it has higher premiums by far than any other system in the nation, and a lower return-to-work rate than any other system in the nation. It is an utter failure, but, nevertheless, the government recommits to fixing this. I seem to recall some previous attempts by this government to fix it.

I want to touch briefly on the 'paddock to plate' for the Department of Primary Industries that the government now suddenly espouses to. This state once led the nation in research, but this government has had a long-term aim, now likely to be realised, of selling off places like the Lenswood and Flaxley research centres. I do not know whether it has occurred to them, but we are not going to be able to compete with companies overseas, and indeed with countries overseas, in terms of labour costs. That is a large part of why we cannot compete in the car industry, but it also applies in agriculture.

To give but one small example: the cherry industry (which happens to mostly be up in the Hills, in my electorate and the member for Kavel's electorate). The cherry industry is never going to compete with Chile, for instance, which is where most of the world's cherries come from, because we are never going to compete with the cost of labour from that country. So, how can we compete in this agricultural sector? The means by which we do that is by creating a bigger, fleshier cherry.

The Lenswood Agricultural Research Centre spent 16 years developing three new species of cherries—I think they were Sir Hans, Sir Douglas and Dame Nancy, named after Sir Hans Heysen, after whom the Heysen electorate is named; Sir Douglas Mawson, another famous gentleman from South Australia; and Dame Nancy Buttfield. They developed these wonderful cherries because the fact is that you will get international use and international markets for a development like that because they are much better than the cherries that are coming out of countries where all they have is cheap labour.

But this government has chosen to ignore all of that and ignore all the history, and it is not just in cherries: it is in a whole range of things across the state, even in the seafood industry. This government just thinks that they will somehow magically improve our agricultural outcomes but, at the same time, they deplete the resources available to research centres and indeed they then fail to actually develop what we need to compete in a world market. One other thing I want to touch on—and it is referred to on page 15 of the Governor's speech—is mental health for individuals, schools and businesses. The Governor's speech states:

Our efforts will focus on building wellbeing, resilience and mental health for individuals, schools, and businesses—particularly those adversely affected by the changes taking place to our economy.

The fact is that unless they fix the economy, they are never going to fix those issues, but what they have done is create a new bureaucracy. The government is going to establish a new independent mental health commission to better coordinate and integrate services critical to South Australians who suffer from mental illness.

Dr Jonathan Phillips—the person appointed by this government to head their mental health department, who was brought in from New South Wales—strongly recommended against the closure of Glenside and profoundly supported its retention, we being the only city that has a good mental health facility just on the edge of the city. No other city could boast that. He strongly supported it, and he wrote to say that he supported it after he had gone back to New South Wales in frustration with this government. But, no; this government decided to put the film and television people in there and spent, I think, $51 million so that Mike Rann could have a wonderful opening of that new facility.

This government's priorities were wrong when they came into office in 2002 and they remained wrong through the elections in 2006 and 2010. We won more than 50 per cent of the vote in 2010. We won even more of the vote in 2014, yet this government has managed to stay in office. It is a sad thing for South Australia that we, at the moment, face another four years of the incompetence of a government led by someone who continues to make bold promises but delivers nothing for the benefit of this state except increasing bureaucracy, increasing taxes, increasing interference with people's lives and a complete failure to see that we need to improve our education outcomes, our employment, our access and our ability to engage with the rest of the state. Until this government wakes up to these facts, it will continue to be an utter failure of a government.

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