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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-07-24 Daily Xml
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Matthew Flinders Statue

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:01): My question is to the Premier. Can the Premier inform the house about South Australia's involvement at the Matthew Flinders statue unveiling in London last week and what opportunities this provided for the promotion of South Australia and might provide other figures of significance to this state who have achieved notable feats?

The SPEAKER: I think that is very close to being ruled out on the ground that it suggests its own answer, but I will call the Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (15:02): What a surprise, and that is a question without notice, I can tell you. I thank the honourable member for her question. She is an entirely appropriate person to ask a question about South Australia's historical figures because we know of her magnificent advocacy on behalf of Muriel Matters, making sure that that woman takes her place in South Australian and, indeed, international history as an important proponent of female suffrage.

On Friday 18 July, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge unveiled the memorial statue of explorer Matthew Flinders in London at a reception at Australia House. This reception event was led by South Australia's Agent-General Bill Muirhead and attended by 300 guests, including business leaders and senior academics. The Duke of Cambridge's attendance ensured that there was significant media coverage.

His Royal Highness's speech before the unveiling of the statue, with the 'Open the door' to South Australia (our brand) on display, received widespread media attention across Australia and the United Kingdom. The statue pays tribute to Captain Matthew Flinders and the important role he played in the history of our state and, indeed, the nation. Captain Flinders was the first cartographer to circumnavigate Australia and identify it as a continent, and is particularly important to South Australia where we have the Flinders Ranges, of course, Flinders Chase National Park, Flinders Street and, of course, the Flinders University.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon: Operation Flinders.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Operation Flinders.

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon: The medical centre.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The medical centre, yes, you could go on and on, as you are. The two-year project to have the explorer immortalised was led by the Office of the Agent-General, and I think it demonstrates what a fantastic Agent-General we do have in London. The Matthew Flinders Memorial Statue Steering Committee largely comprised of volunteers, with Chairman John Allen, Deputy Chairman Matt Johnson, Pauline Lyle-Smith, Barry Kitchener (of Network Rail), Peter Ashley (a retired Royal Navy lieutenant commander), John Flinders (a distant relative to Captain Flinders) and Dr Gillian Dooley (a librarian at Flinders University). Credit must also be given to these people who committed their time to this significant project which led to its success.

The statue itself has the 'Open the door' to South Australia branding on the base of it, as well as a 'QR code', which takes interested onlookers to the Flinders Memorial website which provides valuable information about the life and work of Captain Flinders as well as information about his namesake, Flinders University. After the unveiling on Friday, the statue was permanently installed on the main concourse at Euston station.

In excess of 60 million people pass through Euston station every year, meaning the statue could well become one of the most viewed in the United Kingdom, and there is our brand firmly in front of people. A permanent fixture displaying the state's branding provides a significant and fantastic promotional opportunity for us in a global setting. It is another example of the way in which we are trying to take South Australia to the world and also of the wonderful work that we are doing out of the Agent-General's office.

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