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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-09-17 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

Lewis, Dr Felicity-ann

Mr SPEIRS (Bright) (15:09): Yesterday at 12 noon the nominations for the upcoming local government elections closed and southern suburbs residents became aware that the Mayor of the City of Marion, Dr Felicity-ann Lewis, would not be recontesting her position.

Felicity-ann Lewis is metaphorically a towering figure in South Australia's local government landscape, having first been elected to serve on Marion council as a councillor in 1997 before replacing mayor Colin Haines in that position in the year 2000, and she has held the position of mayor since then.

When mayor Lewis took office, it is fair to say that the City of Marion was in a very poor state, heavily in debt and saddled with outdated community infrastructure. She has overseen a council which has undergone significant internal reform and delivered massive improvements in community facilities. Some of the achievements Felicity-ann has been instrumental in making happen in Marion include:

the development of the State Aquatic Centre, which has risen out of the soil at Marion in recent years and is now a key piece of sporting infrastructure in our state;

the Hallett Cove community centre and library and enterprise hub, which is currently under construction at Hallett Cove;

the Patpa Drive connector road, which runs between Sheidow Park, Trott Park and Hallett Cove and has opened up a significant amount of development in the Hallett Cove area in the south of the City of Marion;

the Glade Crescent Reserve upgrade;

the Oaklands wetlands water recycling project;

the upgrade to Hallett Cove foreshore, which is scheduled to occur soon; and

a major upgrade to the City of Marion's council depot.

As well as those physical improvements, she has led a focus on health promotion within the community, driving the OPAL program, working on significant programs to further reconciliation and developing multicultural programs to recognise Marion's increasingly diverse local community.

Local government is just one aspect of Felicity-ann's life. She is a strong advocate for a healthier society and achieved a doctorate of education for her work in this area on 20 June 2013. She completed her doctorate while also holding the multiple roles of mayor of Marion, the President of the Local Government Association of South Australia and latterly also as the national President of the Australian Local Government Association—a position which gave her an influential seat to discuss the priorities and needs of local government at the Council of Australian Governments.

These voluntary commitments were all undertaken while she continued her duties working as a senior lecturer in education at Flinders University. I believe that these multiple roles she has diligently completed are a testament to her energy, enthusiasm and talent. The breadth of her work can really be seen in a résumé which includes published works, which shows again the depth of her abilities in local government and also in academia.

I think it is worth discussing Felicity-ann's contribution as president of both the South Australian Local Government Association and also that very significant role as president of the Australian Local Government Association. During her time as president of that organisation, she was able to really be the public face and driver of the movement to have a referendum to recognise local government in the Australian Constitution. No matter our political position or our personal position on a move like that, the energy and enthusiasm Felicity-ann brought to that important role should be recognised and must be recognised.

Felicity-ann's retirement from council is a significant loss to my electorate and a significant loss to the southern suburbs of Adelaide, yet she has achieved a rare feat in politics and left at a time of her own choosing, leaving a phenomenal legacy in community development and to local government in South Australia. I would like to pay tribute to her today, thank her for her service to the Marion community and wish her all the best for the future.

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