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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-05-12 Daily Xml
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Giles Electorate

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (15:31): Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to visit a number of the more distant communities in my electorate, while also taking part in the celebration of the 50th year since the commissioning of the Whyalla Integrated Steelworks. If it was not for that great state building project, I would not be standing here—a project that acted as a magnet, attracting people from around the world to work at the steelworks and contribute to the development of Whyalla and the state.

Given the importance of the steelworks to the development of our state, and its importance at a national level, it is more than appropriate that, in the coming weeks, I will move a motion recognising just what was achieved. I look forward to telling the story of that great endeavour; an endeavour that had strong bipartisan support through the 1950s and into the 1960s. I would like to thank both Kyam Maher (Minister for Manufacturing) and Geoff Brock (Minister for Regional Affairs) for attending the 50th anniversary dinner in Whyalla. I also acknowledge the presence at the dinner of the Hon. Terry Stephens and Rowan Ramsay (member for Grey).

Last week in the house I talked about Coober Pedy's centenary. It is another vibrant community built on mining, and I also look forward to more fully acknowledging Coober Pedy's centenary over the coming weeks. Both 50 years and 100 years are noteworthy milestones, but it is another part of my electorate, with an inhabited presence dating back thousands of years, that I want to discuss today. I am of course referring to that vast tract of land in the far north-west of our state: the APY lands.

I had the pleasure to visit the lands with Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Kyam Maher. While in the lands, we visited Umuwa, Pukatja, Kaltjitji, Amata and Mimili. Unfortunately, the visit to Oak Valley had to be cancelled due to rain. This is my second visit to the APY lands since my election, and I have two other visits proposed for later this year. I fully acknowledge that I am on a steep learning curve, as someone from a community based on heavy industry, when it comes to the APY lands.

It is clear that over recent years there has been significant investment in facilities, and with the commitment on the part of the federal government and the state government, we should see a marked improvement in the road network over the coming years. The constant refrain in the communities we visited was the need for employment, and especially employment for young people.

The APY Trade Training Centre at Umuwa commenced operation in 2013, and it is certainly an impressive centre and will at least get young people closer to being work ready. We all know that training does not guarantee jobs, but it can be an important stepping stone to employment, assuming work is available. That is the big challenge. The vocational education provided covers certificates in agriculture, automotive, bakery, construction, engineering, horticulture and hospitality. The accommodation located next to the training centre is of a high standard and is used by students from more distant communities and visiting trainers.

One company that is rising to the challenge of providing jobs for Anangu is Wiltja Constructions and the owners, Tony Rodgers and Aileen Shannon. It is a company that has made a real effort to employ local people and, since its inception in 2011, has completed over $3 million worth of construction projects, employing over that period in various roles 88 Anangu, which represents approximately 80 per cent local employment on those projects. Tony and Aileen offered some very worthwhile insights into how best to generate genuine local employment, and I am keen to see some of those insights incorporated into our state's procurement practices. I look forward to my next visit to the lands and continuing to build what I hope will be long and lasting relationships.

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