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House of Assembly - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2017-11-29 Daily Xml
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Florey Electorate

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:18): As this parliamentary year comes to a close and the session ends as well, this seems like a good time to reflect on the past 20 years in this place. It is a rare and great privilege to represent an electorate and carry on the Westminster traditions at a local level to deliver the best possible outcomes to the greatest number of people. Democracy happens every day, not only once every four years. It is this belief that has driven me from my earliest days of activism, and I do not mean running beside the car helping my father to deliver brochures when I was about eight years old.

My public life really commenced when my children began kindy and I started to take an interest and be part of the management committee. Since that day at Holden Hill, part of the then electorate of Florey in 1983, I began to put back into the community I now serve. Over the years, I have met thousands of people, helped many of them and made many friendships and acquaintances. I have become part of many schools, community groups and sporting clubs, working alongside hundreds of volunteers and learning from what I have heard from them.

The people of the north-east are amazing. From the U3A Tea Tree Gully to service clubs, like Lions and Kiwanis, and those in retirement villages and nursing homes, their combined knowledge and wisdom is vast and almost endless. Their nurturing of our young people and next generations of leaders has produced a group full of ideas, energy and vision. In all of this, though, and with an eye to South Australia's future, we need to look on what is ahead.

For me, the basics are to ensure that people have full and happy lives, good health services—and this means aged care as well—and education and training opportunities to ensure that they have satisfying jobs. Access to shelter and social housing is vital, as are the means to live, the cost of living and the ability to pay bills, being something constantly on people's minds. Governments seem to be directly responsible for less as time goes by, but what they will always be required to do is set policy direction and maintain a firm eye on what is going on around them.

No longer can governments say that this is not their responsibility, because eventually everything is in one way or another. The nexus between federal, state and local government must work better and the frustration we see at elections that brings a variety of smaller parties and individuals to parliaments is a warning to the two major parties that their business models are no longer acceptable. If we are to get to a position where public confidence is restored and stability returned, people in public life need to listen, learn and deliver. Leadership is important, but not at the cost of meeting the needs of the communities we serve.

As the days to the next state election on Saturday 17 March 2018 roll by through Christmas and the summer holidays, voters will be asked to focus on the policies they hope will be introduced after the election. They could be forgiven some cynicism because they have heard it all before; even the negative campaigns are beginning to have a familiar ring. That aside, I hope the forthcoming campaign will be fought on positive issues and progressive agendas, restoring good basic services while making a start on seeing that young people are best placed to take advantage of all that the 21stcentury offers.

Their teachers and trainers need to be supported in their roles and their families strengthened to give them the basis to reach their potential. Recent large funding grants to the Valley View Secondary School, Modbury High School and The Heights School mean facilities in our local area will improve, but there are concerns for TAFE and university fees and course availability. There is much work to be done in the health sector and all things to do with the ageing.

I have had much help in my work in the parliament and in my office, and I thank all the staff who have worked to serve our local community over the years. Their dedication has been superb and I thank all of them. To my friends, family and supporters, my ability to represent Florey electors has been bolstered by you. To the electors of Florey, it is an honour to work for you. You have the power of the vote, something people like Muriel Matters fought for and something I will always defend and endeavour to strengthen within our democracy. I know you will use it wisely.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Hon. T.R. Kenyon): Members should be aware that tearing up is against the standing orders.

Ms BEDFORD: There is no water in these eyes, sir, I assure you.

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