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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-07-03 Daily Xml
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Finniss Electorate

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (15:46): I rise to highlight some great news in the electorate of Finniss. There are several items that occurred in Finniss in the last few weeks that really need recognition. One is the announcement on Friday that the Mount Compass recreation park has been given the green light: the Marshall Liberal government has reached a funding agreement with the Alexandrina district council to deliver the recreation park in Mount Compass. Another announcement is the great and welcome news of the payroll tax cuts that have been well accepted by the community. Another is the launch of the Regional Growth Fund, as well as some announcements of some federal government funding for local roads.

The recreation park at Mount Compass is something the community has been calling for for many years. We have seen that town survive with much community support in developing small playgrounds and schoolyards over the years. During my time while growing up there, I certainly remember the community raising funds to put in a slippery dip that was the same as the one at the Monash playground. There have been very limited playground facilities in Mount Compass for many years, so I am really pleased that, with the Alexandrina Council and the Marshall Liberal government, we are now going to see $700,000 or thereabouts invested in a playground in Mount Compass to deliver a wonderful facility for the local community.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to join Mayor Keith Parkes from Alexandrina Council and local councillor Grant Gartrell at the site to look at where it is going to go. Work is hoped to start very shortly on that facility once a little more planning is done. Work should start, as the mayor said yesterday, as soon as the weather is right to do so.

Another bit of good news is the payroll tax cuts. Last night, I was at a function in Victor Harbor with the Victor Harbor business association, talking with some of the members of the association. They were very thrilled to realise that these cuts were coming their way. There are many businesses that are affected by this cut and are going to have great benefits.

One business owner I was talking to last night operates a building business. His instant reaction was, 'I will now be able to employ one more staff member.' It is fantastic news that we are actually giving businesses the ability to invest in their staff and increase their staffing levels as a direct response to these cuts in payroll tax. The regional areas certainly rely on these local small businesses to deliver in their community, and having that instant reaction that someone was going to be employed directly as a result was exciting news to me.

Another piece of great news is the announcement of the Regional Growth Fund applications being opened. This is generating a lot of interest locally, as people look at the criteria around it and see what can be done to invest in the region to see whether we can stimulate the regions back to what they should be—a key driver of this state's economy. The regions of South Australia are very important, and we have seen them neglected over many, many years.

The other good news this week was over the weekend with the Deputy Prime Minister here, in the seat of Mayo, making some announcements about some Black Spot funding on some roads. There are some roads that have needed significant upgrades and safety upgrades in the country regions, throughout the Adelaide Hills and Fleurieu. Finniss is not the only place but certainly is one of many that need that sort of investment. We have seen some roads extremely neglected over the years, and we are now seeing some funds that will actually enable us to do some great work in this area.

So I thank the federal government for that investment in the area, and I also thank the Liberal Marshall government for investing in the area as well.

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