HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2020-02-19 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 18 February 2020.)

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley—Minister for Innovation and Skills) (10:32): It is terrific to have this opportunity to respond to the Governor's speech at the opening of the Second Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament. Before I do, I will take this opportunity to thank His Excellency for the excellent work that he does in the community throughout South Australia and to recognise his long-term service to South Australia, first of all on the Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission and then as the Lieutenant-Governor of South Australia—I think that was for a seven-year period. It is probably the longest apprenticeship of any Governor in the state's history. I think he is now in his fifth year as Governor of South Australia.

There have been some subtle but I believe significant changes in the way that the Governor has made Parliament House accessible. I know from my own experience as a member of parliament and minister of the Crown that the events the Governor attends in community groups and the communities he invites to Government House are much broader than I had seen prior to his appointment as the Queen's representative in South Australia.

He has done an extraordinary job of democratising, if you like, the position of the Queen's representative in South Australia. He has made access to this very high position in South Australia extremely easy for South Australians and I congratulate and thank him for doing that. He and Lan also enjoy the role together, and it is very rare that you do not see them together at an event. Lan does an extraordinary job in her support role for the Queen's representative here in South Australia, but I digress.

I also take this opportunity to respond to the Governor's address on 5 February and talk about the government's agenda. There is no doubt that since the opening of the First Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament a lot has changed in South Australia. An enormous change has been happening—we are getting our mojo back as a state.

No longer do people from interstate describe South Australia as the mendicant state. They see South Australia as a state where they should be and we are seeing that with a reduction in the net loss in migration now compared with two years ago. We lost about 8,000 predominantly young people every year to the Eastern States or overseas so they could use the skills that they had learnt in the fine education institutions here in South Australia.

That has been reduced by half, but it is still not good enough. We have ambitions to get that down to zero and then move on to making that a positive number, where we see some population growth because people choose to stay in South Australia and people choose to come to South Australia to share in the opportunity that is being delivered through a change in the economic outlook, a change in government policy and the confidence we are seeing in both the business community and the community more broadly.

It is interesting to see in survey after survey that those who are the most confident about the future here in South Australia are those under the age of 30. That is terrific to see because it means that they are more likely to stay here in South Australia to pursue their dreams rather than move interstate. That is always a challenge for South Australian governments, but we relish that challenge.

We are putting processes in place to deliver more opportunities not just for jobs in South Australia but for real careers. When you are doing something you enjoy for a job, it does not feel like a job. Every day on the job, you are doing something you enjoy, and that is what a career is. A career is something that you are doing, that you choose to do and enjoy, that you happen to get paid for.

Of course, we recognise the significant changes that are happening in economies around the world, in western economies and in the economies to our north, where we are seeing a much stronger emphasis on technology. We are seeing new threats coming to industry and to our borders through new technology, but there is no doubt that South Australia also sees those threats as an opportunity for South Australians. One of those key opportunities is the cybersecurity sector.

There is no doubt that the cybersecurity sector is one of the most rapidly expanding sectors worldwide, with global spending expected to increase from around $131 billion—billion, with a 'b', and these are US figures—to $250 billion within about five years. It is an extraordinary increase in the amount of spending. You might ask yourself: what is driving this? Why are we seeing such an increase in the spending on cybersecurity services around the world? Of course, we are becoming more and more connected to each other through various media.

We are using technology in more and more areas of our lives, even if we are not aware that we are using it. Of course, anybody who uses the GPS to get from A to B is using artificial intelligence. They are connected to the rest of the world. When I visit small businesses and talk about cybersecurity, I always find it interesting that they actually think that it is not of any concern to them. They think that it is something the banks, governments and big business need to worry about. The fact is that about three-quarters of small businesses—three in four small businesses—have experienced some form of cyber breaches in their business, and many of them do not even realise that has happened.

It reminds me of my early days in business in the 1980s and into the 1990s, when computers started to pop up at the bank and in government and small businesses were saying, 'Computers are for big business, for government, for banks. They are not for small businesses.' However, we now see that you simply cannot get buy in any business, or even in your own personal life, without being computer literate, without having access to a computer or that smart phone you have in your pocket. Cybersecurity is the same. Very soon, people will realise how important cybersecurity is for their own wellbeing and how important it is for their small business and their personal security.

At the same time, cybersecurity is one of the most modern technological challenges of the global economy, with ever-increasing personal, professional and organisational security risks, which I covered earlier. Of course, the South Australian government is engaging with businesses and universities and we are working with the government provider for vocational education, TAFE SA, to develop cybersecurity ecosystems in South Australia to ensure that we make the most of the opportunities to advance the digital economy here in South Australia and deliver those jobs and careers that young people require.

Just to give you some idea of how desirable careers in the IT sector are, in relation to the Microsoft traineeship that was announced towards the end of last year, there were 15 positions available through the group training organisation MEGT and 1,500 people applied for those positions. You certainly do not get that number of applications for many of the more traditional vocational pathways. Since the introduction of the Skilling South Australia program, more opportunities are appearing and more apprentices and trainees are coming into the workforce in South Australia.

The South Australian government has committed $8.9 million to develop the Australian cyber collaboration centre (A3C) at Lot Fourteen. The A3C will provide critical infrastructure, including a cyber range, training facilities and office space to enable businesses and government to test equipment, train the cyber workforce and collaborate to address cyber challenges. We are growing our local cybersecurity industry skills. We are focused on training and skilling the cybersecurity workforce.

Last year, Adelaide University introduced a Master of Cyber Security degree to their curriculum to support that university pathway into cybersecurity. With a lot of technology jobs, we are seeing a growing demand for vocational pathways where you have a combination of on-the-job training and off-the-job training. Those technology skills change very quickly, so it is important to implement in the workplace what you have learnt in the classroom sooner rather than later, otherwise what you may have learnt in the classroom earlier during your training may no longer be relevant by the time you get into the workforce or it may have changed significantly since you learnt it.

Having that combination of on-the-job training and off-the-job training almost simultaneously means that we are getting better training outcomes. This is something that we are seeing happening all over the Western world. In the UK, brand-new apprenticeships are being developed in white-collar areas, and skills and professions that were previously not delivered through vocational education are now actually being delivered through apprenticeships. PwC in the UK offers apprenticeships for consultants. BAE in the UK offers apprenticeships for engineering degrees. These are new concepts for Australia and concepts that we are obviously very interested in developing.

In the cybersecurity space, we have an industry cybersecurity traineeship and a public sector cybersecurity traineeship, both of which deliver a Cert IV in Cyber Security through group training organisations. The industry offering the cybersecurity traineeship becomes the host employer, the company, and in the public sector the government department becomes the host employer and the employment status stays with the GTO. Through the good work of my ministerial colleague the Minister for Education, we also have a flexible pathway through high school into cybersecurity, where a Cert III in ICT and two components of the Cert IV in Cyber Security are taught with a combination of on-the-job and off-the-job training.

I was very pleased to meet the first five cohorts of the cybersecurity traineeship through the Office of the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment at the TAFE campus earlier in January. There were some very excited young people who had just finished year 12. A number of them saw university as their only option for where they wanted to go until this opportunity came up with a traineeship in cybersecurity. Consequently, they were very pleased to be able to start earning money while they were working three days a week in the business, with one day a week at TAFE and one day a week at school in their final year. This is a terrific concept that we are seeing being rolled out across many other industries and skill sets in our school system.

These new traineeships support broader workforce and skills pipeline initiatives that are being designed to be delivered through the new Australian cyber collaboration centre (A3C) within Lot Fourteen. While based in South Australia, the A3C is intended to provide a national focus for cybersecurity collaboration, which is important. We have learnt that collaboration is key when it comes to technology and economies the size of the South Australian economy. As a new government, we have been successful in initiating and facilitating a lot more collaboration within industry and across industry to achieve goals to increase the skilled workforce that we have in South Australia.

We started from a very low base: a 66 per cent fall in the number of trainees and apprentices in South Australia from 2012 through to about 2018. Every year, we saw fewer and fewer apprentices and trainees being signed up into learning contracts in South Australia, and that has left us with a very severe skills deficit. On top of that, we also have a mismatch of skills in South Australia. We have skills in some of those older industries that are no longer operating in South Australia or have transitioned dramatically.

A number of businesses that were in the automotive industry have transitioned very successfully into the defence sector. One that comes to mind is Axiom. Five or six years ago, 95 per cent of their business was in the automotive industry. The nature of the automotive industry, despite all the government subsidies it received, was that those suppliers to the automotive industry were price takers. The price that they got for their products was dictated by the motor industry. They were down to between 30 and 35 staff who were contracted substantially under the motor industry.

Five or six years later, their staff has now doubled in size. I have been advised that they are making the sort of money they should be making for the effort and the work they are putting into the products they are producing for the defence sector, and they are employing apprentices here in South Australia. What is great about that model is that many of the management team that I met at Axiom started their careers as apprentices in that company. It is a terrific example of why it is so important that we have a strong skills base in South Australia.

We have situations in regional South Australia where a business may apply for a skill, whether it be a chef or cook, some other position in the tourism industry or a position in the agricultural sector, where you might require a skill set at a vocational educational level. Fifty per cent of those jobs that are advertised remain unfilled. If you are looking for a chef, you have about a one in four chance of getting that position filled in regional South Australia. That is the feedback I am getting when I visit regional South Australia.

Of course, we now have a very strong entrepreneurial attitude in South Australia. We have gone from being a state that expected handouts to a state that now is looking to exploit opportunities. It is a complete change in mindset. As a state, we are saying, 'We are open for business. We want you to exploit your ideas to develop jobs and careers in South Australia. We want you to make money here in South Australia, because we know that if you are making money in South Australia you will deliver careers for others and you will bring investors to South Australia.'

We stand under the portrait of Tom Playford here. He transformed the South Australian economy from that which is depicted in our carpet. We have wheat and grapes, representing the agricultural industry, which was the basis of our economy until the transformation into manufacturing that we saw delivered through Tom Playford.

The transition we are going through at the moment, with our entrepreneurship, can-do attitude and our focus on new and emerging industries, our focus on the defence sector and high-technology industries and jobs that will be required for that sector, is a new area, just as the Playford era was a new era for South Australia. The Playford period was a modernisation of the South Australian economy. The Marshall period is another modernisation of the South Australian economy; there is no doubt about that.

Last night, it was terrific to be at the state dinner to commemorate the opening of the national Space Agency here in South Australia. I was very pleased to see the bipartisan support, with the Leader of the Opposition and his wife in attendance. Many of the representatives from the countries that are in the space industry that are investing in South Australia were also there. I had the fortune to sit next to Joe North from Lockheed Martin and learned an enormous amount about the opportunities there are, particularly in working with machine learning and the artificial intelligence sector for defence systems here in South Australia.

This is a whole new ball game. Just like Tom Playford bringing mass manufacturing to South Australia in the fifties and sixties, we are seeing mass technology come into South Australia and industry 4.0 coming to South Australia under the Marshall government. This is changing South Australia forever. We will not be able to look back from this, but we have to get it right. We simply have a set of opportunities here at the moment and we have to now turn those into success stories for South Australians.

That will include co-investment from interstate companies and co-investment from overseas companies, just like the establishment of an Australian car manufacturing business in South Australia relied on an investment from a US conglomerate, General Motors. The partnership of General Motors and William Holden delivered an Australian icon in South Australia. William Holden could not do it on his own; he was simply making other people's products under licence. It was not until the partnership with a big foreign company that we saw Holden become an Australian institution. It might sound ironic to some, but I think we need to understand how important it is that we have investment in South Australia for our economy to grow.

Of course, in October I was very pleased to launch the Startup Hub @ Lot Fourteen with the Premier. It is operated by Stone and Chalk, which has been in operation for four or five years, first in Sydney, then in Melbourne and now in Adelaide. Isn't it great to hear that: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, not Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and not Sydney, Melbourne, Perth but Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide. It is terrific to see that a company like Stone and Chalk has been responsible since it was established for raising nearly half a billion dollars of investment in start-ups for its clients in Sydney and Melbourne. This is what the Startup Hub is all about: it is about supporting people with ideas, marrying them up with entrepreneurs, turning on their entrepreneurial skills and abilities, and assisting them to scale up their businesses.

When I was there about a month ago, there was what normally might have been considered a sad situation: one of the companies that had been at the Startup Hub for just a few months was moving out. Why were they moving out? Because they had grown to the stage where they were too big and too successful to stay in the Startup Hub. It is a start-up hub: it is not hammock and it is not somewhere where you can run a business with a subsidy or support when you do not need it or when your business is successful.

It is about getting businesses to a stage where we can open the door of the cage and out they fly like beautiful doves spreading their joy and success around the world. That is the Startup Hub we have operating at Lot Fourteen. There are 35 companies there already with 140 desks, and more will come online this year and next year. Eventually, we will have 650 desks operating in that start-up hub. It will be the largest start-up hub in Australia because we are focused and serious about the entrepreneurial sector.

In the short time I have left I want to speak about our skilling program and how important it is. The situation was not that when we got into office we had to start climbing the ladder of success when it came to delivering skills in South Australia. We had to actually dig ourselves out of a hole and the mess that the previous government had left. Remember, they went to the election without a skills policy. They went to the election after stripping TAFE of one-third of its staff and closing down numerous TAFE facilities around South Australia, defunding the non-government providers, in other words, not allowing them access to the Subsidised Training List.

Only 350 skills courses were available on the Subsidised Training List when we came to office, and only a third of them were available to the non-government sector. Now there are over 800 skill sets and courses available on the Subsidised Training List, and every single one of them is available to the non-government sector. What has that delivered? If you read the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services, you will see we spent an extra $54 million on vocational education in South Australia in our first year in office compared with Labor's last year in office.

We said in the lead-up to the election that we would spend more on vocational education, and we are delivering on that and getting outcomes. In traineeships and apprenticeships in the first three quarters of our first full year of rolling out the Skilling South Australia program, we saw a 17.1 per cent increase in the number of training and apprenticeship contracts. Just to make it absolutely clear, these are young people and, in many cases, people over the age of 25, up to the age of 55, being paid by their employers under a training contract to learn a new skill through a traineeship or apprenticeship.

These are not pre-apprenticeship programs, and these are not programs that people are doing in their own time and paying fees for. These are government-funded traineeships and apprenticeships where people are actually being paid in real jobs to learn. That is one of the massive benefits of an apprenticeship or traineeship: you are paid to learn. It is a significant investment from the employer. We need to recognise that, and we are doing that; we are recognising that.

We are also making sure that parents, the influencers of young people in particular, and young people themselves understand the benefits they will receive from a vocational pathway. Consequently, we are seeing an increase in the number of applications, an increase in the skill levels that those people have for those applications and an increase in the number of people signing contracts for training who are operating and being employed under a contract of training.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (11:02): I stand today to speak to the Address in Reply to the Governor's speech to open the Second Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament. I would like to firstly acknowledge and thank the Governor and Mrs Le for their service to our community and state. I think it is fair to say that they are a highly respected couple and community leaders in South Australia. I must confess that wherever I go in this state I hear nothing but praise for the work they are doing for our state. Given their background, what they have been able to achieve is even more remarkable. That in itself speaks to the contribution that migrants, in whatever shape or form they come to this country, can make to this great nation.

The Governor paid respect to the traditional lands of the Kaurna people. I would also like to pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. In his speech, the Governor quite rightly also acknowledged the devastating bushfires we have had in our state and the suffering and grief they caused for people right across the state, not only on Kangaroo Island but also in the Adelaide Hills, the South-East and elsewhere.

He also made particular mention of those who lost their lives, including those who came from overseas to help us. With him, I think this chamber would extend our deepest sympathies to their loved ones and all those who have suffered. The Governor also quite rightly acknowledged and thanked those people who have been involved in the rescue, recovery and relief efforts not only in South Australia but across our country.

I would like to thank the Governor for his opening address, but I must say I cannot thank the speechwriters for what was an overlong speech that contained little vision, no hope and no plan for a better future for South Australia. In fact, the Gettysburg Address, which was much shorter, offered much more hope and inspiration to that nation than this speech, which went for over one hour. I think it was probably the longest opening address I have encountered in my time in this parliament. As I said, its length in itself does not say it was a good speech. That is not a reflection on the Governor, who delivered it extremely well, but on the people who wrote the speech.

The Governor said that his government accepted the challenge of creating more jobs, improving services and reducing costs to households and businesses. It may be true that the government has accepted that challenge, but it is also true that it has not delivered on this challenge. Sadly, this government—which is more concerned about its own internal politicking at the moment, factional infighting and those sorts of issues—may use both the bushfires and the coronavirus as an excuse for its poor economic performance.

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone interjecting:

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: The minister for agriculture scoffs, but I am sure that in future, when things get worse, they will start blaming the bushfires and the virus for the decline, particularly in the areas of tourism and regional development. That said, this government should not be permitted to do so because the rot of this government had set in way before these two major events occurred.

The Governor went on to outline the government's proposals and also their achievements—I say alleged; they have not been proved—in reducing costs to families and businesses. It is interesting because they have actually increased taxes, fees and charges. There is the tradie tax, the hospital car parking tax and the bin tax, and a whole range of other taxes have been increased, which go on and on. It is interesting how you can reduce costs to families and businesses by increasing those taxations.

The Governor went on to elaborate on the government's continuing focus on providing better government services. While I acknowledge that the government is doing some things in this area, it is also true, in my view, that the government's policies will make it harder for about 30 per cent of our population to access services as it downgrades or privatises face-to-face services. If you are technologically literate, certainly there are new opportunities, but if you are not you are left behind.

The government makes no apology. In other words, if you cannot access government services through technology, this government essentially does not care about you, so the inequality in our community grows not only in the financial and economic sense but also in terms of access to government services. The government's response to everything seems to be either technology or an app.

For a lot of people in our community, neither technology nor an app is a solution for them to access government services. When these matters are raised, I think sometimes the government's response is a little demeaning of a number of people in our community who, for a range of reasons, cannot access technology or do not have the literacy. Many in the migrant communities and also many people in country areas have poor technology services.

This second session of this parliament was meant to give the government a chance to reset its agenda. That is the language that has been used. In my opinion, the government has squandered that opportunity. As I said earlier, it prefers to spend most of its time on infighting within the Liberal Party, as we have seen examples of over the last few weeks and also at the end of the last period. They seem to put more time and resources into their infighting than they do into actually advancing the interests of this state.

So what is the vision for the future as outlined in the Governor's speech on behalf of the government? The speech rests on three failed policies. That, in essence, is the sum total of this government's vision for the state. Despite having 18 years to prepare for this opportunity, this government has delivered the worst reset agenda in the history of this state and of this parliament.

In his speech on behalf of the government, the Governor went on to detail the infrastructure plan. We have heard about the infrastructure plan for the past two years yet, to date, the only things to be delivered in terms of that infrastructure plan are those which were initiated by the previous state Labor government. I am happy to be corrected, but I cannot recall any new initiatives that have been delivered on the ground.

According to the Governor's speech, the government's 'greatest infrastructure challenge remains the north-south corridor through the Adelaide metropolitan area'. This is a challenge for any government. Importantly, an adjunct project to this north-south corridor was GlobeLink. The government promised to deliver the GlobeLink project to this state sometime during their political lifetime; they have now dumped that project.

This certainly came as no surprise to many in the industry and to those councils directly and indirectly affected, such as the Adelaide Hills Council, the Rural City of Murray Bridge, the Mount Barker District Council and the City of Mitcham. None of them were surprised when the Liberal government dumped the project because they knew the terms of reference were such that it was never going to take off. It was never going to happen and was just thought up prior to the election in order to secure some votes.

In dumping that project, there are casualties. I can assure you that, from my recent discussions with various local governments in the regions when I went to the Southern and Hills Local Government Association meeting, the councils are not really happy with this government. The government have offered no alternative to the dumped GlobeLink project. The way the councils see this is that they now miss out on everything.

Despite the spin put on this matter by government spokespersons, when you read through the transcripts of what was promised before the election you can see it was not just a study. In fact, a spokesperson said it would be a study first and would then be delivered. If my memory is correct, even the Premier said it would be delivered. So that is another broken promise and yet another reason why this government cannot be trusted. It was both a broken and false promise because it was never going to be delivered.

Another thing mentioned in the Governor's speech on behalf of the government was the proposed stadium for the inner city. I understand it has been nicknamed the 'GlobeLink stadium' because it has as much chance of getting up as the GlobeLink project. It is another one of those ideas whereby the government is trying to create the impression that it is doing something for the state, rather than delivering anything. This is something that this government does well, especially during question time, where they repeat and reannounce things on a number of occasions. Further into the speech, the Governor says:

Naval shipbuilding is delivering a sophisticated, high-end manufacturing sector to complement the agricultural, mining and service industries that remain central to the South Australian economy.

I think that is a true statement; I do not have any difficulties accepting that. We have since learned that the naval industry is not going to deliver the jobs as promised by the federal Liberal government. Current and former federal ministers have backtracked on the amount of local content of this vast project in this area. It is interesting that it was 90 per cent local content, and now it is not that at all. Actually, nobody seems to be able to say what the local content is and what the opportunities are for jobs in this state in the naval and shipbuilding industry.

Unfortunately, we have been dudded by the federal Liberal government in this regard, and they have been aided and abetted by the Marshall Liberal government in this state, because certainly they are not standing up for this state in terms of what has been said federally about what is not going to happen, unfortunately, with that industry. There is another quote that is useful to read into the record. It is an aspiration, one that I think is good. The aspiration states: 'Where your future isn't limited by the suburb, town, region or nation in which you were brought up.'

I agree with that, and it should be true—it should be a true statement. Unfortunately, under this government, it is not true. If you live in the northern parts of Gawler or in the northern parts of this state—and by 'northern' I mean the northern suburbs—support for that region has been abandoned by this government. That includes the range of support for workers who are losing their jobs through the restructuring of the economy that occurred under our government and will occur under this government. However, the difference is that we actually gave people an opportunity to retrain and to rebuild their lives. We had programs in place to support workers through that difficult time—not only workers but also their families—when they were losing their employment because of the restructuring of our economy.

Restructuring of the economy has occurred since the year dot and will continue to occur. The major difference is what we do as a society, what this government does to reflect its values and what we do to support those people who are bearing the cost of that restructuring. I can tell you that in the north the cost is being borne by local families who are not supported by this government at all. The burden also falls on local communities and local governments, which have limited resources to respond.

The speech goes on to state, 'My Government continues to lower costs for South Australian families and businesses.' It is one thing to lower costs—and maybe it is lowering costs when the government creates some sort of fake balanced budget for the state Treasurer. However, what it is actually doing is shifting the cost from government to individuals and families. All those increases in charges and taxes, etc., are a shifting of costs.

For example, a number of people in my community have come to see me about the cost of car parking at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Whether it is a cleaner who tries to find a safe car park—who needs a park in a secure car park—or a nurse who works on night shift, or a cleaner who is working on different shifts, the truth is that in some cases these employees have actually had to give up their car park because the cost of an extra $800 a year is too much for the family budget.

Certainly, three or four people of different backgrounds have approached me. One was a person who is a cleaner. She said the increase was so huge, relative to her income, that she had to give up her car park. There was also a nurse who works part time who spoke to me, and she had to think about giving up her car park. She works on night shift, and there are issues around safety and security. So when I hear, in this chamber, about what we are doing to improve the safety and security of staff in hospitals, it sounds a bit hollow, given that often people have to give up secure car parking because of the sheer cost involved now and that they need to park on the street, quite a distance away from their place of work.

As you go through the Governor's speech, made on behalf of the government, you have to go through quite a few pages before you find some substance. The next point I would like to bring to the attention of this house is contained in this comment:

…the Premier has taken the tourism portfolio to drive support across government and a senior government role has been created to coordinate the rebuild of the Kangaroo Island and Adelaide Hills economies and communities.

That has been a huge success. That has been an outstanding success. We have seen it already happen. The day the Premier became minister, he choofed off out of our state under the cover of darkness. The one reason he gave for the investment and trade minister not to be the tourism minister was that he could not actually spend enough time in the state on the ground to deliver the tourism things that our Kangaroo Island and Hills people needed. It is an irony that the very next day the Premier did exactly the same thing.

Putting that aside for a moment, one of the concerns I have is the Premier's capacity to deliver in this area in terms of his other portfolios. One portfolio I share with him, as opposition spokesperson, and one often has to question his commitment to that portfolio, given that he is also Premier, which is in itself a huge job. What time, resources and commitment can he make to the tourism portfolio, given the workload of that position? I just hope that he can do more justice to the tourism portfolio than he does to the other ones he is involved in.

As you go through this speech again, you flick across quite a few pages before you find something of note to read or look at. When I come to page 20 of the Governor's speech, on behalf of the government the Governor states:

During this session, my government will introduce comprehensive legislation to reform our Local Government sector.

That is certainly an area of interest to me because of not only my previous role in local government but also my shadow role as minister for local government. Last year, the minister released four discussion papers regarding different aspects of reform to the local government sector. It is interesting that many of the ideas in those discussion papers were also in the opposition's ratepayer protection bill last year, which the minister dutifully urged his colleagues to vote down. It is interesting that the very same ideas we had in opposition and we put to the government to look at were voted down because, in his words, they were meaningless, and he used a whole range of other adjectives, yet those same ideas are in his discussion paper for reform of local government. The government asked the Governor to tell us:

The legislation will be guided by recommendations my Government is considering from the Productivity Commission following its inquiry into local government costs and efficiency.

It is almost impossible to take the government at its word, as it tends to ignore the independent advice it does not like and certainly believes that it has a better idea of local government than local government itself. The speech then goes on to say:

In full cooperation with councils across the state, my Government is also delivering on the final stages of a new planning system.

I have yet to find one council of the 68 councils in this state that actually agrees with the minister on that comment—not one. Not one council has said, 'We fully support what the minister is doing with his new Planning and Design Code.' I do not have to tell you this because I am sure you across there have heard from your own councils that they have concerns about this Planning and Design Code. In fact, a number of people in the regions and also in the metropolitan area have written to me.

Only today I received further emails about the minister's Planning and Design Code from people who are concerned about what it will deliver. In their view, it will wreak havoc in their communities, destroying the very fabric of these communities through the minister's pro demolition policies. If the government really wants to deliver on these reforms, it needs to genuinely consult and listen to not only the local government sector but also communities before it imposes this code on our communities.

However, I have to acknowledge that the minister has listened in part: he has delayed the introduction of the Planning and Design Code. Interestingly enough, he has resurrected a bill, moved by the Greens and supported by Labor and other crossbenchers in the upper house last year, to give him the right to delay the introduction of the design code which, interestingly enough, the Liberal Party opposed in the upper house. The minister has now actually reinstated the same bill in this house to do what most people were saying five months ago. Unfortunately, it just takes the minister a little while to listen and act.

He set up a review panel for this design code. It is interesting that this expert panel is the same expert panel that advised him in the first place. But when you look through the expert panel's report of the review you notice that the terms of reference of the review were such that they had no choice but to support the minister's Planning and Design Code; it had no choice. That was made very clear in the ERD Committee early this week, when evidence was given that it was quite clear that the terms of reference were designed to give the minister the answer he was looking for.

As I move through the speech, through more and more pages, I believe that I will come to a page where there is something interesting to note. I come to page 39. I could not find anything else interesting to talk about, so I have added some of my own words here. Of the 39 pages—

Mr Pederick: I'm going to send this across the road.

The SPEAKER: The member for Hammond is called to order.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO: They are the only things worthy of noting and talking about, the rest is just—I am trying to find words as to what the rest of the speech is about. I can hardly find words that are appropriate or parliamentary.

In terms of my own community and electorate, the only projects that have been undertaken in the first two years of this government have been those initiated by the previous state Labor government. For example, there is no new money for any station upgrades or park-and-rides and no new road safety measures in my electorate at all. Gawler and the north have been abandoned by this Marshall Liberal government, and I am sure that people will remember this in 2022.

This is an address by this government that looks back and offers nothing for the future. It is a squandered opportunity by this Marshall Liberal government that is busy with factional infighting. The state and the people of South Australia deserve better.

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (11:27): I rise today to speak in reply to the Governor's speech. As we commence the Second Session of this Fifty-Fourth Parliament, I look forward to continuing to advocate for my constituents in the electorate of MacKillop. I remain proud to represent the constituents of MacKillop and look forward to serving them in this Second Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament.

I look forward to the continued delivery of the responsive and effective support for people affected by the fires who have lost so much. The communities of Kangaroo Island and the Adelaide Hills have endured shocking fire events and are continuing to address challenges to re-establish their homes, businesses and lives. The MacKillop electorate, too, was not left untouched by the fires over this summer period.

Fires at Coonalpyn, Bunbury, Nangwarry, Keilira, Keith and near Robe, to name a few, required a substantial effort by the local CFS, landholders and aerial firefighting to bring them under control. These fires were responded to by landowners and CFS volunteers with support from the CFS and DEW staff from across the region, many of whom had already been deployed since September to firefighting efforts in New South Wales and in the Cudlee Creek and Kangaroo Island fires.

I will speak in more detail on the fires in another motion, but I would like to say that I am grateful for the ongoing and generous support for those affected by these fires by the wider community. I look forward to those impacted by the fires seeing the benefits of the financial rebates and grants that are being offered through our government, the private sector and the federal government to help people get back on their feet as soon as they can. It is my hope that the affected communities can access the support they need to help them navigate and emerge from this difficult time emotionally stronger and more resilient.

As we move into this session of parliament, I am looking forward to building on the improvements that have been made by our government since March 2018 for our state and regions. We have seen ongoing improvements in our regional road network but we still have much more work to do on this front. We have seen the protection of some of our key agricultural products through the strong stance that we have taken in relation to biosecurity for our agricultural sectors.

We have seen the opportunities and renewed focus that the devolution and management of health care is bringing to our regions and the many initiatives that have been implemented to keep money in the pockets of our community to generate economic wellbeing, including cutting the emergency services levy and reducing payroll tax for small businesses. In this session, I look forward to our government building on many other initiatives that are focused on attracting investment and growing business confidence, productivity and jobs in this state.

There is much to be done in this session and I look forward to continuing, as part of the Marshall Liberal government, to address the catch-up that is required that is a sad legacy of the undeniable neglect by the previous Labor government of those individuals, families and businesses who live beyond the tollgate. As I have stated many times in this house before, the regions of our state are an economic powerhouse, contributing in excess of $25 billion to the economy of South Australia.

Our regional road network is essential for business and the community. I look forward to seeing further progress on improving the condition of our regional roads, in particular, the significant and important road network in MacKillop. Without a doubt, roads are one of the highest priority issues for the constituents of my electorate. They want and deserve better roads for the safety of road users and the conduct of business and their lives across the electorate.

My constituents are looking forward to the restoration of speed limits on one of our key roads, the Clay Wells Road, which is scheduled for delivery in the electorate this year, and to further progress the ongoing repair and upgrade of our roads to better handle the significant freight and everyday traffic movement across the electorate. I am looking forward to the installation of the passing lanes between Naracoorte and Keith, and two more between Naracoorte and Penola on the Riddoch Highway. This will make the road even safer than it is today.

The finalisation of the Penola bypass will make the main street of Penola a much safer and more pleasant location to conduct business. It will enhance Penola as a tourism destination, making the town's many cafes, shops and the Mary MacKillop interpretive centre an even greater pleasure to visit. I am hoping that our government also sees the community's concern that the bypass means traffic will go around the town of Penola. We are hoping that good signage and advertising of all that is held within Penola is well promoted for those who want to pass through the town so that they can enjoy those facilities in a way that is not seen today because of the heavy traffic going through the main street.

I understand that the backlog of works required on our state's regional roads means that prioritisation needs to occur. I am pleased to see our state government investing in roads in partnership with our federal counterparts, a benefit of having governments with a common goal. Our government's recorded $1.1 billion regional road and infrastructure package that was announced in last year's state budget will improve country roads and save lives. Apparently, this package will rectify over 1,000 kilometres around our regions, working hand in hand with the federal government and, as I have done many times, working with Tony Pasin, the federal member for Barker.

The recent devastating 25,000-hectare fire at Keilira in my electorate, which started in December last year, has once again shone a light on the desperate need for better mobile phone coverage for regions, specifically in my electorate. The combined efforts of CFS volunteers and staff, local farm fire units and other volunteers and households in the line of the fire to fight the fire and stay safe on 30 December were challenged by the lack of mobile phone coverage in this area. There was no louder message from the local Keilira community during and following the fire than the message that it is unacceptable to have no mobile phone coverage.

The Keilira district is a well-documented mobile blackspot and I have been advocating for a mobile phone tower in this area for some time. I will continue to advocate for a better service for these people and look forward to working with the Minister for Primary Industries and Regions and my federal colleagues to achieve better telecommunication outcomes for Keilira and more broadly for my electorate. The safety of our rural community and preparedness for natural disaster should be underscored by adequate telecommunication and mobile services. We also know that the conduct of effective transactions in this age demands good mobile and internet service. Without it, businesses will not reach their potential and, as a state, we will be challenged in meeting our potential growth.

Regarding the mobile phone towers—and I was made aware of this—when we look at what the electricity grid did for Australia, particularly South Australia and our regional areas, where they laid out an electrical grid right across the state, no matter whether you were 500 kilometres from Port Augusta or two or three kilometres outside any major town or city, you were connected to a grid which was built and constructed with government funds.

This is where I think the mobile telephone network has really suffered. Not to suggest any one political party is responsible or any government but, because the network has been left mainly to our mobile carriers and businesses, there has not been a rollout of infrastructure with government backing, as we saw with the electricity grid. I think when you look at what South Australia has, with over 500 blackspots, and the way that the towers are rolling out, it is going to take a long time to fill in all these blackspots, and whether they will even be accomplished is yet to be seen.

When you look at the economic benefit of putting in a mobile tower with government/taxpayers' funds, whether they be federal or state, it does not really stack up commercially. It is up to the telco, and the telco benefits from that investment by its asset and expenditure, and then we talk about returns. The system seems broken. No wonder it is taking so long to unfold. That is not to suggest anyone has done anything wrong here, but it is no wonder it is taking a long time to unravel and get this mobile phone coverage across our great land, be it Australia or South Australia, with the way that it is being conducted today. I would challenge both our state government and our federal government counterparts to a fix in this area.

Effective biosecurity measures are critical to our primary producers across the state. They are important for the protection of South Australia's reputation for exceptional food and fibre. Effective legislation, efficient regulatory measures that are fit for purpose, an increased awareness of biosecurity risks and business owners being proactive in managing our biosecurity risks should be a foundation on which our agricultural businesses can thrive in domestic and international markets.

Importantly, effective biosecurity measures are needed for the protection of our natural environment and habitats. Our government is building and securing the good work that has been done by our state in ensuring that South Australia is free of a range of pests and diseases that are present in other parts of Australia, notably fruit fly and phylloxera. When I refer to the work of our state, I refer to the work of our government and previous governments and, importantly, our engaged primary industry sector partners who know all too well what is at stake.

As to fruit fly, our government has taken a zero tolerance approach to bringing fruit, vegetables and other plant products into South Australia. We have implemented significant penalties for bringing fruit into the state. Those who are found with restricted items at our quarantine stations and roadblocks near disposal bins will be fined. We have stepped up the policing at these locations. I am very proud and pleased that our government has taken this strong stance and the way that the fines were rolled out initially. The amount of fruit that was going across when the patrols were lifted was intolerable, requiring increased policing at these roadblocks, and even one-off spot checks on roads without stations. No wonder this state has been suffering from fruit fly outbreaks with this lack of policing. I am so pleased that we have turned that around. Long may it last. May we do an even better job than we are doing today.

Phylloxera can affect our significant wine industry in South Australia. We need to ensure it is protected from the disease. The MacKillop wine regions include Padthaway, Mundulla, Wrattonbully, Mount Benson and Coonawarra. We are very fortunate not to suffer from phylloxera and I am hoping it stays that way. With the quarantine, the education and the opportunities to clean and disinfect machinery when crossing borders, may it be as good as we can manage to put in place and that it does the job that we require to protect our vineyard industry and wine industry.

Our government will establish a new biosecurity act in this parliament. I look forward to the agricultural sector and wider community engaging in this process to deliver a fit-for-purpose and modernised piece of legislation that will stand our state in good stead for the future. This is an initiative that will add value and provide important protections for our agricultural sector.

Aligned to biosecurity and providing so much more to our agricultural businesses is our government's work to deliver trespass laws to protect the business, livelihoods and safety of our hardworking primary production and agribusiness sectors. The delivery of trespass laws in this parliament will be a measure that provides certainty and protection to allow our primary production sector to value-add and flourish.

Our government's emphasis on agricultural technology in the coming years will support the uptake of agricultural technology in our agricultural sector and will provide more opportunities for our agricultural sector to grow and enhance the way we do business in the state. The focus of this program is to grow agriculture to a $100 billion industry by 2030.

Wool and red meat have been a traditional mainstay of our livestock sector. Our government's investment of $7½ million in red meat and wool is welcome. This investment is focused on expanding our state's red meat and wool production, enhancing the reliability of supply and quality assurance for beneficial market outcomes. There is potential for the expansion of red meat exports from our state. This, in turn, adds value to our local economies, including employment through red meat processing and allied industries.

Investment will carry many benefits through the value chain, provide value for growers, processors and, in that context, value-add to regional communities as a whole. Our government is seeking to make strategic investments to deliver these benefits for our state. MacKillop has many processing businesses, employing a significant number of people both directly and indirectly through important trade industries.

We have the meatworks at Naracoorte owned by Teys, which employs 600 or 700 employees and is looking to expand. It has a number of issues in the township, which I will touch on later. JBS at Bordertown, which processes mainly lamb but also mutton, also has a number of issues in the town of Bordertown, which I will also address later. However, they are very valuable businesses to not only the agricultural sector but both Bordertown and Naracoorte.

The focus our government is bringing in this parliament to the environment and sustainability is important. Our government's emphasis and leadership in waste management is a key initiative for this parliament. The establishment of this state as a national epicentre for waste and resource recovery is an issue that will build on our state's leadership in this space. In particular, I look forward to the opportunities this will bring for our regional councils in reducing the waste stream.

We know there are many challenges for the management of waste in our regions. It is one of the great challenges for our regions in the sense that rubbish and recycling is an impediment to our regions due to the tyranny of transport and the small collection depots that our regional centres have to deal with. I hope, with our government's focus on waste and recycling, that we can address all those aspects, from the massive pool of waste created in Adelaide to the small amounts of waste in our regional extremities like Mount Gambier and the smaller towns beyond that and then right over to Eyre Peninsula and Ceduna. The delivery of our government's commitment in this parliament to ban single-use plastics will no doubt assist in the management of waste.

The MacKillop electorate has substantial coastline. Climatic variability and storm surges are resulting in increased pressure on our coastal environments. This is providing an ever-increasing pressure on our local governments to manage and stabilise the movement of sand and prevent erosion. To date, it has been pleasing that the coastal councils of MacKillop have been effective in seeking funds through the Regional Coast Protection Fund established by our government to support them to plan for and manage these issues.

Through this fund, the Wattle Range Council accessed $105,000 to repair the Beachport seawall and undertake the construction of beach access works at Southend. The Wattle Range Council also has been successful in accessing $71,000 through the research and development fund for a modelling study of Rivoli Bay and the community engagement materials that will be developed. The District Council of Robe was successful in accessing $22,500 for the completion of beach replenishment works at Main Beach, Fox Beach and Hooper Beach.

Those sorts of funds and help for Robe council really highlight that the Robe council is only a small council. It is very efficient and small in terms of rate collection as well as staff, employees and works. These sorts of funds go a long way to helping these small councils. The Kingston District Council was successful in accessing $132,500 through the Regional Coast Protection Fund to fund geotextile work bags to protect the Wyomi Beach seawall and the development of the coastal adaptation strategy.

I am pleased that these funds have come to our region and I will certainly encourage councils in my electorate to continue to look for opportunities and seek further funding support through the Regional Coast Protection Fund. It will be important for these and other regional councils to continue to build a case for funding to ensure we can do our very best to protect our natural and built coastal assets.

I am fortunate to have the Coorong in my electorate, a wonderful natural asset that requires our protection and management. It is the home of a significant fishery, a haven for international, national and local birdlife, and it is the traditional home of the Ngarrindjeri people. I believe it still has significant untapped tourism potential. I welcome our government's emphasis to this parliament in leveraging nature-based tourism benefits from our natural assets, our parks and reserves.

The MacKillop electorate is home to some of our state's unique and most important natural assets, from the Coorong to our rugged coast and the unique and spectacular Naracoorte Caves. I will be working for my electorate in this parliament to bring focus to our region to capitalise on these assets and to find opportunities to increase visitation and tourism value.

On the Naracoorte Caves, I am keen that we build on the visitation to this important world heritage area, which is one of only two fossil sites in Australia and 11 worldwide that are listed for their world heritage value. It is noted that my region, including the region of Mount Gambier, which takes in what we call the Limestone Coast, has the most visitation outside Adelaide for stays of two nights or more. Our region plays a very important part in tourism to this state and I hope our government continues to support our region by promoting it even further.

In 2019, I welcomed our government's Housing and Homelessness Strategy. Affordable housing that matches the needs of the community and our increasing migrant community is a key issue in my electorate that needs to be addressed. I look forward to the outcomes our government's investment in housing will bring for the community of our state, and I will continue to advocate for my electorate in regard to housing.

As I mentioned when I touched on the major meat processing businesses in Naracoorte and Bordertown, we have a shortage of affordable housing in those towns. It is a shortage that has not just been of our making, but this shortage has been there for a long time and was ignored by the previous government. The shortage of affordable housing is not just for migrant workers and visa workers but for elderly people who want to downsize their homes from big family homes and for general migrants who have come to Australia as new Australian citizens. Public housing is fully subscribed in Naracoorte and there are no public housing options in Bordertown.

When we talk about growth and population, this shows the need to invest in housing in these two towns because there are some really big opportunities for employment. Bordertown has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Australia, and one of the reasons is that we really cannot get people in there because of the housing shortage, so we are hoping to address this. Affordable housing is really what we are looking for and partnerships will be important to address this issue. Private investment and local government working with our state government and federal governments will be a great collaboration to address this issue.

I will just touch on a couple of other issues, one of which is that we do have some health issues that have been ongoing for a long time. I will still be advocating strongly for Keith hospital and Millicent hospital, as well as all other precincts and hospitals in my region, but I do touch on those two because they have had ongoing concerns. The Keith hospital is looking for a sustainable model and I am working closely with the Keith hospital board, our minister and these new regional health boards that our government has implemented.

I hope that these six new regional health boards will be strong advocates for our regions and will bat for our regions like never before. I hope they will take away the decision-making that has been made in Adelaide and make more decisions for our region's health issues. I hope they will battle strongly for our regions and make sure that we can get as many services as possible.

There is an issue that is probably well beyond our state government because it will need both the state and federal government to help solve, and that is the lack and shortage of GPs right around the state. The use of locums in our local hospital precincts and clinics is an expensive way to try to address our shortage of GPs. I have many hospitals in my region, and there is no doubt that this is not just a MacKillop issue but a regional issue right around South Australia. We know the shortage of GPs is an Australian issue.

Coming back to the Millicent hospital, 20 years ago the hospital offered surgery. There was the option of delivering babies. It also had a great working relationship with the clinic, where we had six to eight GPs there, with other specialist training and skills. With the turnaround at the Millicent hospital and the lack of focus there, this has all been undone. We do not have a great connection there now at all between the Millicent GPs and the local hospital. The local hospital is served by locums. I am hoping to rebuild some of those services back in the Millicent hospital.

The other hospital I want to touch on is the Naracoorte hospital, which was due for a major upgrade 20 years ago. The former Labor government during its 16 years I think nearly got close and perhaps even got excited about building a new hospital at Naracoorte, but the funds were withdrawn and they found other places for that hospital. That does not mean that the hospital is now fixed. It still sits in its dated 1950s, 1960s, 1970s construction and small upgrades have taken place, but it is a hospital that is very important to a growing community.

In that community, with all that is going on around it, when you talk about the agricultural opportunities, the processing of Teys and their meatworks there and the affordable housing issue that we are looking to solve, the hospital is going to play an important role and be an important asset for the town's growth and in looking after that community.

It is a community of around 5,000 people. If we have the opportunity to be in government for a good three or four terms, because the members over the other side keep on doing what they are doing, then hopefully we get that chance to actually rebuild that hospital, to grow the community of Naracoorte, to take that population from 5,000 people perhaps even out to 10,000 people. With that come numerous opportunities, right through to the education opportunities.

There are two public primary schools, one smaller private school—our independent school—and a larger high school. At the moment, the high school's numbers are down on what they were perhaps 20 years ago because people are taking options to go to other schools further south, but I know that if we had a community of 10,000 people in Naracoorte, if we had a huge and prosperous high school there, that high school would be of really huge state significance. When the community grows, the school grows and so forth.

Another issue I just want to touch on is energy and cheaper and more reliable power. I believe our government has already turned that around from where our counterparts on the other side had taken us.

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr McBRIDE: And I can touch on energy in that regard, too. But on cheaper power, we really first have to understand that the other side turning off the Port Augusta power station, which was run on coal, was the beginning of a huge increase in prices. There was the loss of competitiveness of South Australia in relation to the rest of Australia, affecting both those who could not afford it—those who are on low incomes and perhaps on social welfare—right through to families, right through to businesses—

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr McBRIDE: They have found it very, very tough, because of your decision-making on the other side. The power prices have come back, and there is a long way still to go. I am hoping that our government is continuing to look and continuing to reinvest to not only get these prices cheaper but have South Australia more competitive than the rest of Australia, which the other side lost complete sight of.

The interconnector with New South Wales will be a good piece of infrastructure. Given the way people talk about renewable power right across Australia and the way that renewable power is intermittent, depending on where the wind is, depending on when the sun is out and when it is not, the interconnection going right across Australia is a part of the infrastructure they tell me will work well.

It comes back to this point, though: South Australia will benefit from the cheaper power, both in Queensland and New South Wales, which is mainly derived from coal. On the flip side of that we have already seen that this state has an abundance of solar energy, an abundance of wind energy, that it does not know how to use in peak times. We are so oversupplied it can actually cost providers to put electricity into the grid. I think this is a really good opportunity to try to get that electricity to the rest of Australia.

Touching on the subject of apprentices, which is a little bit dear to my heart in that I also went through that process, I was very pleased to hear the member for Unley (Minister for Innovation and Skills) talk about this. Back in the 1990s, when I was an apprentice, there were some 30,000 apprentices throughout South Australia doing a number of trades. A number of TAFE sites and training centres were really pumping. In fact, you had to apply, and you might have been turned down to get into these centres. There was so much demand for apprentices and apprenticeships. Over the period of the last 16 years under the previous government they did nothing but kill them off. That is the only way to look at it: they killed it off.

I am glad to see that our government has a really strong focus on building skills, training our young people and giving them more options so that, when they go through an education system, university is not the only option. We know that not everyone is able to undertake university education, like myself. I really appreciated the apprenticeship-type system. It gives people a grounding and a start in life. It does not always mean they end up in that field, but it is a starting point that opens doors that may never have opened if they did not have a trade.

I will also touch on the Murray-Darling Basin Plan because it falls into my area of MacKillop with the Coorong, and it has been mentioned by previous speakers. The Murray-Darling Basin Plan proposes many challenges for all the states. Our counterparts on the other side believe that buybacks are a great answer—to buy back water from those who have licences—but that is not the only answer we should be looking at.

One option that will need state and federal government investment is the turning of water that flows out to sea down the eastern coast back through the Great Dividing Range and directing it inland. It is a huge opportunity for this country. South Australia would be a major winner from such a proposal. The inland towns whose livelihoods depend on this water and the water we have there now would benefit from it. We know there could be further expansion from developments with further water in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.

I also point out that one of the great pitfalls in the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is the investors and market forces of water licences and who owns the water licences. In the politics of water, through the late nineties when I was heavily involved in politics, we tried to get water to stay in the regions in small areas and hundred zones so that it has a home for areas to belong to. One reason we found that such a huge battle was that they always said that the water licences and water markets occurring in the Murray-Darling Basin should also happen in our Limestone Coast area. Today, when you look at the way the water market is owned and operated by big multinationals and companies, they can now trade water like it is a commodity and extract every dollar out of it that they can to the loss of those who live on the Murray.

I look forward to continuing to be an advocate for my electorate in the coming year, and I look forward to working with the Marshall Liberal team to continue to deliver outcomes that make a positive contribution to our state's economy. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute to this Address in Reply.

Mr ODENWALDER (Elizabeth) (11:57): I rise to make a brief contribution to this Address in Reply to the Governor's speech made at the unnecessary reopening of this parliament. I did not hear all the member for MacKillop's speech but I assume he devoted a great deal of time to the success of the policy of the reopening of the Kalangadoo Police Station, and I wholeheartedly agree with him.

Mr Pederick: You should have been here for his great address—I mean, really.

Mr ODENWALDER: I will be reading it with interest, and I am sure the readers of The Border Watch will show a great deal of interest as well. I am sure we will get to that later.

Firstly, I want to mention the good Governor himself, His Excellency Hieu Van Le, and his good wife, Mrs Van Le. I do not know them very well; I never had the pleasure of being on Executive Council so I never got to know them particularly well over the years, but I have known them more in my capacity as a shadow minister in recent times, and both of them have approached their role with rare gravitas and also humility. It is a testament to them and also to the nature of the people of this state that people of their calibre can move to the highest office in the state, that is, the Queen's representative in this state.

It is not unusual to see Mrs Van Le walking across North Terrace with some shopping, walking back home as anyone else would. It is a rare country where the head of state or the head of state's wife is seen out alone shopping, mingling with ordinary people. I want to pay tribute to His Excellency and his wife and wish them a long reign as the Queen's representatives in this state.

It was a lengthy speech. There was a lot in it, but there was not a lot in my portfolio areas, I should say. I think that speaks to the inaction of this government in terms of law and order and in terms of reform of the emergency services sector. A lot of things are promised into the future, promised in very vague terms, and then somehow never reach fruition.

Before I get to the speech itself, I want to touch on the recent decision by Holden to close up operations entirely in Australia. In my very first speech to this place some years ago now, I spoke at length about Holden, about my relationship with Holden and about the relationship of Holden to anyone who grew up in Elizabeth. I believe that the minister opposite has a history in Holden. I am sure that is right, isn't it?

The Hon. T.J. Whetstone: Yes.

Mr ODENWALDER: Yes, that is right; I seem to remember that. Everyone in this place was touched in some way by Holden over the years and by the closure of Holden, of course. We were all touched by that, but particularly those of us who grew up in Elizabeth. I spoke in my first speech—you will forgive me; it was a while ago now—about my desire to see Elizabeth continue in perpetuity as a place where cars are manufactured in some form or another. Sadly, that did not turn out to be the case. It has been a blow to Elizabeth, and in many ways the recent announcement by Holden is another blow.

There is a heritage factor now. General Motors have their own museums; this is not very well known. General Motors have their own museums and their own heritage policies around their products, and there is a very real danger that we will be losing some parts of our history to the United States and to General Motors. I hope that is not the case. I will be pursuing this to make sure it does not happen, but there is a very real danger of a lot of the history of Holden—and I am talking about archival material as well as actual hardware—going overseas in an uncontrolled way at General Motors' behest. I really hope that does not happen.

I learnt to drive in a Holden, as many of us did. I learnt to drive in my parents' HD Premier. My first car was an LJ Torana—a tiger Torana, as we used to call them, a yellow and black one, the old tiger Torana.

Mr Boyer interjecting:

Mr ODENWALDER: That's right. It did not spend a great deal of time on the road, I have to say. It spent a great deal of time in my parents' garage and not a great deal of time on the road, certainly not as much as the HD.

It is very sad. It has been a sad process for the people of Elizabeth. The previous government, of course, did a lot of work through the automotive transformation team in terms of putting people into work. I was out at the Northern Connector open day on the weekend with the leader and some other northern MPs. I am very proud to have played a small role in that project, getting local people onto that project.

The previous government did a great deal of work in structuring those contracts in order to ensure not only that 90 per cent of the workforce on the Northern Connector project was South Australian but that well over 50 per cent of the workforce came from the northern councils of Tea Tree Gully, Playford and Salisbury. I was very proud to be part of that process, going round to the councils and to business groups in the area, encouraging people to sign up to the Northern Connector project.

Lendlease, having won the contract, did an excellent job in coming on board. They were contractually obliged to meet these targets, of course, but they did so with increasing pride. I want to pay tribute to them, particularly to Danny Parkinson, who led the project and who still leads the project. He told me very proudly on Sunday that they had exceeded all their targets in terms of local employment content and also in terms of putting vulnerable people, Aboriginal people, into work in numbers well above the targets that they were contracted to do. I am very proud of them.

Of course, it was specifically our target to get people from Holden into that project, and over the last three or four years I have seen many people go from Holden to the Northern Connector project and other infrastructure projects around the state with assistance from the state government and, it has to be said, with assistance from Holden, who did that transition very well, certainly in Elizabeth. It remains to be seen how well that will happen in Melbourne. They seem to be moving very fast. Of course, it was a surprise to the dealers, and we have seen that in the news in recent days.

I would like to talk more about what this government has done for the people of Elizabeth and what the Governor's speech two weeks ago meant for them, but the truth is that this government is not doing much for the people of Elizabeth, certainly in the time ahead that the Governor foreshadowed in his speech. Indeed, the only significant impact has been rising unemployment. Employment has always been a problem in the north, and I am not going to whitewash that, but rising unemployment affects people in the outer suburbs and in the regions disproportionately more. That is something the government really needs to start focusing on: jobs and reducing the unemployment rate.

Another issue, of course, is the dismantling of the public transport system, not only cutting valuable routes that people need to get hospitals and shops and so on, and into the city and back from the outer suburbs like Elizabeth, but also the looming privatisation of the train network, which is almost universally opposed in the outer suburbs. Any of those members opposite who have constituencies in the outer suburbs will be hearing this from their own constituents. It is certainly reflected in the work we have done and in the petitions we have gathered, so much so that we have pledged to rip up any contract which is signed by this government which outsources or privatises the train network.

As I said, there is certainly nothing in the Governor's speech for the people of Elizabeth, apart from continued processes that punish them, and there is not much in terms of law and order. Again, I look forward to reading closely the member for MacKillop's contribution. I am sure there was a lengthy discourse about the possibility of the imminent reopening of the Kalangadoo Police Station. I am sure the readers of The South Eastern Times, TheBorder Watch and the Penola Pennant—

Mr McBride: I'm glad you take a strong interest.

Mr ODENWALDER: I do, I do take a very strong interest in all those publications and the very fine journalists who work therein. I look forward to reading that. There were some specific mentions of some law and order measures—reannouncements, I should say, nothing new on the horizon—and the security response section, which I am advised is not yet up and running. We are promised a significant presence around sporting events and those kinds of things from a new section, which we are promised will be somewhere between general patrols or tactical teams and a STAR Group, a middle ground of responders who can respond to terrorist events, or, in the absence of terrorist events, which is almost always, they can be available to patrol large events, sporting events and so on.

I am agnostic about this at the moment. I will wait to see how it is structured and how it is intended to work. It may or may not be a good idea. I do not know how the public will react to turning up at Adelaide Oval and being confronted by heavily armed police officers around the gates. It remains to be seen how it interacts with another commitment by the government, which was not mentioned in the Governor's speech, which was the imminent user-pays police system. Whether or not this interacts with the security response section remains to be seen. As I said, I am agnostic about that.

Again, it was a reannouncement, nothing new, as was the talk about district policing teams. The district policing teams are a whole new model that have been some years in development, it has to be said, by the commissioner and his team. It will be a significant change to the way police patrols and technical teams work on the ground, a significant change for many individuals in terms of their postings in the metropolitan area, and I will get to the country in a minute. Again, I am agnostic about this. I hope that it works and I hope that it achieves the government's stated aim of reducing crime because that has not happened over the last two years.

I hope that the district policing team does work. We are watching it very closely. We are watching how the different, new sections interact with the response teams, the district policing teams, and whether there is any effect on the policing of neighbourhoods. There is some suggestion that there will be a loss of the types of neighbourhood policing that people have come to expect, such as the presence of Neighbourhood Watch and those types of things. We are watching those things very closely in the rollout of the district policing team.

Mr Pederick: It's your plan, mate.

Mr ODENWALDER: It was the police commissioner's plan, actually.

The Hon. S.K. Knoll: It's operational.

Mr ODENWALDER: It is operational—that is right. That is right: two years into government the Minister for Transport recognises the unique role of the police commissioner. There was some talk of crime prevention. We are still waiting on various reviews that were promised by the government, including the Duggan review into front-line policing and what that will mean. Indeed, what the Hon. Kevin Duggan was looking at still remains something of a mystery. It will be really interesting to see what that suggests, given there have been significant changes, as the Minister for Transport helpfully points out, at the behest of the police commissioner himself. It will be interesting to see what the Hon. Kevin Duggan has to add and what the police commissioner's response will be.

Similarly, with the country policing review, and again this is a bit of a hot topic in the South-East. I am sure the member for MacKillop traversed it extensively in his contribution, which I look forward to reading.

Mr Pederick: It's a pity you missed it.

Mr ODENWALDER: It is a pity I missed it. I should not reflect on my own absence from the house because, of course, that is unparliamentary. It does remain to be seen how country policing will be affected. Country people I have spoken to are concerned about the future of their policing. There is certainly concern in the South-East about the consolidation of the CIB. I accept, as has been mentioned, that these decisions are largely the purview of the police commissioner; in fact, I do not just accept that: I think that is as it should be.

What I do take issue with is individual local members or shadow ministers making promises that either they cannot keep or they go to extraordinary lengths to keep, such as the extended opening hours of Norwood, Glenelg and Henley Beach police stations. There is considerable angst in those places, where they feel they do not have enough police presence, that the three metropolitan police stations had their hours re-extended against the advice of the police commissioner, including in the Premier's own electorate.

There is a lot of angst in the country about that, and it remains to be seen how that will play out, whether the police minister and the Attorney-General do come up with some sort of plan that satisfies the police commissioner to go against his own recommendations in the country. We will see how the country policing review pans out. I still have no idea when that review is reporting. It has been ongoing for the last two years. I look forward to seeing how that pans out.

There was some mention of organised crime in the Governor's speech, particularly in relation to meth, to ice. We all know that ice is an ongoing problem. We often hear the government crowing about how it is winning its war on drugs, winning its war on ice. They went to the election, of course, promising to win that war. We have seen very little evidence that that war is even being fought any differently from how it used to be, let alone being won.

I have spoken to police officers who are concerned about the resourcing in this area. We heard in the Governor's speech that there will be a concentration of resources in terms of the fight against ice. I am yet to see much evidence of that. In terms of the only practical way we have of measuring these things, in terms of wastewater, Adelaide is still known as the meth capital of Australia, and we need that to change.

The previous government in 2016—I think it reported in 2017—established the Ice Taskforce, which did make various recommendations that were put into place and were in the process of being put into place as the government changed hands and went into caretaker mode. Some of those recommendations were left undone and some of them were voted against when Labor was in government.

There are two bills which I will be reintroducing following prorogation and which sat on the Notice Paper for almost the entirety of the last two years. They were specific recommendations of the Ice Taskforce. One was a bill to reverse a specific prohibition in the Road Traffic Act on police searches of vehicles when the driver has tested positive for drugs. This strikes me as a complete nonsense. The police should have this power. If someone has tested positive for the drug ice on the side of the road, the police already have the power to stop that person driving for 24 hours, yet they do not have the power on the strength of that test to search the vehicle for more drugs.

I cannot think of a simpler way to give the police a little extra power to search for drugs. If winning the war on drugs is our aim—and it is the stated aim of the police minister and the stated aim of the Attorney-General—it baffles me that on 30 separate occasions the vote on that bill was postponed by those opposite until prorogation when the bill was lost. I intend to reintroduce that bill as soon as is practicably possible. I was hoping for this morning, but I understand that it will be delayed for another two weeks at least.

I should say that the drug driving bill was explicitly supported by the police commissioner both in the previous government and in this government. There is a letter to the Budget and Finance Committee from earlier this year in which the police commissioner explicitly states that he supports the measures contained in that bill. This is a bill that was postponed by the government, by the police minister and by the Attorney-General 30 times. I will be reintroducing that bill. Hopefully, the police commissioner has had a word in the minister's ear.

He was forced to go on the radio, and there was some sort of convoluted conversation about the measures in this particular bill. Some promises were made about some measures that the police minister would be introducing into this parliament. We have heard nothing since, of course. He could easily come in, talk to the Attorney-General, talk to his cabinet, talk to the caucus, talk to the party room opposite and have that bill passed within the next month.

There is another bill I introduced in the last parliament as a consequence of the Ice Taskforce around the ability of police to search vehicles and persons that they are currently prohibited from searching. I am not an advocate of all-out stop-and-search legislation, as takes place in some places, obviously. The second bill I am talking about relates to persons and vehicles seen coming and going from houses that police intelligence very strongly indicates are involved in either the manufacture or the distribution of drugs.

Again, this is a measure that was recommended by the Ice Taskforce. Again, it was a bill that was postponed time and time again by those opposite. I will be reintroducing that bill. I was hoping to reintroduce it this morning. I will be reintroducing it within the next two weeks, and I hope the government sees fit to support it.

Road safety was mentioned, of course. I do not want to go on too much about road safety in terms of the number of lives lost except to say that last year was a particularly worrying year in terms of the number of lives lost and the amount of road trauma we saw. There was a significant increase in motorbike road trauma, which I will get to in a minute. It coincided, of course, with the closure of the Motor Accident Commission and some confusion about what will replace the Motor Accident Commission.

The Leader of the Opposition has announced that we will be taking this matter very seriously over the next two years as we develop our own policies around road safety. Suffice to say at the moment that we on this side are united in the view that the number of lives lost on our roads is far, far too high. Something needs to change.

There was some talk in the Governor's speech about motorbike legislation. In 2017, there was a similar spike in motorcycle road trauma, which prompted the establishment of a motorcycle reference group by the then minister. That reference group met and the commitment was given to continue meeting. One of the things that came out of that reference group initially was a report that, among other things, recommended some changes to the licensing regime so that young riders and novice riders, who may not be young, have to go through a far more rigorous driver training and licensing regime.

When the government came into power, they refused to act on this report, even in the face of a rising road toll and a rising motorbike road toll. They ignored the report and failed to meet with motorcycle groups, who are still angry about it. I have spoken to members of various motorcycle groups and they are still baffled as to why the government will not meet with them, why the police minister will not regularly meet with them and why he will not reinstitute the motorcycle reference group. It is not just about licensing; it is about a whole suite of other things. Mostly, it is about listening to motorcycle groups and experts in relation to what could be done to reduce the road toll rather than just listening to DPTI.

Having seen the government's failure, the motorcycle groups met with the opposition and we very quickly got to work on establishing a bill. This bill failed in the previous parliament and I will be reintroducing it to the house. The bill directly addressed that licensing issue. It took the recommendations of the expert report into motorcycle safety and translated it into a bill which reforms the motorcycle licensing regime in this state.

There were some tweaks, in that it did not contain everything that the report recommended because we listened to the motorcycle groups, whereas the minister did not. We took their advice as to where the expert report could perhaps be tweaked in terms of its recommendations in order to make it more realistic in regard to more realistic expectations on novice motorbike riders. Very, very late last year, the minister finally made some noise about motorbike licensing reform. We are yet to see any legislation, and I doubt we will see any before I reintroduce my motorcycle licensing reform bill in the next two weeks.

That said, the priority is motorbike road safety, and if the government comes into this place with a well thought-out bill and a suite of well thought-out measures that have the support of motorbike groups, the RAA, the Ulysses Club and the Motorcycle Riders' Association of South Australia—and if it has the support of those groups and they are sensible reforms, I imagine they would largely reflect the private member's bill that was in the previous session of parliament.

I would be more than happy to sit down with the minister and come to a conclusion whereby we could support a government bill that does the things we intended to do. Ultimately, we all want the same thing: to stop motorcyclists dying in such large numbers on our roads.

Finally, in the time left to me, I just want to touch on the Fire and Emergency Services (Miscellaneous) Amendment Bill, which I gather is being resurrected in the other place, if it has not been already. I will try not to breach parliamentary convention in traversing too much of the bill itself, but I will say that there is still some conjecture about what that bill does.

The initial bill was so ill thought out that it was sent to a select committee by the Deputy Speaker and others on the minister's own backbench. It was sent to a select committee to make certain recommendations because CFS volunteers and other country residents were so unhappy with the idea of the harvest ban—the idea that a CFS volunteer who may well be an employee or friend of a landholder could march onto that landholder's land and ask them to cease activities with all the authority of government.

It put the CFS volunteers and others in an untenable position, so the select committee went away and did its work. The select committee recommended that SAPOL should do that work, which in itself is not a bad idea. SAPOL is charged with enforcing laws, and if something is a law on any given day then SAPOL should be enforcing that law. However, there is nothing in the bill which states that SAPOL needs to act on any particular direction, other than having reference to the code of practice that governs grain producers and the way they work.

It is ridiculous to expect every country police officer to be so familiar with that code of practice that, on any given day, they can assess fire risk on a landowner's property. Certainly, that is the position of the Police Association and certainly that was the position of the police themselves in their evidence to the select committee, so it baffles me how the government could come back to the bill with amendments that do not directly address that. I understand why they have made SAPOL the lead agency in terms of the harvest ban, but it seems absurd to me to have, under the terms of the bill, SAPOL acting entirely autonomously without any reference to any significant authority such as the CFS, who can assess fire risk.

If and when that bill is debated in the upper house, we will be reintroducing those amendments that basically put another layer over the top of SAPOL so that SAPOL can act on the advice of an authorised person. That authorised person will almost always be an officer of the CFS—not a local volunteer, I hasten to add, which is how the original bill was structured.

With those words, I want to put on the record again my enormous respect for the Governor, His Excellency the Hon. Hieu Van Le. It was a lengthy speech, probably lengthier than the Governor wished it to be, but the government's agenda in no way reflects on the Governor. I commend him and wish him years of good health.

Mr COWDREY (Colton) (12:26): I rise to add my contribution to the motion moved by the member for Kavel, namely, the Address in Reply to the Governor's speech in this Second Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of South Australia.

I begin by reflecting on the events that are now firmly etched in the memories of so many South Australians. While the electorate of Colton is a coastal beachside community, we, like all South Australians, felt for our not too distant neighbours as bushfires ripped through parts of the South-East, Cudlee Creek in the Adelaide Hills and surrounding areas, and the western end of Kangaroo Island. These fires have seriously impacted those communities, and our thoughts were and continue to be with them.

The loss of life, of livelihood, of pristine environment and of wildlife was immense. The indirect impact has been more broadly felt across our state and through different industries, but support has been demonstrated in many ways, not least through the vast generosity and compassion shown by many South Australians through voluntary work, donations to the Premier's Bushfire Appeal and other appeals, as well as many other diverse and important supportive activities.

The images and videos that many of us not directly involved in the firefighting efforts consumed over that period were confronting. The fires were at times frightening and a demonstration of nature at its most fearsome. The loss of life that so many members have already referenced here in this place is sobering and an additional burden that many individuals, families and communities will have to come to grips with over the coming months and years. The emotional toll of the events only added to the physical injuries sustained and the economic and physical impact of stock loss, physical infrastructure loss and loss of personal items that often cannot be replaced.

The impacts, however, would and could have been far worse if not for the many dedicated and fearless firefighters and emergency services volunteers and personnel who took up the challenge, many with little regard for their own wellbeing. It was, in my opinion, a fantastic gesture to have the members of the Country Fire Service, Metropolitan Fire Service, State Emergency Service and National Parks and Wildlife Service included in the opening session of this session of parliament. They were not just included but recognised not only by the Governor but, when the Governor's remarks were acknowledged, with a resounding round of applause from all members of this place and the other place, as well as members of the public gallery.

That said, as members of this place from those respective communities have mentioned already, their communities are microcosms of our broader South Australian community. They are communities that are defined by their resilience and a commitment to rebuilding post these events. At this time, I recognise the local members and leaders of these communities for their efforts and leadership during these tough times from this place, federal parliament and local government. From everything I have heard, their presence and assistance in updating their communities with timely and accurate information was and continues to be greatly appreciated.

I want to specifically make reference to the Premier's handling of these events. It goes without saying that these sorts of events, packed with emotion and heartbreak, can often be difficult to handle. Feedback from my community has certainly been overwhelmingly positive, with many acknowledging the authenticity, level-headedness and innate leadership that the Premier demonstrated over this tough period. So many of my constituents passed on this feedback to me and I wanted to put that on record today.

I am proud to be part of a government that has proactively put in place supports for those impacted by these fires. Amongst other things, to assist those who have suffered loss, the government is providing tax relief and the waiving of fees and charges, and in partnership with the commonwealth has allocated funding to support recovery and rebuilding efforts in these communities. The government is also allocating major resources from its agencies to support recovery and rebuilding works for individuals, communities, primary producers, businesses and the environment.

I am also proud to be part of a community that has supported those in need. So many of our local clubs have held fundraisers over the past couple of months. It says a lot about what our community stands for and what we see as important and is one of the positives that we should cherish and acknowledge as a result of these events. I say a massive thankyou and good on you to all community groups and sports clubs who helped out their fellow South Australians in their time of need.

Along with several of my colleagues—and I know it has been mentioned by a number of them already—I recently had the opportunity to venture into the fireground at Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island. While I am not as experienced in these sorts of events as others, like the member for Hammond, for instance—I must add, it was a fantastic picture of him with a furry friend in need during the fire and somewhat unexpected, some would say—I can safely say that I have certainly never seen anything like what I saw. The sheer size of the area impacted, the loss of infrastructure and amenity, and the heat and ferocity that must have been present in that fire front are just unimaginable.

However, we were all incredibly encouraged by the sight of rain on the island on that day. As we were making our way through, the heavens opened, as I am sure everyone can recall. On that day in February, many mils of rain followed. We had the pleasure of seeing the bush already rebounding, of seeing green shoots and evidence of new growth in just such a short period of time after those devastating events. While there is certainly a very long road ahead, as a state we should be incredibly proud of our response. We will continue to support those who have been impacted and, importantly, through the commissions and inquiries that are to come, we will learn and improve our response mechanisms to these sorts of events.

I also think it is important to try to normalise life as quickly as possible, as normal as things can be in these situations, so events like the Kangaroo Island Fringe on Penneshaw on 20 February are critical to that community as they start to rebuild. We must always continue to get the news out that much of the regions in the Hills and on Kangaroo Island are largely untouched. These areas are well and truly open for business and the best thing that we can do as South Australians is to spread that message: spend money in these regions, encourage our friends and our families to do the same and #BookThemOut.

I now reflect on what improvements have occurred in our local area since the election. Hours at the Henley Beach Police Station have been restored after they were cut by the former Labor government. The government has announced, funded and started implementation and delivery of a plan to ensure the future of our metropolitan coastline.

Sand replenishment volumes were significantly increased this year, and recently we have seen in the media pictures of the improvement in just one section of West Beach already. While there is still an incredibly long way to go, having those volumes increased to match the rate of loss in West Beach and Henley Beach South, replacing that which has moved through lateral drift, has certainly already assisted that area.

In the future large-scale replenishment of external sand is on the horizon to build further resilience in the at-risk area of the beach, and a pumping pipeline, similar to the one installed between Glenelg and Kingston Park, which efficiently and effectively pumps and helps maintain that section of our metropolitan coastline in the south, will be built to more efficiently transfer appropriate volumes of sand over the longer term to north-western beaches. It will greatly reduce the instances of trucks on our beaches and on our beachside streets and reduce the need for sand carting.

The one thing, and I have said it already in this place, that is a pity is that those opposite stuck their heads in the sand on this issue for far too long. They did not value the communities of West Beach, Henley South and Henley enough —and really any of the beaches north of Glenelg, including Grange, for instance—to do anything about this issue.

Recently, safety bollards were installed at Henley Square running parallel to Seaview Road. Henley Square, as I am sure you know, sir, is an extremely busy part of our city and a great place to eat breakfast, to have a coffee, a swim and even a beverage on a warm evening. While campaigning during the last election period I had locals, businesses and community groups raise the issue of diner and more broadly pedestrian safety at Henley Square. We made a promise to improve safety measures at the square, to restrict vehicle access to the area while maintaining the look and feel of the square, and that is exactly what has happened.

Post the election, in line with another commitment, SAPOL undertook an audit of public places in South Australia. This information, along with public feedback, allowed the local council to design a solution. Both the council and I then worked with business owners impacted to ensure that the proposed works were acceptable and helpful to their businesses, and council as the responsible party installed the bollards using funds provided by our government. I thank the council for its work on this project and its desire to ensure that it meets its obligations to protect our local residents in our local public places.

The Kibby Avenue intersection near the Glenelg Community Centre and local kindergarten at Glenelg North has long been a thorn in the side of motorists and pedestrians using it. I am pleased to advise that the Holdfast Bay council has been provided with funds to improve the intersection, and that it is finalising the design as we speak. I thank all those residents, particularly those in the near vicinity of the intersection, for their feedback and assistance in shaping the final design of the intersection upgrade. Their input has certainly helped ensure that we have the best possible outcome, and that the upgrade balances safety considerations, pedestrian safety and, of course, amenity for local residents.

Funds have also been provided to the Henley Sharks Football Club for a new family and female-friendly change room, infrastructure that will not just benefit the football club but also the West Torrens District Cricket Club. I am also pleased to report that West Beach Road has been upgraded. During the campaign I lobbied the federal government to provide funds for this important upgrade. Now a separated road with clear off-street parking, the road more appropriately meets the growing needs of our local area. The road services West Beach Parks; Diamond Sports SA; the home of the Claxton Shield runners-up, the Adelaide Giants (and we are sorry for their recent loss in the Claxton Shield final); Football SA; West Beach Mini Golf; and Westward Ho Golf Club, amongst many other patrons.

The road obviously holds high volumes of traffic, particularly during the summer months. The community had certainly called for an upgrade of this road for a significant period of time, citing many different reasons, including issues with lighting and the lack of separation of road movements either side during twilight periods.

More broadly across the electorate, at last count 1,748 sports vouchers had been claimed in the Colton electorate. Each voucher represents a primary school-age student whose parent or caregiver's costs have been reduced. It is important to note that the voucher was doubled by this government, promoting sport and exercise—two things that have so many benefits for young people—and assisting the next generation of Sharks, Demons, Eagles, Tigers and, let's not forget with the expansion of eligible sports, swimmers in our local area.

It is safe to say there has been a huge amount of activity in the electorate of Colton and I am proud to be delivering on behalf of and for the constituents of Colton. I was incredibly proud and happy to see priority given in the Governor's speech to the issue of the environment. He acknowledged that South Australia's climate is changing and that further change is inevitable. I share his view that this change presents our state with a great opportunity and must not be used for community division or despair. Our government is focused on the implementation of practical measures that secure emissions abatement without increasing energy costs or reducing jobs.

I have already discussed one of these practical measures: our work ensuring the future of our metropolitan coastline. It is important to realise that the coastline is our first line of defence for climate change and sea level rise. Others include the largest home battery rollout per capita in the world through the Home Battery Scheme, and the creation of the world's largest virtual power plant for the provision of batteries to Housing Trust homes.

I was pleased to recently hold a forum with the Minister for Energy and Mining for people interested in the Home Battery Scheme—and there were many. I am encouraged to see that interest in the program continues to build as more and more people become aware of what is on offer. My community is one that has a high percentage of households with rooftop solar, and tapping into the potential of these assets to make that energy available in peak periods and, when the sun is not shining, at the household level, is going to assist in making our statewide energy system more reliable.

In acting now to mitigate climate risk, South Australia can be an international leader in successfully harnessing current and emerging opportunities for economic growth through the development of new climate services and industries. Significant opportunities are there for us in the hydrogen fuel and biofuel areas as many of our neighbouring countries look to reshape their energy and fuel futures. The transition to electric vehicles and low emission transport is something that we are certainly looking towards. We will touch on climate resilient agriculture in just a second. Innovation in waste and recycling is something that we have seen coming for quite some time.

These opportunities and programs will help South Australia to aspire to reduce emissions by more than 50 per cent by 2030, from 2005 levels, potentially positioning South Australia to contribute twice as much to the national target as other states. Another important element to come in the environment area is the establishment of the Green Adelaide board. Green Adelaide will drive the rapid greening and cooling of our capital city and build a strong connection between residents and their natural environment through initiatives that adapt the urban landscape to our changing climates.

This includes very practical programs like the Greener Neighbourhoods Grants Program that provides councils with resources to plant trees in our streets, particularly in areas that have seen significant subdivision and development, and to see their green canopy returned in areas that have seen significant heat increases.

The first business in our state has already gone plastic free under our government's plan to phase out single-use plastics. Our local surf clubs are trial sites for that program and they are incredibly excited about being part of that. Following extensive consultation with communities and businesses, a bill will be presented to this parliament to phase out single-use plastic items like straws, cutlery, beverage stirrers, polystyrene cups and bowls. It is something that is incredibly important to my community being, firstly, a coastal community but also at the end of the River Torrens.

We are acutely aware, probably more than many in the state, of the plastic issue. Anything that enters our waterways somehow finds its way down to the Torrens outlet, whether that be the Sturt River through the Patawalonga or through the River Torrens; we in Colton certainly see a lot of that. It is something that has motivated our community for many years through clean-up activities and revegetation of our dunes and our coastal area more broadly. Certainly, the elimination of single-use plastics is something that my community highly values.

We have said it on multiple occasions, but our government's focus is on providing more jobs, lower costs and better services for the people of South Australia. To enhance and sustain our young people's learning environments, the government has committed $1.3 billion toward buildings and other school infrastructure, including an upgrade at Henley High School on the back of the recently opened STEM facilities last year. By mid-2020, SA schools will have the best internet connection in the nation when our government completes its partnership with Telstra. Most of the schools in our local area are in fact already connected to the high-speed internet, assisting them to learn without interruption.

The government has also invested in job creation programs and skills for the future. Just one example is the establishment in Adelaide of the Australian Space Agency and cooperative research centre at Lot Fourteen. Given today was the official opening of Space HQ at Lot Fourteen, where we had the Prime Minister, the federal space minister, Karen Andrews, and the Premier there for the opening, I thought it helpful to at least add some further detail about that Space Agency.

Lot Fourteen, as it is, is an incredibly important signal for our South Australian community. The vision of the former Labor government was to have hotels and housing in that area. We see Lot Fourteen as being a clear part of future industries here in South Australia, a place where we can upskill, a place where we can congregate, a place where we have the very best and brightest stay in South Australia and contribute to our state through placing opportunities in growth in future industries, and whether that be through the SmartSat CRC, the Australian Institute for Machine Learning, the Space HQ or the Space Discovery Centre, it is an incredibly exciting part of our future to see those investments at Lot Fourteen.

The Premier is certainly very passionate about these emerging industries, whether they be innovation based, whether they be cyber based or whether they be any of these industries that will shape our future. We often very flippantly say that the jobs of the future are ones that we do not imagine today. We certainly hope the jobs of the future will be based here in South Australia, based on the investments that this government is making in starting to build around those future industries in South Australia, here on North Terrace.

Investing in these industries at an early point also provides us with first mover opportunities that will come from that. It has been said by many already that the space industry will give us opportunities to see strong jobs and financial growth over the future periods, and building on relationships with the likes of NASA and the Italian Space Agency and putting South Australia and Adelaide forward as a similar sister city to Houston, Cape Canaveral or other leaders in the space industry is certainly an exciting opportunity for us as we move forward.

In tandem with that, the take-up of apprenticeships and traineeships has increased by almost 20 per cent, following more than 13,000 commencements during the first year of the government's Skilling South Australia initiative, jointly funded with the commonwealth. As I said, building apprenticeships, traineeships and our VET sector is incredibly important for our young people. As they are moving through school, the view that university is the only option certainly is not the view that I think is held by the vast majority of people, nor should it be. Each of us has our own individual strengths, each of us has our own individual wants and desires for our future.

We aim to provide adequate opportunities, whether that be through TAFE, which now through the AQIS process has had its credibility as a training provider restored, whether that be through the VET sector more broadly, whether that be through a traineeship or apprenticeship, whether that be through further study or whether that be through university education and beyond. Those options should be there for all South Australians. Those options should be options they see as having credibility that will allow them to come out the other end with a recognised education.

Another important factor that our government has put a lot of emphasis on is the reduction in the number of South Australians relocating interstate. One of the biggest stains on the former Labor government's time in charge was that we saw far too many of our best and brightest disappearing from our state. Interstate migration is such an important measure of where we are as a state.

We aspire to continue to improve this metric by having our young talented South Australians see our state as a place where they can skill themselves appropriately, where they can start and build careers and where they can become the next generation of leaders. It is critically important to our net interstate migration figure. It has reduced significantly since the Marshall Liberal government has come to power and it is something we will continue to give attention to. We desire to see that net interstate migration number at the very minimum level but also to improve on it.

The government continues to deliver on its commitments made. The government continues to lower costs for South Australians, for families and for businesses. Since coming to government, payroll tax for small business has been abolished. Emergency services levy bills have been significantly reduced and, from July, there will be lower water costs after the former Labor government was found by an independent inquiry into water pricing in South Australia to have overvalued SA Water's assets by at least $520 million, unnecessarily driving up household and business water bills. Further cost reduction and relief include lower electricity bills for South Australian households—and many of my colleagues have touched on that—reductions in compulsory third-party insurance premiums and free screening checks for volunteers, the backbone of many of our local communities.

While we are disappointed that the parliament ultimately knocked back a number of bills containing policy that we believe to have the majority support of South Australians, our government has been clear that we will reintroduce those bills to extend the times that shops can trade in the Greater Adelaide shopping district and proclaimed shopping districts, to improve efficiency of the local government sector, and to permanently lift the prohibition on growing genetically modified crops in all areas of our state except Kangaroo Island. There is an added economic argument to the GM modification in that we are holding ourselves back from research and investment dollars around genetically modified crops, simply because we are unable to grow them here in South Australia.

As a government, our job is only just beginning, as we set ourselves to positively improve the future of South Australians. We have an amazing local area, a state with many skilled, talented and compassionate people who are ultimately our greatest asset. It is our job to make things easier for them to succeed. I thank the people of Colton for their support, their assistance and their passion over the near two years that I have had the opportunity to serve them. I look forward to continuing to advocate, to put their ideas forward and to together improve our local area moving forward.

Ms MICHAELS (Enfield) (12:54): Before I commence, as someone just asked me what the teal ribbon was for, I thought I would make mention that it is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and thank the OC Challenge, which is a South Australian charity helping women suffering from ovarian cancer.

As I rise today to speak in response to His Excellency the Governor of South Australia's speech in the other place, I want to thank the Governor for his words and thank him and Mrs Le for their ongoing commitment to the people of South Australia. This is my first opportunity to speak in reply to His Excellency's opening of a South Australian parliament, given I was elected on a by-election nine months after the last session of parliament was opened. As it happens, this is the anniversary week of my being declared the new member for Enfield, and it has provided me with an opportunity to reflect on my time here serving the people of Enfield. It has also provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the government's promises from the last election and what I see as their failures for my constituents of Enfield.

Before I reflect on this government's broken promises and inaction to build our economy, I want to acknowledge the commitment of South Australia's emergency services workers who put themselves in danger to protect South Australians and their properties in the Adelaide Hills and Kangaroo Island. This fire season has resulted in terrible devastation across both regions. Worse yet, the fire season is with us for some time to come. As our climate is changing, our fire season is becoming more dangerous.

The South Australian community has suffered significant losses with the death of Ron Selth from Charleston and the deaths of Dick Lang and Clayton Lang from Kangaroo Island. I extend my sincere condolences to their families for their loss. To those who survived the fires but lost their homes and belongings, my heart goes out to you. I join with the rest of South Australians in standing with these people in their time of need to provide the support that they require to rebuild their lives.

South Australians are known for their generous spirit, and we have witnessed an outpouring of love from the community, with donations to the State Emergency Relief Fund and other initiatives. My office has been a collection point for Backpacks for Bushfires. As soon as Karen Flinn launched Backpacks for Bushfires, the backpacks began arriving at my office in Enfield, with Enfield residents wanting to help out affected families. We ended up with some 266 backpacks that were dropped off to children just before the school year started.

These fires are a symptom of climate change. While in government, the Labor Party took active steps to mitigate South Australia's reliance on fossil fuels. The then opposition fought against these steps at every stage, and their federal colleagues provided and continue to provide no leadership on this issue whatsoever. South Australia is now well placed to seize on this opportunity and lead Australia and the world in greener energies and industries. Thanks to Labor's initiatives, South Australia leads the country with clean energy use. While South Australia has leapt ahead in wind and solar power generation, South Australian experts have continued research into alternatives such as hydrogen, geothermal and wave power. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 12.59 to 14.00.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT