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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, Second Session (54-2)
2021-03-16 Daily Xml
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Grievance Debate

Hove Level Crossing

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens) (15:26): I spent a lovely Sunday morning in the beautiful suburb of Hove. It is safe to say that the 100 or so residents who turned up had very, very strong opinions about their local member of parliament. As the local MP—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: It would be inappropriate to mention the minister leaving during the debate on Hove, but I would say this: his absence at the largest public gathering in his electorate since COVID was noticed.

I have to say that Hove is not necessarily a hotbed of socialist activity, nor is it a place where people are used to protesting, but the people who came out were shocked and dismayed at the treatment they are getting at the hands of their government. It is fair to say that the people of Hove are confused by the advocacy they are getting from their local MP to the Minister for Infrastructure Transport; it just happens that they are the same person.

I informed the people of Hove, as I was there alongside the mayor and two other councillors, that the person who should be there advocating on their behalf is not just the mayor, is not just the councillors, is not just the local residents: it is their local MP. I have been one of those local MPs who also happens to be the minister responsible for the issue local residents are aggrieved by.

There is one hard and fast rule in politics, and that is: be where you are meant to be, show up, turn up, be accountable, listen to your constituents and, if you have the courage of your convictions to disagree with them, disagree with them politely. Disagree with them and turn up and tell them why you think they are wrong. That is courage. Not turning up and sending back generic letters to individually handwritten letters from your constituents about their proposals I think quite frankly is insulting.

I have to say that I did not think the seat that the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport currently holds would be on our target list, but I have to say—

An honourable member: He's put his hand up.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —he has put his hand up and he is leading with his chin. The platitudes, the sports analogies and talking over people will not work with local residents, nor will throwing out numbers pretending he is commentating on a sporting match work when it comes to local residents. They want hard and fast facts.

They want to know some basic questions: what is the cost of a rail-under bridge without a new rail line being built? If a new rail line were not built, how long would that rail line need to be closed? These are intelligent people. They want to make decisions for themselves. They do not want to be told what the outcome is of the minister's consultation with his office. They want him to consult with them, the local residents.

I will tell you what else aggrieves them: this rubbish class warfare argument moved and perpetuated by the member for Black alongside the member for Gibson, trying to pit suburb against suburb, trying to pit people who live in Somerton Park and Hove and Brighton, as if they are some sort of elite toffee people looking down on people, against people who live a bit further south. That is not it at all. These are people in public housing. These are people who are community minded and who care about their local communities. To have two senior members of the government behave this way aggrieves them.

I have to say that seeing some of the signs on people's front fences—vast, long, expensive fences—was heart warming. I would have thought that the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport might want to spend some time in his own backyard, talking to his own constituents and listening for a change, being less arrogant and more consultative, talking to them and hearing what they have to say, rather than the threats, the arrogance—

Ms Hildyard: The boundary riding.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, the boundary riding. I have to say that I think the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport is in for a rude shock in his electorate back home.

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