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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-16 Daily Xml
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Bills

Appropriation Bill 2022

Estimates Committees

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Energy and Mining) (11:01): By leave, I move:

That a message be sent to the Legislative Council requesting the Attorney-General, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector (Hon. K.J. Maher) and the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, the Minister for Forest Industries (Hon. C.M. Scriven), members of the Legislative Council, be permitted to attend and give evidence before the estimates committees of the House of Assembly on the Appropriation Bill.

Motion carried.

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 15 June 2022.)

Mr TELFER (Flinders) (11:02): I rise to speak on the very important Appropriation Bill second reading. This is perhaps the greatest responsibility of this place—to consider and deliberate over where the budget allocations for our state go. The number one infrastructure issue that we face, obviously, with our diverse and broad landscape, is the road network, especially for me as the member for Flinders.

I was encouraged to see a small additional allocation in the budget under the Roads of Strategic Importance funding program, which was driven (no pun intended) by the federal government, looking at where the roads are across our country that should be prioritised strategically to look at what the needs are for not just now but into the future. The funding agreement put together between the federal and state government was one that was a true advantage to us, especially in regional South Australia and for us in Flinders.

There was an extension within the state budget to some of this funding stream, and I am encouraged to have a look at what opportunities there might be under this fund. I have been disappointed with the lack of transparency, from the perspective of locals, as to where this money is being allocated. I am hopeful that the good work that started under the previous government will continue with this small extra bit of funding.

The previous state government did an incredible body of work with some of the funds that were allocated on Eyre Peninsula. The shoulder sealing along the Eyre Highway, which is the main east-west national Highway 1 thoroughfare through my electorate, meant that there is a much safer passageway for the many trucks and vehicle movements that happen along that highway. The shoulder sealing that happened along the Tod Highway through the middle of Eyre Peninsula was one which our people had been calling for for a long time and were very excited to see happening.

We have seen overtaking lanes being constructed on the Lincoln Highway. We have seen the intersection between Flinders Highway and Tod Highway receiving an upgrade. These are all basic, important infrastructure works that have been enabled through the Roads of Strategic Importance funding. With the extra allocation, I hope to look at what opportunities there are to make sure that work continues—to look at the promised overtaking lane on the Tod Highway south of Cummins, to look at the important aspect of the transport expenditure for the streets of Port Lincoln. I have spoken in this place previously about the challenges that are faced within the City of Port Lincoln, especially around the Liverpool Street/Mortlock Terrace/Porter Street arrangements, where there are heavy vehicle movement interactions with domestic use.

We are living in a situation where roads were designed for a much smaller and much lighter load of vehicle than now needs to use those roads. We need to make sure we are providing for the modern transport needs of our communities, and that is no more pertinent to me than in those streets of Port Lincoln. I, for one, am going to be fighting to make sure that some of that allocation is put into making sure that those roundabouts, those intersections and those interactions, both domestic and pedestrian, are going to be appropriately designed not just for now but for the future as well.

There is also an opportunity to look at where this money can then enable other expenditure. For mine, the shoulder sealing work that has been done across the whole of the state, but particularly on Eyre Peninsula, is really important. The shoulders along the Flinders Highway, in particular between Streaky Bay and Ceduna—a long way from here—and also south of Elliston have meant that the roads we currently have to use are quite dangerous, and the interactions between caravans, visitors to our area and heavy vehicles as well as domestic use are becoming increasingly dangerous. Those are key priority areas for me as the member for Flinders as we look forward to what the next step of road expenditure is going to look like.

The investment into our education infrastructure and system is a really important one for us as a state. In the electorate of Flinders, by my count I have 29 schools all across the whole of Eyre Peninsula. One of them, Port Lincoln High School, got some infrastructure funding through this budget, which leaves a whole heap of other schools that we need to make sure we are also investing into.

I have spoken in this place about the importance of the next-step upgrade at Ceduna Area School, and that is of the special education class, which is an increasingly important need not just now—it is a very important need now—but, as I said, looking into the future. The special education needs of the Ceduna Area School have had to be accommodated in a building that was not constructed for that need. It was constructed as the school community library, and a great school community library it was. Because the special education classes had to be relocated into a part of that, and as that need has grown the community school library has been squeezed out.

We are getting to a point where in the very short term there is not going to actually be accommodation for that school community library within the school grounds. That is something that really disappoints me because a community such as Ceduna really needs that connection point. The special unique arrangements that come with a school community library mean that there is the opportunity for interactions across generations—the very young, the preschool, the schoolkids—working in the same area that some of the older members of our population are coming into to explore the many assets within the library. That is an essential community service within the community of Ceduna that we need to make sure continues.

That is why I have been a strong advocate for investment from the state government into an appropriately built, customised special education class at Ceduna Area School. As I said, the need is growing and the need is now, but it is going to be greater into the future. We need to make sure that this is the sort of strategic investment we are doing. I am hopeful, and the words that have been said by the education minister in previous weeks here are that we might be able to find some of the funding necessary for this special education class within the other school projects line in the education budget. This is something that is essential for my community in Flinders, especially for those in Ceduna.

We also see that there are increasingly outdated school facilities across the 29 schools in Flinders. We need to make sure that the expenditure we see within our state budgets is not just targeted at certain seats that might be able to swing an election but is targeted at the areas the state's economy rides upon. As I said, and I will continue to say in this place, the regions put $29 billion into our state's economy. We need to be investing some of that money back to make sure that that $29 billion grows and does not shrink. We need to be investing in the foundations, the cornerstones, of what our communities need going forward—and education is a key one.

There is also a significant need within my community, and within regional communities as a whole, for more appropriate childcare services. It is a need I am looking to be a real champion for within this place. Although child care is a federal government issue theoretically, all levels of government have a real interest in making sure there is a system in place that supports people to get back into the workforce, and that is no more pertinent than in regional South Australia. There is an opportunity for the state government—especially through the education department, I believe—to play a key role in this challenge.

There is infrastructure that could be available for infrastructure owned by the education department, which could then be utilised within our small communities to provide a service. We need all three levels of government involved to make sure that the services that are delivered are going to be appropriate for what our communities in our regions really need. Child care is actually a handbrake upon our regional communities. Without that appropriate care, the full potential of our communities cannot be fulfilled.

I have spoken about health in regions in this place a few times already, and I was very encouraged to see within the state budget an allocation of $2½ million dollars to the Yadu health service, the Aboriginal health service within the Ceduna area. It is not just Ceduna it services and it is not just the Indigenous population. It has doctors there who service much further abroad than just Ceduna and much further abroad than just the Aboriginal community. Yadu has been dealing with the situation of a degrading building, and it has got to the point where a significant portion of that building has not been able to be utilised.

I was really encouraged by the previous government's positive steps to make sure the tenure of that land was locked in place. I was proud to see that it was locked in place for 99 years, so there is certainty about any construction that happens within that footprint. That is why that next step was really crucial and the allocation that has been made of $2½ million from this state budget will need to be matched with increased funding from the federal government. I hope that has been communicated from the ministers here through to the new federal government.

There is also an increasing need for investments into our regional hospitals and health delivery. Across Flinders, there are 11 hospitals as well as a number of Aboriginal health services across the many kilometres of my electorate. These hospitals service communities that are spread a long way apart but are so vital for our state's economy. We cannot expect people to travel hundreds of kilometres for a GP appointment they should be able to have within their community. We need to have a system that actually suits our needs.

A key part of the health system within our regions, and in particular for me in Flinders and those who are farther flung across the state, is the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS). Those of us within the regions know the acronym well; those within the metropolitan area may only know it when it is brought up by those of us within the regions. The previous government increased the scope and the scale of the accommodation allowance, which was an incredibly important step for those people who have to stay for periods of time within Adelaide or within the major centres when they or their family are getting medical attention.

The PAT Scheme is set up in recognition that service delivery across our state in the health sphere is not equal and that there is a need for those of us within the regions to have to travel long distances and often stay for long periods of time to be able to have access to appropriate health care. The previous government committed in the election campaign to doubling the fuel subsidy for those who have to drive long distances under the PAT Scheme. This was an incredibly important step, which is obviously reflected now by the increased cost of living and the challenges that our regional communities face when trying to gain access to not extra health care but the health care that we all should expect.

I am calling on the state government to put time and effort into putting together a proposal for the doubling of the fuel subsidy to mirror what the previous government had committed to within their election campaign. This is not about politics: this is about getting people the appropriate health care that is needed. We are not here to play games. We want to make sure that people do not have a detrimental effect on their life because of their lack of access to health care, and I am afraid that is exactly what is happening within our regions.

We have many more negative health outcomes because of a lack of access to appropriate medical care within my communities. As the member for Flinders—and I am sure it is reflected in members across our region—I get comments and concerns from people within my community weekly about the challenges that they are facing with healthcare access. Some of those stories are incredibly hard for us as members to hear because they are people whose lives are cut short, or their quality of life is cut short, because of the lack of access to health care.

We need to make sure we are investing in the foundations of our community to ensure that the quality of life and the sustainability of life within our regions are continued because without that, without the regions, without that $29 billion that the regions put into our state, our state is going to be a hollow shell.

I have spoken in this place about the breadth of the electorate of Flinders many times and the unique environment enjoyed by those who are there and those who visit my region. We have some 26 national parks, conservation parks and marine parks across my electorate and to see the Department for Environment and Water, which manages a complex portfolio of natural and built assets that are critical for the wellbeing and economic prosperity of all South Australians, have their budget cut by such a significant amount really was quite confronting and quite disappointing.

We need to make sure we are investing back into the things that make our state livable. With a coastline of over 2,000 kilometres, coastal protection in particular is an incredibly important subject matter for those in my community and I was disappointed not to see more funding for coastal protection, especially in light of the recent erosion events that have been faced by my community on Eyre Peninsula. It is certainly front of mind at the moment.

I was also incredibly disappointed to see a $1 million reduction in the DEW safety burning program. This is pre-emptive work that is done to put in place safety measures that look after our communities, which minimises risk when it comes to bushfire, and there are many communities within this state that that risk is very pertinent to every single fire danger season. With a $1 million cut within that budget, I am worried that is going to mean there is an increased level of risk for bushfire within our communities.

With $29 billion going into our state's economy from the regions—I will keep on bringing up that number—the Department of Primary Industries and Regions is an incredibly important one to advance the prosperity and sustainability of our primary industries and regional communities, and that is why it was incredibly disappointing to see a nearly 9 per cent cut to PIRSA's budget.

The operations of PIRSA are incredibly broad. They cover agriculture, fisheries, aquaculture, research and development through SARDI, biosecurity and forestry. They cover regional development, which supports South Australian regions to grow, diversify and prosper by fostering and supporting regional projects. We need to be investing more in our regional economies, not taking money out.

A subject matter that is dear to my heart is the over 60 jetties which line our coastlines around not just Flinders but the whole state. Those jetties are key pieces of marine infrastructure, and in my electorate, by my count, there are some 18 jetties, which are so important to our communities. The jetties around the state are owned by the state government, with around half leased back to communities through their councils, especially around regional South Australia.

Councils across my region and the state have put a significant amount of ratepayer funds into these very important pieces of community infrastructure through the years. The previous government started the important work of developing and planning for a draft state jetties strategic plan. This work needs to be accelerated. We have seen these pieces of infrastructure get to a point of degradation that means they may not be sustainable without significant investment from the state government.

The lease arrangements that were in place with local councils are soon expiring. Some of these are expiring in only a couple of years' time and it was incredibly disappointing not to see a specific allocation towards jetties within the marine infrastructure aspect of the budget. I really think there is a missed opportunity in the short term, but I hope it is not within the medium term, because the jetties around our state are incredibly important, not just for those who live there but for those who visit, those who come and spend time within our regional communities and within our metropolitan communities. We are a coastal-based state, with the majority of us well within driving distance of our coastline, and these jetties around the state are incredibly important.

One that is close to my heart is the Tumby Bay Jetty, which is iconic. It was one of the ones that was featured in the Australia Post jetty stamp program. There are only four across the country and Tumby Bay Jetty was one of them, so it was sent all around the country and all around the world on our envelopes. It has got to such a point of degradation that the council is investing significant funds, hundreds of thousands of dollars, but that is only for short-term measures.

We need a state government that is actually putting strategic funding into our jetties. We are getting to a point of degradation that soon we will not be able to turn back from. If we get to the point where we are losing these vital pieces of marine infrastructure, I think it is a dark day for us as a state. We need to make sure that that investment is something that is strongly planned for and delivered by our state government.

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (11:22): On behalf of the communities within the electorate of Playford, I speak in support of the Appropriation Bill. For those at home, by and large this will enshrine the first Malinauskas Labor government's budget into law. It will bring a lot of good to my communities of Mawson Lakes, Parafield Gardens, Salisbury Downs, Green Fields and Paralowie. Health is a big concern to my constituents. While we do not have a major hospital within the electorate, we are in proximity to both the Lyell McEwin and Modbury hospitals. The recent news to double the number of extra beds at the Lyell McEwin will be reassuring to many of my constituents, who are rightly concerned about the ramping crisis.

I am particularly pleased that this $58 million investment will ensure patients can recover in rooms with single beds. Given the hospital has just over 400 beds, the additional 48 is a substantial increase. I was very grateful to recently meet with Sinead O'Brien and Ray Blight from the Northern Adelaide Local Health Network. They were of the view that single rooms are key to a more efficient and effective health service, and I am pleased that this is the trend forward. This is a vital piece of the $2.4 billion health investment by the Malinauskas government. It would have been substantially depleted if we had locked into an expensive and unnecessary basketball stadium.

I am also delighted we will see some significant improvements to public transport within my electorate. Not only have we seen the return of trains to the Gawler line but this budget also locks in free public transport to seniors, all day, every day. With unleaded petrol at the dizzy heights of $2.40 a litre, I am sure 1 July cannot come soon enough for our seniors. During the campaign, constituents like Trevor Dalton pointed out the need for bus services to the boulevard section of Parafield Gardens. This is a new part of the suburb, which will benefit from six stops through a $500,000 investment.

As mentioned in my maiden speech, I believe we need to make significant impacts around housing. The days of Adelaide being renowned as an affordable place to live are sadly slipping away. We are now in a situation where the median cost of a house in Adelaide is now eight times the median household income. This is having an adverse impact on both our rental market and newcomers hoping to have a piece of South Australia to call their own. The good news is that South Australians have elected a government that is trying to make a difference, and I congratulate Minister Cook on her agenda to improve public housing in South Australia.

While there will always be more work to do, even if the impact is small, every new house built as part of a public housing program helps alleviate inflationary pressures in our private markets. The Malinauskas government will spend $177.5 million over the next four years to grow and upgrade our public housing stock. I understand this will deliver 400 new public housing homes and bring another 350 up to standard so that they can provide shelter for families in need.

It will also launch a maintenance blitz on a further 3,000 homes to provide safe and suitable accommodation. As I walked through the suburbs I represent in the election campaign, I could see public housing in need of some extra TLC. I look forward to working with the minister on making a difference within my community on this vital front. Whenever it is needed, I will also be lending my voice to her in the hope that we can build on this. Facilities at The Pines Primary School have been an issue for some time. This budget locks in Labor's $1 million commitment towards a new gym. I look forward to working with the school community in delivering this long-overdue upgrade.

On a separate, but still important matter, I note the significance this bill has in funding our emergency services. The north of Adelaide was hit two weeks ago with a damaging low-pressure system that brought torrential rain, flooding and a mini tornado. Quick to help out my community in its time of need were volunteers from the SES and CFS who were on hand during the most unsavoury hours.

Led by Anthony Gunter and Chris Noble-Banks, I say my heartfelt thanks to local units for their selfless acts that cleared away water passing into homes, flooding and fallen trees. These volunteers selflessly give up their time to make a difference. They do not do it for money but, in the process, they earn our respect and appreciation. I am particularly pleased that one of the first acts of this new government was to renew the value placed in our CFS and SES volunteers through the signing of their respective volunteer charters. This budget will now help enshrine those commitments.

I feel it is important that we also note and place on the record where we sit fiscally. I am doing this in the hope that we can have a more truthful discussion about debt, rather than the nonsense spruiked by the Liberal Party when they were in opposition between 2002 and 2016. For years, they maintained that Labor was reckless when it came to spending and that they should be seen as some kind of superior fiscal manager of the universe.

They have had four years in government and their record is not pretty. If they are going to play that card again, I will be there to remind them every step of the way that they inherited a government balance sheet with a total net debt level of $12.95 billion or 63.5 per cent of total government revenues. In reaffirming the words of the Treasurer:

…in their last budget, the former Liberal government projected debt to reach $33.6 billion, or 129.6 per cent of total government revenues, by 2024-25.

It is easy to hide behind the pandemic, and I know they will do whatever they can to favourably manage this misperception, but we also know that debt was forecast to nearly double even before COVID came to town. While it will take some time for us to get back to pre-Liberal figures, the good news is that this budget projects that the ratio of revenue to debt will decline over the forward estimates.

The state government is the biggest buyer of goods and services in the state. I was particularly impressed by the Treasurer's commitment to revisit our procurement policies. In my time in the Northern Territory, I saw similar policies enacted by the Gunner Labor government with great success. Their Buy Local Plan gives local businesses greater opportunity to tender for and win government work.

Local businesses will be the big winners if government can change its purchasing habits in favour of local suppliers. Echoing the words of David Waylen from the Salisbury Business Association and the fantastic sign he has me waving, it is important to 'go local first'. I know the Treasurer highlighted a 5 per cent change to spending will boost our economy by over $400 million per year, but I hope, for the sake of local businesses, we can go further.

I have chosen to highlight just a few examples of why the budget matters to the people living in the electorate of Playford. It will deliver enormous value to our communities, be it in health, education, housing, public transport, emergency services or small business. These benefits are enormous, and I am happy to commend this bill to the house.

Ms PRATT (Frome) (11:30): I rise today to speak on the Appropriation Bill 2022 regarding the 2022-23 state budget. Of course, my country colleagues are always quick to get on the record the extraordinary economic contribution of South Australia's regions, which sits around $31 billion for the last financial year, which is no mean feat. In my own electorate of Frome, we are the third largest contributor to the economy, representing $4.5 billion of the gross regional product, punching way above our weight, I think, for a region.

In recognising what contributes to that $4.5 billion, it certainly is an interesting food bowl. There are canola crops, and we have broadacre farming. Durum wheat features significantly and supports the great businesses of San Remo and Pangkarra. A number of farmers grow hay, and we see through Balco, Gilmac and JT Johnson a very strong hay exporting contribution from the Mid North. There are livestock and merino wool, and we are known for the horticultural food bowl of the Adelaide Plains. Last but not least, there is our internationally renowned wine from the Clare Valley.

An honourable member: Hear, hear!

Ms PRATT: Hear, hear! With the state budget handed down last week, I am naturally disappointed with the lack of funding for projects in my own electorate of Frome because every MP should always want more. Given that the Labor Party's state election candidate for the 2022 election probably still lives in the western suburbs and did not ever make an effort to cross the Gawler River, it is not surprising that Labor has quickly forgotten a seat it does not hold.

By the government's own budget overview document, their definition of the Mid North region is in fact Port Pirie, and it is not even close. Perhaps the government needs to include a map in next year's budget. While Rik Morris sits up in the dream factory known as the PDU—we call it the Premier's Delivery Unit—I would like to know what deliverables the voters of Frome can expect from a government that has promised to service the state regardless of postcode.

We have seen a cut to PIRSA of almost $16 million or nearly 9 per cent, which is a real kick in the guts to regional productivity. It is certainly a crucial agency, and any loss of funding is unforgivable. South Australia's regions and primary industries are certainly critical to the state's economy, supporting our export sector and providing significant employment opportunities in my electorate of Frome.

We certainly know that the cost of living has gone up yet again, but Labor has definitely failed to deliver a reprieve on that front. We see many South Australians struggling in this cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile, the government in their wisdom decided to allocate hundreds of thousands of dollars to advertise their own budget's existence. Someone was paid to come up with this zinger: 'Budget 2022—this is for you.' But who else would it be for? We paid for it. Like the certainty of death and Labor government taxes, budgets get handed down every year to those who fund it. Sadly, we cannot rely on Labor to provide an equitable distribution back to our regions.

Every driver and freight operator has been hit by fuel hikes generally but, to add insult to injury, we see there is no expanded financial support for critically ill patients who rely on PATS. It is a common topic for regional MPs in the house, certainly on my side of the house, because it is a much-needed service. By contrast, the Marshall Liberal government was blind to political boundaries when it came to funding the regions for the last four years, and I am proud to tell anyone who will listen the significance of the funding and investment that took place over that four-year period to improve the lifestyle of many people, including my own.

As I said, it was blind to boundaries, and it delivered over $100 million across at least five electorates represented at the time by Liberal, Labor, and two Independents. This was $100 million allocated not for major infrastructure but for pools, schools and clubs. As the shadow minister for wellbeing, I certainly have a healthy appreciation for the social return on investment in funding for community health, sport and recreation.

I will take an indulgence to expand in some way on what that $100 million breakdown was because, as I said, I am proud of it, but I think it goes to the heart of what governing for regional South Australia looks like. To celebrate the funding in the new seat of Frome, of which I am the proud member, I note that we saw $30,000 going to Auburn Primary School, $3.2 million allocated to the Balaklava pool, $2,000 for Booborowie Netball Club, $5,000 for Burra Junior Cricket Club, $5 million allocated to a renovation of Clare High School, and $31,000 for the renowned Clare Riesling Trail.

For the Clare Oval redevelopment, there was an allocation by the former Minister Wingard of $880,000. The Dublin saleyards—a significant contributor to our economy—received $11 million. Eudunda Sports Club was a recipient of $200,000. The Barns at Freeling, which is a fabulous asset for the locality, received $360,000. Gulnare, a lovely little town north of Clare, received $5,000 for the football club. Hamley Bridge Primary School scored $60,000 as it should. We saw in Jamestown, at the showground, a $400,000 investment.

Kapunda Football Club received $267,000; Long Plains Netball Club, $142,000; the Mallala Football Club, $250,000, and I round it up and round it down; Manoora Primary School, $30,000; Riverton Bowls Club, $21,000; Robertstown Netball Club, $6,000; Roseworthy and Saddleworth primary schools, $20,000 and $30,000 respectively; the Spalding Oval, $146,000; Tarlee Primary School, $400,000; and Thompson Beach coastal fencing, where the samphire coastline is a little hidden treasure, $75,000.

Two Wells Bowls Club received $200,000; Wasleys Community Group, $5,000; and Watervale Bowls Club $25,000. All I have done is hit up all the towns. Most towns received funding for more than just one project, and, as I elaborated earlier, this is $100 million across the Mid North—not Pirie—where pools, schools and clubs were the winners.

That is why we will continue to govern from opposition—because we are the responsible party, the party of regional SA, the party of substance. We will always be ambitious and aspirational for South Australia whether in government or now in opposition (just for a short time anyway) and that will never change. We were an innovative government, and we will continue to pursue advancements that progress our economy and our way of life.

I make a pointed note of the Marshall Liberal government's and in fact Premier Marshall's own initiative for Lot Fourteen and the vision that that will continue to deliver for South Australia. We see that as a centre of excellence, and certainly the innovation and invention that are coming from the space and defence sectors have really led to an innovation in agtech. The farmers in my own family are certainly serviced by data from satellites, drones, and GPS apps that will now directly benefit the economy through primary industry.

To conclude, I call on the Labor government to honour its promise to be a government for all South Australians and to fulfil our Liberal election promises to regional SA, and some of the much-needed infrastructure projects such as eight regional helipads, including my town of Clare; a $2 million facility upgrade for the Kapunda Primary School; and a $1.2 million upgrade to the Jamestown Community School.

As country Liberal members, we continue to expound on PATS (the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme), and the importance of at least doubling that subsidy. I hope the government gets sick of hearing about it until they decide to do something. We will continue to call for more funding for regional roads—and I recognise the role Minister Brock, the member for Stuart, will play in that space—and, finally, a continuation of investment and support for local country businesses, because regions matter.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (11:40): I rise to support the Appropriation Bill, which is an important measure so that some 100,000-odd public servants can get paid and a whole range of very important services can be delivered across our state. More importantly, this sets out what is a landmark state budget for South Australia that delivers on the incoming Malinauskas government's election commitments, which have focused significantly on our health services.

This budget delivers $2.4 billion of additional investment into SA Health: opening more hospital beds, employing more doctors and nurses and paramedics across the whole system, opening more ambulance stations and building a new ambulance headquarters, expanding the services that will be provided at the new Women's and Children's Hospital and providing upgrades for country hospitals across the state.

Everywhere you look there is significant investment in terms of health services, which is a very significant challenge in terms of the huge delays patients have been facing in getting the services they need. Ultimately we need more capacity in the system to do that, and this budget starts our process of delivering. As health minister, that is something I am very excited about.

Today, I want to make some comments in relation to some of our local events, particularly local implementation of what this budget means and our investments and election commitments in terms of the electorate of Kaurna. I am very proud and honoured to have been re-elected again to represent the people of Kaurna—this is the third time now—and I will work hard for the people of my electorate every day in this parliament to make sure we can deliver services and improvements that people need in our local area.

I am delighted that this budget now invests additional services in our local area. One of the key issues for our area is investment in Noarlunga Hospital, and this budget will deliver an additional 24 beds into Noarlunga Hospital to make sure we can provide additional care for people. These will be focused on mental health services—which, we know, are a significant blockage in our health system—in terms of people getting access to the care they need and making sure they can get through the emergency department and do not suffer that access block, which is what leads to ramping.

We also have a number of very important announcements and commitments that have been delivered in this budget in the local area; importantly, upgrades to the Noarlunga Football Club and new clubrooms for the Seaford Storm Netball Club, which has been doing an excellent job in our area as well.

One project I am really excited about is finally coming to fruition, and that is the duplication of Main South Road between Seaford and Sellicks Beach. This project was originally in the 2017-18 budget, but no work has happened on it. In fact, the project was scaled down over those past five years and was going to include only one lane one way and two lanes the other way between Aldinga and Sellicks Beach. To most people in the south, it sounded like yet another failed one-way Southern Expressway plan for the south.

This budget will fix that by having two lanes each way for the outer stretch down to Sellicks Beach and also additional grade separation to make sure that we do not replace one roundabout with another roundabout, leading to significant delays. We are actually going to get on with the job of delivering this road, unlike the significant delays we have seen previously. It is certainly an issue that is raised constantly with me.

Also, we are starting work in terms of returning our public transport—our train services, the Seaford rail service—back into public hands. The Seaford rail network and service is something that so many people in the south rely on. The concern and outrage from the community was so bad in terms of the privatisation of those services under the previous government. I think that there is significant delight in the community that we will now see them return to public hands.

In addition, we are now delivering a $2 million upgrade to the Noarlunga train station. This is a train station that is old and past its use-by date. It has had issues repeatedly, including escalators being out of service, not for days at a time but for months and months at a time. This upgrade will deliver new escalators at Noarlunga train station, new services, new amenities and lighting to help the security at that station. I am looking forward to seeing the upgrade of that station being delivered.

There are a number of other local supports and grants being provided to the community. One is in relation to working with the council on Beach Road, which is such a key part of our local area in terms of Christies Beach, and making sure that we can improve the amenity of what people receive at that road.

A smaller announcement funded through this budget that I am excited about is support for the Disabled Surfers Association SA, which is a great organisation that runs at Moana Beach and helps people with disabilities for free; this is not some high-charge operation. It is volunteer-run and helps people who have disabilities to get on a surfboard in the ocean. You have to see the smiles on people's faces when they experience catching their first wave. It is absolutely delightful.

This is an organisation that had been denied access to state government sporting funds. In fact, I raised this with the previous minister, Corey Wingard, who fobbed it off and denied their requests, all because they are part of a national organisation, even though all the people are based here in South Australia. They have a national ABN, and that ruled them out of any funding. Well, we are now providing funding to help with their equipment, and I know that they are absolutely delighted about that.

We are also upgrading a number of school crossings, which we know are an issue for people in the local area, particularly when you have busy drop-off and pickup times. At South Port Primary School in Port Noarlunga South and at the All Saints Catholic Primary School in Seaford, we will be putting in place new, updated school crossings to improve safety for parents and, more particularly, for children at the key drop-off and pickup times at those locations.

Again, I am delighted with the campaign that we have run. We ran a very positive campaign. We ran a campaign that was focused on delivering on the key issues that people had in the community, primarily health services and also local amenity services. We did not see much of a campaign from the Liberal Party. I thank all the candidates who put their name up to be part of the campaign that we saw recently.

I would like to thank some key people who played important roles in the work we have done locally, in particular two people who ran my campaign, Josh Harmer and Kylie Douglas. Josh, who has now come to my ministerial office, is an incredibly smart person who did a great job in spearheading the campaign. Kylie Douglas is absolutely one of the people who you will meet with a heart of gold, and she worked her guts out in spreading the Labor message, just as she has done in previous campaigns across the south. Her entire family helped, in particular Alistair and the whole Douglas-Byrne family.

Alistair Douglas, Laura Byrne, Lachlan Byrne and Cameron Douglas all contributed so much to our campaign and ultimately helped to achieve a Labor government in terms of their huge efforts. I cannot thank them enough for all the hard work they have contributed. They backed it all straight up with the federal election immediately afterwards. I would also like to thank Eloise Atterton and Phoebe Loy from my office, and Lucy Ormsby, who previously worked in the office. They have all provided great service to our local community. It is a huge task to provide those services.

We also want to thank a number of people who helped out in terms of the campaign, including Naomi Piper, Christina Slater, Alex Dalton, Nathan Fiedler, Kaylan Scurrah, Jordan Fell, the entire Kaurna sub-branch for their assistance; and people such as my friend Jesse, who flew in from interstate for the day to help. They have all done an incredible job.

In particular, I would like to thank as well my now Chief of Staff and former adviser, Gemma Paech, who did an absolutely incredible job during the past election campaign, in the past four years and subsequently now. She is absolutely one of the most passionate, hardworking and intelligent people we are lucky enough to have in the labour movement. I am so thankful for her service in helping our movement, particularly in my office, and developing our health policies that have been so successful in terms of the election campaign, and now we are looking to make sure that they are absolutely successful in rolling them out and delivering them.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my wonderful, committed, absolutely brilliant and intelligent wife, Connie, who some would say is long-suffering because of our service here. It has often been said that we are the volunteers and our partners are the conscripts to life in politics. Connie has gone above and beyond, even going to the point of helping put together our polling booth rosters and the like. She has done an incredible job to support me.

Particular thanks go to my wonderful children, Anna and Alex. I do not know if they quite understood what this whole election campaign was all about. They were a bit disappointed when the federal election campaign was on and there were not posters of me up: 'What was that all about? Who are these other people who dare to have their posters up?' I thank them for their support. I know it is a balance for all of us who have young kids in trying to make sure that we devote as much time as we can to our really important work, but also as much time as we can to our families and dedicating time to that. I want to thank them for the sacrifices they make so that we can help make a contribution here.

I am looking forward to the next four years. We now have an incredible platform upon where we can deliver for the people of South Australia, deliver on the platform we were elected upon, and we are all very excited to get on with the job.

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (11:53): I rise to speak in relation to the Appropriation Bill 2022. As a regional MP, I have my eyes firmly fixed on the detail of the budget, with a focus on how investment supports my regional electorate. As members of parliament, we have the weighty responsibility of understanding the needs for investment of our state and ensuring investment is delivered to support our communities and grow and sustain our economy. I want to highlight that investment is made for all people, not just a segment of our community that happens to live in the Adelaide metropolitan area.

Our regional areas are extensive. The MacKillop electorate alone encompasses an area of more than 34,000 square kilometres. Our communities and businesses conduct their daily lives by travelling many kilometres to work and to school. We travel extensively for health services, our work and our play, be it football, netball, hockey, tennis, cricket, bowls or other sporting pursuits. Many of our services are centralised in regional centres. We travel for banking, financial services, office supplies and shopping.

Our communities and businesses are diverse. We are fortunate to have strong agricultural and primary industry sectors at the moment. When the fortunes of agriculture are good, this flows into our economy. When things are not travelling as well, the effects also flow on to our economy. When trade relations do not work in our favour, there are direct repercussions to our economy.

We have labour shortages. My electorate is crying out for workers in a range of fields. We have a shortage of homes that are available and affordable for workers and their families. We have constraints on housing and services that are acting as impediments to people moving into the electorate. This further impacts the worker and skills shortages we already see, from meat processing workers to teachers, mechanics to GPs. The housing shortages are contributing to our regional labour shortages.

Our regions also have sectors of our community who need assistance. Of concern is homelessness in our community, both hidden and in plain sight. We unfortunately have families who experience domestic violence and need support. We have people who need access to assistance to address mental health challenges. We have families with complex relationships who need assistance. Our services for many of these people are centralised or thin on the ground. People have to travel to Adelaide or to regional centres to receive the support they need.

The picture I describe is that of diversity. Our regional communities are economic powerhouses—vibrant, innovative and resilient—but our communities, families and individuals also need support underpinned by government assistance. In this way, we are no different from our city cousins and should not and cannot be ignored. In terms of this year's budget, I need to both acknowledge where investment has followed a government election commitment and highlight some concerns I have with the investment proposed under the budget handed down on 3 June 2022.

The MacKillop electorate and our southern neighbours in the Mount Gambier electorate are both the welcome beneficiaries of a range of health funding initiatives. There is no doubt that investment in health has been welcomed by the community of the electorates that cover all the Limestone Coast as a region.

The health investment for MacKillop includes $8 million investment in the Naracoorte hospital. I have no doubt that my constituents—doctors and hospital staff alike—will appreciate this investment. The investment in the Naracoorte hospital is much needed and it is important that this commitment has been made. I note that the Naracoorte hospital has been on the waiting list for replacement or a major upgrade for 20 years. Under the previous Marshall Liberal government, I know we spent $3½ million on the ED and a sterilisation unit, and this was welcomed. However, the $8 million that has been proposed by this new government will also be welcomed.

The Keith and District Hospital has been allocated $5.3 million to provide a sustainable operating approach for the hospital over the next four years. I, like many others in the Keith community, have been pleased to see this commitment. I look forward to better understanding how this investment will be integrated into the services delivered through the hospital. One of the challenges for this investment will be to see how it will add value to the service delivery model that has been under discussion in the Keith community. I understand that this matter is under active consideration.

The MacKillop electorate will no doubt also reap the benefit from investment in the electorate of Mount Gambier. The investment of mental health beds for the Mount Gambier hospital is one such area. We have a shortage of mental health support and mental health beds in our region. It is a tragic and unfortunate situation when constituents in my electorate are waiting for a hospital bed and mental health support in the Mount Gambier hospital. It is my hope that the investment in mental health beds in Mount Gambier is accelerated and that this investment is accompanied by appropriate staffing levels so that members of our community can receive the support they need locally. I also note and welcome the separate investment in drug rehabilitation beds and the emergency department at the Mount Gambier hospital.

Additional ambulance services for Mount Gambier and the Keith community have also been provided for in this budget. Our community will very much welcome the additional officers in this crucial area. Like many regional locations, the MacKillop electorate is in need of additional ambulance resources to provide a core service to our community. Only recently I have spoken in this place on the key role volunteers play in ambulance services.

As highlighted earlier, our regional areas are extensive. Unfortunately, the addition of much-needed services does not assist all. For example, the Lameroo Ambulance Committee has told me that over the past 12 months the town had 190 call-outs, utilising just four volunteers. As a comparison, Pinnaroo, approximately 40 kilometres away, has had more than 200 call-outs with 14 members. Consequently, the Pinnaroo volunteers have had to cover many Lameroo call-outs, which can significantly delay response times and places a higher demand on volunteers.

The Lameroo ambulance committee has a plan to increase the number of volunteers to fill the local ambulance roster. However, what the district also needs is a fully paid qualified paramedic, equipped with a four-wheel drive vehicle, who could also assist the local hospital and doctor as required. A rapid-response paramedic would significantly cut down the time it takes to attend to a patient, particularly when responding to accidents on-farm that are inaccessible to traditional ambulance vehicles.

The allocation of additional paramedics is needed for locations such as Kingston, Pinnaroo and Lameroo. Our regions really rely on volunteers, who are being pushed to breaking point. However, while I am grateful that my electorate has seen some much-needed investment in health, I am aware that other regional areas have missed out on new investment in health. We know there is much more to do in many of our regional electorates.

I also hold concerns in relation to other aspects of the budget, which include investment in our regional roads. The MacKillop electorate has roads in a state of decline that should not be ignored. I return to my earlier points about the level of travel that is required in our regions. With this level of travel for personal, work, business and freight needs, we need a regional road investment program that continues and expands the investment started by the Marshall Liberal government.

Investment is needed to underpin the condition of roads and the safety of those who travel on them. Under the Marshall Liberal government, I was pleased that inroads were able to be made on road priorities across the electorate, including investment in the Clay Wells Road and the Ngarkat Highway, not to mention the Penola bypass. The works were priority because of the failure of the former Labor government who, instead of fixing roads, chose to reduce their speed limits. Never was the low priority of our regional roads so evident than under the former Labor government. Let us not see a return to the neglect.

Ongoing work is needed to repair the Princes Highway. I was very pleased to see the addition of $20 million over the next two years allocated to this work in the current budget. Ongoing work is needed to address the bitumen patchwork on the Southern Ports Highway between Beachport and Millicent and beyond. Also, ongoing work is needed to repair Rowney Road, the Bordertown to Naracoorte road and many more, plus also the Mallee Highway, just to name a few. It is a folly to kick the can down our damaged roads, which are badly in need of substantial investment.

Investment in mobile phone towers is also critical for our businesses and the connectivity of our community and its safety. I have heard too many stories of near misses and desperate circumstances, including on-farm accidents where people have been unable to access reliable phone coverage. I have unfortunate stories about services that are non-existent or patchy, service standards that should be met that our metropolitan cousins take for granted.

I have a ludicrous example of where a mobile phone customer was unable to be contacted by their service provider when they had sought to complain about their mobile phone service due to poor connectivity. For many people, their mobile phone is a critical piece of equipment in transacting their business. Calls missed can be work lost, sales forgone, delays caused and business operations impeded. It is for these reasons that I am concerned about what the budget holds for the future rollout of our mobile phone coverage that is so critical for our regions.

The Marshall Liberal government provided much-needed investment in mobile phone service. Together with the federal Liberal government, we were able to make some ground on this important issue. With our telecommunication partners, the Marshall Liberal government were able to have mobile towers installed at Keilira, Legges Lane and Avenue Range west of Lucindale. During this period, the federal liberal government also saw the installation of Tower Road, Kybybolite and Kalangadoo towers.

Our blackspots remain too extensive. We need ongoing investment in this area. In MacKillop, I have been advocating for prioritisation of Sherwood to the east of Keith. The lack of phone coverage in this area was laid bare during the 2018 Sherwood fire. In addition, the areas to the west of Penola and Coonawarra, around Maaoupe and Mount Burr and across to Furner and up to Kangaroo Inn, are also badly in need of improved mobile coverage. The Wrattonbully area that sits to the east of Naracoorte is another priority area. It is a highly productive and intensively farmed area that needs better mobile coverage to underpin the operation of businesses, logistics, wine grape and livestock production systems.

The instigation of a cross-border commissioner, funded through this budget, is an area of work that I sincerely hope brings benefits for my electorate and communities across the border. The Limestone Coast's proximity to the state border means that many in our community live their lives across two states. For my constituents and members of the cross-border communities who live in Victoria, our local governments and the state governments have a range of matters which would benefit from better coordination in areas such as schooling, school buses, health care, just to name some.

If we can achieve better collaboration and coordination in the area of transport and roads that link across our borders, it will assist businesses and our communities. I would hope that the cross-border commissioner would support the review and prioritisation of initiatives associated with the Green Triangle Freight Action Plan. I look forward, with some measured caution, to the creation of the commissioner's position. It is a position that needs to add value and not bureaucracy for cross-border communities.

The forestry sector is a foundation industry in the Limestone Coast. It continues to provide generations of employment opportunities and is a source of critical wood supply nationally for our building sector and a range of other industries. The sector has rightfully received funding in this budget. For the sector's future, we must continue to invest in science and innovation to ensure this sector thrives.

We still have many challenges before us that require investment. We need ongoing funding streams for the upgrade of jetties, to support councils and to manage coastal erosion. We need provision to manage biosecurity threats to our agricultural sector. We need investments in our aging school infrastructure. Our students and teachers need world-class facilities. We need investment to support vulnerable people who will be overwhelmed by increasing costs of living. We need to coordinate local, state and federal governments to respond to our housing crisis. We need social housing in the MacKillop electorate. There is unmet demand for housing.

In summing up, in talking to the Appropriation Bill 2022, I think it is going to be very interesting with this new Labor government over the next four years. The Marshall Liberal government worked through a pandemic that saw immense economic turmoil and uncertainty. We have seen a massive amount of money spent on infrastructure around the state. It is going to be interesting.

The first point to note is that, usually after a Liberal government, when a new Labor government rolls in the financial means and availability of funds for expenditure would, let's say, be more accessible than the new Labor government has found on this occasion. We have debt levels about which I think even Labor are now saying, 'Where is the limit and how do we move forward, and how do we actually manage the finances?' Interestingly, we have seen some delay on projects—major projects like the north-south corridor and the Flinders Medical Centre upgrade, just to name a few.

It would be nice to recognise that while our economy is, you have to say, booming at the moment, we are seeing huge inflationary pressures, interest rates going the wrong way for those who have to meet interest rate payments, whether it be for business or housing, and there is an immense amount of concern out there. I hope that the Labor government recognises that government is there to support, perhaps manage, but certainly not get in the way of an economy that is trying to recover from a pandemic and economic uncertainty.

This pandemic was on the world stage, so it is a worldwide economic issue. We are seeing a war in Eastern Europe that is causing even more uncertainty. We are seeing energy costs going through the roof. We are seeing the costs of resources like coal and gas and crude oil hit new heights, and this all adds to what I call the government's need to be very cautious.

One of the things I will say is that if government does not have to be in the game of building and competing with the private sector, it probably should not be at this stage. We know that the private sector is struggling to find employees, it is struggling to find workers to fulfil just basic operations that are around our great nation, but particularly here in South Australia.

If the government are going out there and continuing on with major infrastructure upgrades, they are competing with the private sector, and that makes it even harder on the private sector. For example, if we have these major builds going on, particularly in Adelaide, then these builds in the regions cannot take place as easily as they would if they did not have to compete with the Adelaide infrastructure spends.

Although we as a Liberal government in the last four years kept our economy going, tried to maintain a level of employment that did not desert vulnerable workers, kept the infrastructure upgrades into major projects that we probably needed, this government actually finds itself on the other end of the spectrum, where the pandemic is unfolding, unravelling and we are moving on. I hope that it realises that it may not have to go out there and spend huge amounts, billions of dollars, on infrastructure, competing with the private sector, which is already struggling to find the resources that are in short supply around the world, let alone Australia and South Australia. It will be most interesting to see how that pans out.

The language we have heard from this new Malinauskas Labor government is that the regions matter. I talk about the Limestone Coast in particular. I just mention the strong working relationship I have with the member for Mount Gambier and his strong advocacy for the Mount Gambier community and the fact that we are one, MacKillop and Mount Gambier, on the Limestone Coast. However, we need a strong government that actually looks after this region. We need good infrastructure. We have already seen good money being spent on health, and long may we see continued investments in these areas.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the measure of your government over the next four years is what this budget represents towards roads. I hear that there is about $460 million in the budget. It will be interesting to see how it is matched and worked with the new Labor federal government and the extra funds that will come forth from the Labor federal government to match the funding that your new Labor state government have allocated. I am hoping that there is funding for MacKillop, with some of its roads and infrastructure that are falling apart faster than they can be maintained.

Just to give you an insight, we had a meeting with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport in November last year. Our roads during the last winter were falling apart. In a wet winter, the road surface was falling apart faster than it could be maintained. We were seeing working crews coming in from Victoria, trucks working on South Australian roads, working for the Department for Infrastructure and Transport in South Australia because the very crews that were meant to be looking after the South Australian roads could not keep up.

This is the state of roads in regional areas, and it is unfortunate. I wish we could have seen more money in the four years that we were in government. We did seek a massive amount of expenditure on some major roads, as I highlighted in my speech earlier, but there are more roads to do and the maintenance is ongoing. Our list of priorities for regional investments is long. We need ongoing investment that delivers for all our regions.

Mr HUGHES (Giles) (12:13): It is always interesting following the member for MacKillop. He says a lot of things that I will agree with—some of the things about just letting the market rip, not necessarily, but certainly a number of other elements. All of us from country South Australia probably have at the back of our mind that this is a very metro-centric state. When the predominance of the people in this chamber on both sides are from the city, a real effort has to be made to ensure that people in regional communities get the services that they deserve, that there is real equity and there is real access. Elements of this budget do address some of those issues.

I guess that, in my mind, as a member with the largest state electorate, and a state electorate that now no longer has Kimba and Cowell, so is predominantly mining, resource processing, the pastoral industry and tourism, you are always on the lookout for what is going to support the diverse Eyre communities within the electorate and help address some of the challenges. This applies especially to our more remote communities, which are often forgotten, and they should not be.

It is clear in the budget that there is a strong emphasis on investing in health. The amount of extra funding to be invested in the health system in this state is $2.4 billion, and that would mean additional doctors, additional nurses, importantly additional beds, and especially additional beds for people with mental health issues. That will benefit not only the metropolitan area but also the regional areas.

I think it is incredibly important that, wherever possible, we see whether we can generate the resources that are needed out in regional communities when it comes to health services. However, we know that a whole range of procedures happen in the large metropolitan hospitals because of the complexity and because of the specialisations of the teams involved, so overall investment in the system benefits all South Australians. Of course, you want to see specific examples in your own communities, and there are a number of examples of those in this budget that I will touch upon.

Another area where there was significant investment—over $600 million in new investment—was in the education system. Some of the elements of that were very important, especially around support services in the education system. This is something that is often a real challenge, especially in country areas when it comes to mental health support counsellors, when it comes to speech pathologists and when it comes to occupational therapists.

We know that, during the last four years, one of the criticisms that teachers made was about the sheer complexity and time they had to put in to get these resources—and often to go nowhere. We are simplifying that while at the same time making a really strong effort to recruit the specialist services that we need. We need to make sure that those specialist services then are not just available in the metropolitan area but that they get out into the regions, and it would be great to see more of those specialist services, those specialist people resident in our regions. I think that is an incredibly important initiative.

Another important initiative is the five new technical colleges throughout the state: three in the metropolitan area and two in our regions. We all know that there are huge skill shortages across the state and across the nation, and it is something that needs to be addressed. I could speak at length about how—and I think there has been fault on both sides here—over an extended period of time the TAFE system was treated in this state. I know a number of people I know in TAFE—really skilled people, really skilled lecturers—became deeply demoralised.

It is great to see these new technical colleges, and it is great to see the new federal government's initiatives when it comes to TAFE and the free places and the places that are not going to cost the students in areas of technical need. We need to do far more in that space, and we especially need to do that in country areas, because in country areas TAFE plays an incredibly important role. It is great to see these five new technical colleges, and they need to work, obviously, closely not only with the high schools in their regions but also with the TAFE sector, which needs to be reinvigorated.

There was an agenda of privatisation, partly by stealth, with the previous government. We need to recognise that TAFE needs to form the backbone of our vocational education system. There is a role for the private sector, but there is a very strong role for a strong public education, vocational education provider.

They were some of the big issues. It is often interesting, when you listen to what is almost a mantra, that sometimes it skips over a lot of the details about how Labor really bowed out in the regions. I would contest that; I could shower the opposition with a lot of detail about why that is not the case.

I found it really interesting when it came to some of the priorities. We talked about health as being a major priority and we contrasted it with the basketball stadium. I thought it was incredibly interesting that the now opposition were in there backing a basketball stadium and the people from the regions were in there backing a basketball stadium when there was this desperate need out in the country for health services, just to name one of the desperate needs.

When you spoke to people out there in the country, and when I spoke to people in the communities in my electorate, they would just shake their heads at a basketball stadium for the central part of the CBD. It was great to see us cut that project off at the knees. The money that would have eventually been spent on that project will now go into our health system, along with the additional money that is needed. That $2.4 billion over the next four years in our health system is going to be incredibly important.

One of the other things that is going to be incredibly important when it comes to our health system is what will go on at a federal level and the meeting with the premiers. The premiers are asking for $5 billion in additional funding nationally for the health system in order to partly address the vandalism committed by the Abbott government when it tore up the federal-state health agreement. It tore it up and applied a different formula, which ended up costing the public health system nationally and in this state billions of dollars. That is something that needs to be addressed. The federal government needs to come to the party and at least commit that $5 billion.

I will go through some of the initiatives in different parts of my electorate. I now share Port Augusta with the member for Stuart, and we will be working closely together to make sure there is delivery of the election commitments to both the seat of Stuart and the seat of Giles when it comes to Port Augusta. When we are talking about health in Port Augusta, there is going to be an upgrade at the hospital. I am hoping that is just the start because more money needs to be spent on the hospital in Port Augusta.

There was a very significant upgrade of Whyalla Hospital and some additional services were provided, so we do need a significant upgrade in Port Augusta as well. When the Whyalla upgrade happened, we also upgraded the hospitals in Port Lincoln and the Riverland, and I think we also spent money in Mount Gambier—strangely enough, out in the regions where apparently we do not spend money. That hospital upgrade will be welcome news.

Another additional thing that is happening in Port Augusta is the extra ambulance services. In the Upper Spencer Gulf, there are going to be 33 additional new ambulance officers and paramedics, and that will make a difference. There will be extra ambulances, and between Whyalla and Port Augusta there are going to be two new transfer crews and new shifts. That will address the complaints I was getting as a local member about the long delays in accessing the ambulance service in Whyalla and Port Augusta. That additional expenditure, which we want to have in place by 2024, will be a real plus for the Port Augusta community.

I have mentioned technical colleges. There is a $35 million expenditure in Port Augusta when it comes to technical colleges. I do not need to repeat again the need to bring online those vocational services and skilled people we need across the spectrum in trades, technicians and trainees, so that is a real plus. In addition to that $35 million, there will be $6 million in recurrent expenditure for the technical college in Port Augusta.

Another area of expenditure in Port Augusta was the Arid Lands Botanic Garden. It has depended almost entirely upon local council money, yet this is something that is unique. This is an attribute for the state and, I would argue, for the nation, yet the ratepayers of Port Augusta had to fund it themselves at a significant deficit.

Once again, it raises the question that those of us from the regions ask: while something of a similar nature in Adelaide gets funded—a number of botanic gardens are funded in Adelaide—why not this unique Arid Lands Botanic Garden in Port Augusta? It was good to be able to come to the party and to provide $3 million over the next four years. I can assure you that the volunteers who do a lot of work in that garden were more than happy with this initiative on the part of the Malinauskas government.

Another important element in relation to Port Augusta was City Safe. When it comes to antisocial behaviour and criminal behaviour—City Safe was not on the criminal end of the spectrum—the City Safe program that was in place did make a difference. It was based more on relationships than anything else. We have committed funding to the City Safe program. It was interesting to watch the argy-bargy with the previous government about funding, about this and about that. We just cut through all that and did the right thing by the people of Port Augusta.

Whyalla was a significant beneficiary when it comes to the hydrogen plant. It was interesting listening to some of the people opposite. Obviously, they want to see major investment in regional communities, and Whyalla, out of all the major regional communities, has been through probably more ups and downs than any other regional community. It is a community that once upon a time stood at over 33,000 people and is now under 22,000.

It is a community that seriously needs to diversify its economic base, and here we have the largest state commitment in many decades to a hydrogen plant, electrolysers and storage in Whyalla and what do we get from the opposition? Attack, attack, undermine, undermine, undermine. The power plant, especially the electrolysers, will form part of the much bigger hydrogen story in Whyalla—hopefully, a story that will eventually integrate the steelworks and its massive magnetite resource on its doorstep.

The approach to the hydrogen plant reminds me of the approach that was taken to the big battery in this state—a big battery that was denigrated, especially at a federal level by the Coalition, calling it the Big Banana and all sorts of other things. But it was a project that ended up delivering beyond expectations when it came to grid-related services, so that was a real plus for this state.

There is also a commitment to extra ambulances and the sport hub in Whyalla. Something has been said about the sport hub, and I notice that Whyalla was one of the places picked out. The reason there is funding for the sport hub in Whyalla is that when we were in government we funded the sport hub in Port Augusta when it was a Liberal seat, we funded the sport hub in Port Pirie when it was an Independent seat and we put funding into other sport hubs around the state, so a lot of the other stuff has been done. Port Lincoln was one of the early ones, with Ravendale. I am not sure what funding went into that from the state. It was so long ago it could have been a Liberal state government back then, because that was the first of the sporting hubs on Spencer Gulf.

In the community of Roxby Downs, we have allocated $300,000 to a community shed. We also allocated something to the Roxby Downs Community Club, a not-for-profit. I have just written to the minister. That club is in all sorts of trouble, and I have asked for an investigation into what has led to this trouble in Roxby Downs because we could see a not-for-profit, a very significant asset in that community, slipping into private sector hands, which is something that the community is not keen to see happen.

Also for Roxby Downs and Coober Pedy and all the unincorporated areas, we have reintroduced the registration concession. For people in those communities, that is a 50 per cent reduction in their registration for light vehicles and for heavy vehicles a 40 per cent reduction. That was one of the first things the Liberal government cut and yet it talked about regions. These are some of our more remote regions, where transport costs are a hell of a lot higher than in the metropolitan area and a lot higher than in the areas of our state nearer to the city. That is a real plus for those communities.

When I was up in the APY lands with the now Premier, the health minister and the Aboriginal affairs minister, one of the things that was raised when it came to Gayle's Law was, yes, it was great that we pushed through Gayle's Law in the parliament—the tragic circumstances that led to that were terrible—but there was no funding for the escorts or the support people. That had to come out of the medical budget of the organisation up there. It was great to see the now Premier in action. With just a couple of moments' thought, at an executive meeting of the APY lands, he committed to funding that, so that those escorts did not come at the expense of the delivery of health services in the APY lands. That was a real positive.

I want to also get onto the PACE program, the money that we put into mineral exploration in this state. It is one of the things that often goes unheralded. Labor has a really proud history in this area, because the era of magnetic surveying of the state to look below the sedimentary layer for mineral wealth was initiated when Frank Blevins, a former member for Giles, was a minister many years ago. I think it was initiated back in 1991 and it has more or less continued in various forms since. I would acknowledge that the previous government also funded the exploration effort. It is one of the best investments the state makes, given the return on the dollars invested.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (12:33): I rise to make a brief contribution to the Appropriation Bill. I will turn my mind back a little to a bit over 12 months ago and the disappointment that my community felt with the state budget—$2.3 million for the entire Limestone Coast specifically in the state budget. Granted, there were other buckets of money that we needed to compete for at a state level.

Instead of sitting back and feeling sorry for ourselves, what we decided to do was get on the front foot, consult deeply and regularly with key stakeholders and pretty much put together a Future Mount Gambier and district document that we could take to both major parties and sit down in a constructive way and talk about Mount Gambier's future and the investment that at a community level we saw was vital to move our community into the future.

After extensive consultation, I want to really acknowledge the Mount Gambier city council, the District Council of Grant, the Regional Development association and, to a lesser degree, the Limestone Coast Local Government Association. We looked at all the plans that were in place and tried to coordinate a document that would encapsulate the main elements of those plans and consolidate it into one document going forward.

That led to the Future Mount Gambier and district document being developed. It was an $85 million ask at that stage, highlighting key areas like forestry, housing for all, infrastructure investment fund, tourism, cross-border commissioner, TAFE, drug and alcohol services and mental health services, just to name a few. It really spelt out what the investment was, where it would be targeted and then the benefits leading from that.

Once that document was put together, I sat down with the leaders of both major parties and stepped them through what this document actually meant, and answered any questions but predominantly talked through the opportunities for South Australia with investment in the Limestone Coast. I think all our regions are highly productive areas and can contribute greatly to the wellbeing of our state, and investment will unlock that potential and that growth that all South Australians will benefit from.

I was really pleased in August of last year, after the invite went out to all the leaders, including minor party leaders, to launch this document in Mount Gambier. The leader of the Labor Party showed an interest, rocked up and listened firsthand. My only concern was that it was still during the COVID days and we had a cap at the venue of 100 people, and we had responses from about 120 to 130 before we could cut it off. There was great interest in this.

August in Mount Gambier is sometimes not the balmiest of weather, but on that night the leader of the Labor Party certainly met and spoke with our community leaders about how important this document was in informing the foundations of our community moving forward. I reiterate that the invite went out to all leaders, even minor party leaders. From there, we see in this state budget a large number of commitments that I think have been generated predominantly from the Future Mount Gambier document, and it is really pleasing to see.

This is not my document: this is our community's document. I am not standing here taking any credit for it. The City of Mount Gambier strategic plan covered many of these things, so did the District Council of Grant's strategic plan and so did Regional Development Australia's strategic plan. All I did was combine and consult on that so, really, this budget is recognition of all those plans, some of which were collated into one document.

I want to talk a little bit about what some of this will mean. I was at a forestry awards night on Friday and somebody sat next to me and said they were from Victoria lobbying the state government. They asked, 'What would be the three things that you would talk about if you were in my position talking to the Victorian state government?' It caused me to reflect a little bit on that.

The forest industry 20 years ago would be unrecognisable today. Things have moved on so much: the technology, the skills base. If you walked into a modern-day mill, such as a OneFortyOne mill now, it is almost 'spot the human'. It is highly technical, a rapid rate of knots producing a high-end, quality product. So I drilled it down to investment in innovation and investment in skills because the skills workforce in 20 years' time in the forest industry is going to be unrecognisable to us today.

Skills and innovation are two of the key things in this state's budget, with an investment in our forest industry for the innovation hub called the centre of excellence. The technical college that is going to be built in Mount Gambier but will service the whole Limestone Coast and the $5 million upgrade to the existing TAFE facilities is that investment in the skills going forward. We have to make sure that that money is spent appropriately and gives the best return on the investment for our industry.

There are also other investments, such as the investment in fire towers. The greatest risk to the forest industry is fire. A fire will wipe out entire plantations—35 years' worth of investment gone in a single day. Serious investment in early detection and early response is vitally important. It is so pleasing in this state budget that this government has actually listened.

That is a theme that I will talk about briefly. I see this state government as not a government that thinks it knows it all, particularly in my region. It has been prepared to come down, listen and adapt plans where there could be improvement made, and the technical college is one example of that. Initially scheduled to be at a high school, there were some problems with that. Putting it at TAFE will really open that technical college up to the entire Limestone Coast as it will be owned by all the schools, not just one school.

Fire towers are another example where the state government has listened to the community's concern because fire protection is not just a forestry industry issue: it is a community issue. Most fires do not start in a forest. They start on farmland or out of forests on the side of a road, for instance. If a fire gets hold, our communities are at serious risk. So, whilst it is an investment in the fire towers, it is also an investment in protecting our community.

The cross-border commissioner is something that I have been belting on about for many years. I think it could be six-odd years. I have previous party room papers that I have presented. Again, we have a government that is prepared to listen. Whilst it is for the entire border regions right around the state of South Australia, particularly for my region and the member for MacKillop's region, we have a unique opportunity, and I am unashamed to talk about it.

Some of our potential lies in Victoria because they have a bigger population base and they are located right on our doorstep. We would be crazy not to engage actively with the state of Victoria for our community's benefit and, in essence, the state's benefit. I will give one example. From Mount Gambier, it is about two hours to Warrnambool versus pretty much five hours to Adelaide, so it makes sense that some health-related services could and should be accessed by our community if they cannot be delivered in Mount Gambier. We need ways of working with the two health bureaucracies to make sure that the experience for our community is maximised through accessing services in Warrnambool.

People would say, 'Well, how does that benefit South Australia?' It takes a load off the Adelaide hospital network if we are able to work with the Victorian health services, particularly Warrnambool, which is a large centre. That takes a level of coordination. That is just one example of a role the cross-border commissioner I see as having. I could go back to forestry and I could go back to a lot of industries where there is great opportunity for South Australia by tapping into the 4½ or five million people who live in Victoria, some of whom are close to the South Australian border.

Again, in this budget we have initiatives that people initially might not actually understand the importance of. One that comes to mind is the ambulance response. For three years, I had ambulance officer after ambulance officer in my office talking to me about how stressed and stretched that service was because of chronic underfunding, so I was really pleased that there is a $7.4 million contribution to our region for the employment of 24 new paramedics and another 24-hour shift. Again, it takes the stress off, and the retention of paramedics will be higher because they are actually getting the support that they need.

As to crayfishing, this is an area where there is not a lot of love in some parts of the community because there is a feeling that most crayfishermen are pretty well off. Well, the last two or three years that the industry has been through, and if you are not a generational crayfisherman—i.e. you have bought in, in the last decade—your break-even point is about $55 a kilo for crayfish. It is no real surprise that the price fluctuates from between $50 and $60, so some days they are losing money even when they go out and other days they make a slim amount.

A contribution of a 50 per cent reduction in the fees they pay to PIRSA will make a huge difference. What it will mean is that outside industries or companies cannot prey on family-owned businesses who are on their knees and take their licence or buy their licences out at rock-bottom prices, and that actual licence holder lives overseas or is a multinational company that is not residing in our area. It is a very important initiative not really understood by many, but this will keep family businesses within families of the Limestone Coast and that money staying in our region.

There are other examples. New Zealand is one where the multinational corporates wait for these opportunities, buy at rock-bottom prices and then dictate what will or will not happen, and all profits leave the country and end up overseas, let alone leave our communities. I am very grateful for this budget. I think it is a fantastic budget, and I am really excited to see what the community of the Limestone Coast does to not just pay back but really contribute back to the state.

There are some areas that I think can still be improved. I do not think the government should be expected to do everything for everyone. It worries me that we are entering a society where everything is blamed on the government and everything is expected of a government. I think one of the opportunities is how a government can activate and enable community contribution, and one of the areas where I see it most importantly is in our health system.

There are hospitals just over the Victorian border that will raise $200,000 or $300,000 a year—that is the community who will raise that—to put back into the hospital. That does not happen in my electorate because those who would be prepared to do that see it as money going into a black hole that lives up in Adelaide, and we never see a return on that for our local Mount Gambier hospital. There are opportunities there, where money raised locally is quarantined for the Mount Gambier hospital, or any other hospital in our electorate, and spent back there.

The empowerment of volunteers in our hospitals is an area that needs encouragement. When I was growing up I knew a lot of people who volunteered in the hospital sector, and now it is virtually nil. When I talk to people about that, there is a feeling that they are almost discouraged. There is so much red tape and bureaucracy that they cannot be bothered. Actually, the hospital itself perhaps gives a feeling that it is more hassle than it is worth. However, I see volunteering as another area where government can enable and activate community engagement—in particular, going forward, in hospice care, giving dignity to our community who are at end of life, having those support structures around them.

Of course, the government plays a major role in enabling private enterprise and private money coming into regions. There is a lot of good work that has happened in that space but, again, it is an area where I see continued effort from a government attracting private dollars into the Limestone Coast as beneficial not just to our community but also to the state. Overall, I am extremely pleased with this budget. I think it will unlock a lot of potential that has been held back in the Limestone Coast region. I am excited to go forward, and I think there are still areas we can work on.

Tourism is the greatest untapped industry in Mount Gambier and on the Limestone Coast, and it is an area that needs focus on product development. You have to have a reason to go to Mount Gambier. I have spoken with Rod Harrex and the SATC before about stopping spending money in doing room upgrades: nobody is going to travel to Mount Gambier because they are going from a four-star room to a 4½-star room, but they will go to Mount Gambier if there is a zip-line or a tour on the beaches. There are products they want to experience from a tourism point of view.

I am really excited to work with the tourism minister to unlock that potential. A lot of it will be private capital coming in that will provide those products and experiences for people coming to Mount Gambier and the greater Limestone Coast region. There is great opportunity, and it is an exciting time to be living on the Limestone Coast. I am really looking forward to the next four years. I think this is the start of a jobs bonanza: move to the Limestone Coast, there are good jobs there, and help build the community.

Mr BASHAM (Finniss) (12:53): I rise to speak to the Appropriation Bill. The allocation of funds into our communities is such an important part of parliament, and as part of the Marshall Liberal government I was very proud of what we were able to do to support my community in the four years we were in power. About $125 million worth of funds went into my community over those four years, and we saw some great projects come to fruition.

We saw the redevelopment of the three surf lifesaving clubs in the district, which are amazing. The Port Elliot one opened late last year and is the crowning glory for surf lifesaving clubs right across South Australia. The facility there is amazing, and I was privileged to be there a few weeks ago for their first function. It is certainly a challenge for small organisations to do these big builds. They had become so committed to the build itself that it took them about six months to afford the cutlery to be able to have a function in their facilities. They have been able to have their first function now that they own some cutlery. It is pleasing to see it actually taking place.

There have been other great spends, and education certainly has been a great spend in my community in the last four years, including the money that was spent in redeveloping the Mount Compass Area School, a school that I attended in my primary school years. To see the development there is fantastic. When I first became the member for Finniss, going back to the visit the school was a bit like going back to exactly when I had left. I was not even sure whether the buildings had been painted since I had left, that is how neglected it looked. But now they have a great facility; much of the school has been rebuilt. It is a fantastic opportunity for the people of Mount Compass to have such a great new facility.

One of the things I am really pleased about is the project I have probably had the longest involvement in. It goes back to my days prior to being a member of parliament, when I was sitting on the Investigator College board and seeing what they would like to do with their Goolwa campus. An opportunity arose to have discussions with the state government, in opposition at the time, which then led to the successful opening of a new high school, Goolwa Secondary College, this year. It is a fantastic school. The work that has been done, the $10 million that has been invested in upgrades, has certainly delivered a fantastic facility for the people of Goolwa.

All my life, and for much time before that, the community there have been crying out for a high school. They are a community who had to leave their town to finish their education. It has certainly been a drain on that community for many years. To now have the opportunity to have people stay to finish their schooling in Goolwa will be of great benefit. This year there are only year 7s and year 8s at the school; it will gradually increase up to year 12 by 2026. To see that school come to fruition will be fantastic.

Getting back to the budget, it is really pleasing to see the ongoing commitments that are being honoured going forward, including some upgrades to the Victor Harbor South Coast District Hospital. It is a great thing to see the money that is going to be spent in upgrading the emergency department from six beds to 14 beds and to see the existing emergency department converted into a renal unit. It is great to see that the commitment by the Marshall Liberal government is continuing to make sure that happens. It is very important for the community.

It is also pleasing to see the investment in the ambulances in the region, with the promise of a new ambulance station in Victor Harbor as well as the continuation of the commitment of the Marshall Liberal government to upgrade the Goolwa Ambulance Station. It is certainly important that we actually see those facilities upgraded for the community.

It was pleasing, I guess, to see one other bit of infrastructure, but that was the only other commitment, and it was some investment into TAFE upgrades—some money that is being shared between Victor Harbor and Mount Barker. But this budget is generally disappointing for the community of Finniss; it is certainly not delivering a great deal for my community. However, my community has certainly had some money invested in it over the last four years. I look forward to the opportunity to make sure we lobby for what we need in the seat of Finniss.

Debate adjourned on motion of Ms Andrews.

Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00.

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