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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-07-07 Daily Xml
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Playford Electorate

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (15:30): I hope my constituents will overlook that this is not a bread-and-butter issue, but, before any good show begins, it is appropriate to start with some housekeeping. With the utmost respect to the Playford family and those who revere the name, myself included, I rise to speak regarding the ongoing use of the Playford name for the electorate that I represent in this house. I have recently written to the Electoral Commissioner to outline my concerns, and I know there are significant numbers of people connected to my electorate who will agree with me.

During the state election campaign, it became clear the naming of Playford to an electorate located outside the boundaries of the City of Playford created widespread confusion amongst voters. It must be pointed out that my seat lies entirely within the City of Salisbury and that, at their closest points, there is still 3½ kilometres of road separating their boundaries. Roughly speaking, if you draw a line from the southern tip of the electorate I represent in Mawson Lakes to the southern boundary of the City of Playford, the distance is almost eight kilometres.

The Playford name is historic and should be preserved, but I do believe it needs to be applied to an area with a stronger historical link to the name. Created in 1970, the boundaries of this seat have jumped around. While it predates the naming of the City of Playford in 1997, I argue the latter has greater public recognition and is more appropriately placed based on our former Premier's work in establishing what was then our satellite city.

I found during the election that when introducing myself or showing constituents campaign materials, they would often remark that they lived within the City of Salisbury and that I was campaigning in the wrong part of town. With the election over, I am continually contacted by constituents living within the City of Playford who mistakenly believe that I am their local member of parliament. Given the confusion, I have suggested to the commissioner that consideration be given to the renaming of the electorate ahead of the 2026 state election.

I do not feel the local member should have any more say over an alternative name than the next person, but if it helps for me to come up with a starting point I favour a practical approach, maybe a little bit boring; however, there is nothing boring about the name of Parafield Gardens, which is a fine suburb that I am very proud to represent. As I said, as a starting point, that is where I think we should go with the naming of the seat.

This is by far and away the largest suburb within the electorate and also one of the largest suburbs within Adelaide. It is my view that familiarity with a geographical name, akin to seats like Port Adelaide, Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Elizabeth, creates the least confusion for constituents in identifying the electorate they live in. Notwithstanding this, I appreciate this could be an opportunity to adopt an Indigenous name for the seat. That said, this box in many ways is ticked, noting my understanding that 'para' is the Kaurna word for river or stream.

In making the suggestion, I am of the view that the Playford name is significant and should not be abandoned. Sir Thomas Playford was a big thinker who did many wonderful things, such as nationalising our electricity supply and growing our industrial base. I want to reiterate that my suggestion is not an attack on his legacy but more an argument about bringing the name home to a more appropriate place.

In the same way the seat of Dunstan is based around the former electorate of Norwood, I believe the Playford name should be applied to an electorate within the City of Playford or perhaps in the Adelaide Hills to acknowledge the area once represented by Sir Thomas Playford. I have deliberately raised this matter early in the political term in the hope that this can be given respectful discussion amongst stakeholders, especially members of the Playford family.

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