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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-04-30 Daily Xml
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Private Members' Statements

Private Members' Statements

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:36): Can I say, sir, congratulations to you on your first day in the role of Speaker. We wish you well. Earlier this year, the government opened the new $43 million extension to the Tea Tree Plaza park-and-ride. As members may be aware, the government is charging daily commuters $500 a year, or thereabouts, for the privilege of using the park-and-ride in addition to the cost of their public transport.

Given that parking is free at other park-and-ride facilities, including Paradise and Golden Grove, and given that the government has legislated for the shops across the road at Tea Tree Plaza to be required to offer free parking, I think it is only reasonable that the government offer free parking at the Tea Tree Plaza park-and-ride too. Perhaps such a move might encourage people to park at the park-and-ride, which is not too dissimilar a distance from the free parking on the private land at Tea Tree Plaza. Perhaps it might encourage people to park at the park-and-ride rather than in the surrounding local streets where it is free.

The extension, it has to be said, is not being fully utilised. It has plenty of capacity. It could bear hundreds of extra cars going into it on a daily basis. Taking those cars off the road and out of the Tea Tree Plaza private property would be great. I have had hundreds of contacts from local residents, including in my electorate in Highbury and Vista, responding to the petition, the survey from the opposition. I am grateful to them and I continue to urge the government to provide free parking at the Tea Tree Plaza park-and-ride.

Mr McBRIDE (MacKillop) (15:38): I rise today to highlight the impacts that are being felt in my electorate following the reduction in state visa allocations. A number of these visas have been cut by the federal government and this has a flow-on effect on the number of visas available to regional applications. To quote the Deputy Premier, only 1,200 have been able to be allocated for the regions.

Across the state, we currently have a housing shortage. This is intensified by a lack of skilled workers in the regions to fill trade and building vacancies. My office has been contacted by a Naracoorte builder who is frustrated by the reduction in skilled migration visas. He has employed two young men who moved to Adelaide from India in 2018. In 2020, they undertook study to become fully qualified carpenters. In 2023, they moved to Naracoorte to work full-time for this busy local building company.

They are both on a temporary graduate visa with the hope of gaining permanent residency here in Australia. They have now been told they have to move to Western Australia. This has been devastating for them and their employer who is struggling to find tradespeople to help build the houses we so desperately need. I note the minister's answer to my question in question time today, that she is concerned that they may have received the wrong advice. I will follow this up; however, it is important to note that we need skilled workers to stay in the regions to work and not be enticed interstate. We need to put our regions first. We have people wanting to work to fill crucial workforce skill shortages. We need them to be able to stay here.

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley.

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (15:40): Thank you very much, sir. This is my first opportunity to congratulate you on your election, and congratulations on your first question time today. Today I will speak about the extraordinary week I had last week collecting signatures to force a parliamentary inquiry into the cuts to the Museum. I and my colleagues placed ourselves on the grass on the path in front of the Museum as people were entering with their children—grandparents with their grandchildren and parents with their children during the school holidays.

People were lining up to sign the petition, very concerned about the cuts to scientific research, 27 scientists who will lose their positions and the threat to many of the much-loved exhibitions such as the stuffed animal exhibition, the Egyptian exhibition and others. There were people from the northern suburbs, people from the southern suburbs and people from the inner suburbs, all concerned about what was happening. What was also disappointing is that the member for Elder visited the Museum that week and dodged the petitioners and did not sign, and the member for Dunstan refused to sign the petition for this investigation.

The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:41): I recently attended an event to launch a book marking the 70th anniversary of the St Francis of Assisi parish community at Newton. The book is more than a history of the parish, as important as that is; it is also a celebration of faith, family and the Italian community's contribution to the eastern suburbs of South Australia. While many people have contributed to the success of this parish and community, I would like to acknowledge the important role played by Mr John Di Fede through both the parish council and the Festa della Madonna di Montevergine. I also attended that event as a child. It has been supported by a massive number of people.

It is also right to acknowledge the enormous contribution made by the friars from the Capuchin Franciscan Friars. This book also captures an essential part of Adelaide's Catholic history. This book also reflects the changing community around Newton. This area was first settled by Europeans, by many Italian migrants post World War II. These migrants not only brought with them their culture but also their faith. In 1949, the Catholic Archbishop of Adelaide asked the order to assist with the pastoral care of the Italian migrants, and so the parish of St Francis of Assisi was born. On 4 October 1953, the first mass was held, and in 1984, the church was rebuilt. Congratulations to the St Francis of Assisi community.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Human Services.

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