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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-10-15 Daily Xml
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Private Members' Statements

Private Members' Statements

The Hon. J.A.W. GARDNER (Morialta—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:40): I am pleased today to be able to talk about Playgroup SA and the significant work that they have done over the last 50 years, and the celebrations of what they are going to achieve in the time ahead. It was a pleasure to join with the member for Heysen, Josh Teague, and the Hon. Heidi Girolamo MLC a couple of weeks ago, and many others, in the celebration of 50 years of playgroups at Government House, hosted by Her Excellency the Governor Frances Adamson AC.

Playgroup SA is a community-based not-for-profit organisation representing many playgroups around South Australia. Their board, chaired by Trish Strachan, Deputy Chair Dr Sally Brinkman, Treasurer Quentin Crombie and directors Ben Birch, Mel Watson, Thomas Veale, Russel Schrale, Noreen Byrne and Wiebke Billows are to be commended as are their staff, led by Chief Executive Officer Craig Bradbrook.

The opportunity at Government House to celebrate those achievements over the last 50 years was profound. It was during the time that I was Minister for Education. In our last year in government, in 2021, we developed a $50 million Early Learning Strategy, which had a number of elements to it. In particular, it recognised the significant role of playgroups in supporting our very littlest learners, our very youngest children, and—most importantly I think in terms of playgroups also—their parents, to have positive outcomes in life.

We identified that—and Dr Sally Brinkman was particularly important in this—too many of our young people are reaching school age, or preschool age even, with developmental vulnerabilities and playgroups have a particularly important role in reducing those vulnerabilities. We are proud to have invested in them. I am pleased to see that investment continue. I look forward all that playgroups will achieve in the years ahead. Happy 50th birthday.

The ACTING SPEAKER (Mr Hughes): Member for Badcoe: we get two for the price of one.

Ms STINSON (Badcoe) (15:42): Nobody puts baby in a corner, especially this baby—and he has been here with me making a little history today. Quinn and I have become the first mum-and-bub combo to breastfeed in this place, and that has been made possible by recent changes to the standing orders. I hope this moment serves as an opportunity to further normalise breastfeeding in the workplace and in public spaces, and to highlight the benefits of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is natural, normal and miraculous but in Australia only 39 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed by three months—a lot lower than the global rate of 44 per cent.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breastfed babies have a lower risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes, SIDS, ear infections and stomach bugs. The World Health Organization also states that breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests and school attendance, and women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers. It is also a truly wonderful way for mother and baby to bond. As American journalist Florence Williams said, 'Human milk is like ice cream, penicillin and ecstasy all wrapped up in two pretty packages.'

There are certainly good reasons why some mums and babies cannot breastfeed but a lack of public acceptance, support and amenity is a factor, and that is something that we can change. Providing quiet, calm places and comfy chairs goes a long way; and encouragement rather than judgement from strangers in public places would not hurt either. As Kourtney Kardashian said, 'Don't look if you don't like it.'

As important as breastfeeding is, it can be tiring, painful and difficult and it is easy to feel like you have been reduced to no more than meals on heels. So the best and easiest thing that we can all do is to support and encourage breastfeeding mums in our lives.

Mr BATTY (Bragg) (15:44): I rise to speak about the concerning escalation in South Australia's tobacco wars over the last fortnight, with our streets having to endure nearly nightly firebombings, one of the most recent of which was in my own electorate in Stonyfell. I have raised residents' concerns about this store in Stonyfell on a number of occasions. I have also raised their concerns directly with the minister for nearly a year now. I refer in particular to my letters to the minister on 9 November 2023, 5 March 2024, 21 June 2024 and 16 July 2024, all concerning this tobacco store in Stonyfell.

We have not seen any action and then on the weekend residents and small businesses were left terrified as Molotov cocktails seemingly started flying around Stonyfell. The minister's response in question time was that the government is doing everything they can. But if we learn that there have been no prosecutions, we learn that 200 of these illegal tobacco stores continue to operate and we see our streets and suburbs enduring nearly nightly firebombings, clearly this action is not enough. What we need to snuff out illegal tobacco is prosecutions not press conferences.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (15:46): I would like to rise today to acknowledge the opening of the sailing season for this summer. On Saturday, I had the privilege of attending the opening days of both the Somerton Yacht Club and the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. It is fantastic to see tradition continue. I was absolutely privileged to be on the yacht for the sail past at Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club.

It is a lovely tradition where the entire fleet, no matter what class of boat, comes past and all give three cheers to the commodore, vice commodore and junior commodores on the boat. Some traditions are absolutely well worth maintaining and I think that is one of them. Sailing is one of those sports that all generations can enjoy. I saw seven year olds out on the Opties on the weekend and I saw 80 year olds out on Lasers. It is a fabulous sport that everyone can enjoy.

I used to go sailing with my dad. We used to sail a Catamaran in the Milang-Goolwa race every year. I used to spend my teenage years hanging out at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club because my best friend's dad was a sailor with the RL24s. I spent my time collecting cans on the front lawn and going down to the deli to trade them in for a packet of chips. That is my lifetime at the Brighton and Seacliff Yacht Club. I wish all sailors well for the season ahead.

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