HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-05-13 Daily Xml
Contents
Xml

Bills

Supply Bill 2025

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 1 May 2025.)

The Hon. Z.L. BETTISON (Ramsay—Minister for Tourism, Minister for Multicultural Affairs) (11:01): I am delighted to stand up to speak to the Supply Bill 2025, which is a great opportunity to reflect on the significant investments that we are making as the Malinauskas Labor government. As a person who gets to serve as the Minister for Tourism and Multicultural Affairs, I particularly want to update the house on investments the government is making in these portfolios.

On 2 April 2025, the Premier and I were very pleased to announce that United Airlines will commence direct flights between Adelaide and San Francisco. The first flight will arrive on 13 December of this year. This will be the first direct route between South Australia and the United States. Of course, there are some opportunities here from a tourism point of view and, much more than that, we know that we are really looking forward to welcoming more Americans coming here—44,000 Americans come here every year. That connectivity will really assist us, and they particularly love getting out to the Flinders Ranges and enjoying our great food and wine.

United Airlines will operate a seasonal service with three direct flights a week, and that will go from 13 December to March 2026—and of course they will come back. The estimated worth of these three flights of the seasonal service is $22 million to the South Australian economy annually in tourism and trade. Obviously, the ambition for us is to get year-round flights, which would be estimated at $67 million, including tourism and freight. Of course, there are trade opportunities between defence and space and also our very high-quality food, wine and drinks. This is a great announcement and a great economic opportunity for us.

In thinking about other things that we have done this year, there is the tourism campaign Celebrate the Simple Pleasures, which I announced on 7 April, with the South Australian Tourism Commission launching our new destination marketing campaign. We did it to coincide with AFL Gather Round, so we had the eyes of the nation on us. Can I tell you, on that Thursday night—and I am not a Crows fan—I did go along to the first game. The way that the beautiful yellow was lit up around the oval looked absolutely stunning.

As an opportunity for us to lead quite strongly, this campaign came from a lot of conversations with South Australians about who we are and what we want to present to the rest of the nation and to the world. It was great to launch it at that time. We see South Australia as a sanctuary for the burnt out and overwhelmed, and we showcase South Australia as a place where the simple pleasures in life are abundant.

The first campaign content was about food and drink, featuring experiences such as long lunches, pristine produce, and wine. That content was called Harvest Eyes and The Simple Pleasure of a Long, Long Lunch. I have to say I was up in Brisbane for the Australian Tourism Exchange (ATE), which, of course, we have just announced will be coming to Adelaide next year, and we had a great response from people who said they love the new campaign. It was on a beautiful billboard as we flew into Brisbane, and I got to see the ads on TV there as well.

We want to go out there about who we are and the fact that we are the answer to people leading more complex and challenging lives: come to South Australia, reconnect, have that time with your family and enjoy yourself here. That campaign is now live across South Australia's key domestic markets, and we will be rolling it out internationally from the middle of this year. Our focus will be on New Zealand, Singapore, China, the UK, Europe and North America.

It was the third time that we have done Gather Round, and it gets bigger and better every single time, understanding that people have this fear of missing out. The numbers are so solid: nearly 270,000 people—or just shy of that—came along, with fans attending across those nine matches. This time we got to showcase the beautiful Barossa. We had those premiership matches for the first time in the Barossa Park at Lyndoch, which was a collaboration between our government and The Barossa Council.

I went up earlier in the week to see how it was and spent some time with Bim Lange. They were working incredibly hard to make sure it was ready for that first match on the Saturday, but what was just as important was all the activations: the Bounce Around the Barossa, the 12 buses that we had there. I also went on the Saturday to watch a bit of the game and then also to Tanunda to see the activation there for the village that they had, pulling in lots of different producers. Obviously, the Barossa is incredibly well-known internationally for its wine, but it also is a fantastic producer of many foods as well, and, of course, the heritage and the culture is unique to the Barossa. It was fantastic.

When we think about it, it is the legacy that we can leave behind. We have seen it in Mount Barker and we see it now in the Barossa. The Gather Round is a great event. We have the eyes of the nation on us, but it also is an opportunity for us to get our kids more involved in sport. As a former championship netballer (Div 6) of the Barossa Bombers in the Barossa and Light League, I spent a bit of time on a Saturday, whether it be netball or tennis, playing in the Barossa. It is a very active sporting area and, of course, these new facilities will be very positive for them.

One of the things that we pitch with Gather Round is to make sure the timing is right, and so the 2025 Gather Round coincided with the middle weekend of the school holidays in Victoria and Queensland and the first weekend of our school holidays here and in Western Australia and New South Wales. What I see, from a tourism point of view, is the length of stay, and we have seen that change from the first Gather Round, when the average length of stay was just over two nights, to 4.5 nights in 2024, and I am expecting that is going to go up again.

What we see is this regional dispersal, not only going to the Barossa but going to other areas. Fifty per cent of people who come to Gather Round drive here, which means that we have worked really closely with the Limestone Coast to choose the two different routes in—the inland or around the coast—and activations on the way, so that everyone in South Australia can benefit from having Gather Round here. I would like to recognise the work of Mount Gambier council. They came to us last year to start their activations and we were able to lean in even further this time.

Once again, the Norwood Food and Wine Festival was incredibly well received. The day was beautiful. They had more than 90,000 people attend across the day. One of the key aspects when you do a major festival, of course, is public transport, and that was something we worked quite strongly on, with free shuttle buses for ticketholders from the city to Barossa Park, as well as the express train, and those free shuttles that came and looped to Norwood on the days of the events, and the matches as well.

For the second year, we also had the Festival of Footy associated events program. That is where we encourage regional businesses across the state to host an event and provide a special offer linked in. More than 100 businesses registered for that. They wanted to be part of this great celebration, this great time when the focus is on South Australia. I would really like to thank those businesses for activating that space.

Once again, the Footy Festival in Elder Park was really popular. Torp the Torrens and the zip-line were experiences that I think both sold out. We had 118,000 fans enjoy that festival. Every year, the SATC does a great job working incredibly closely with the AFL to add new things to value-add to people coming, bringing their families and having a fantastic time. It is that length of stay that makes the biggest difference here in tourism, people wanting to spend more time in South Australia, driving here and then getting out to our regions as well.

I want to touch on Chihuly in the Botanic Garden. What a major success: 1.4 million people in attendance. I know a few times people looked at me and said, 'Glass art? Glass art in the gardens? Will that be something that is attractive to people?' Well, you had to see it. You had to see these fantastic sculptures. It was an exclusive in the Southern Hemisphere and never seen before outside the US. The only other places it has been seen outside the US were Kew Gardens in London and Singapore, so to have it here was absolutely amazing.

Ninety per cent of visitors surveyed said they were very satisfied with their experience. The ticketed side at night was incredibly popular, and we extended the time out to include Wednesdays through to Sunday, increasing the capacity. We also had a lot of school groups come in. What I loved was hearing about the ripples of movement after things like this happen, after you have had an event or during an event. One of the key things that Michael Harvey talked to me about was that they now have an additional 250 new volunteers at the Botanic Garden. If we had not had Chihuly and had not had the great focus around it, that would not have happened. Now, they have these additional volunteers.

I think one of the things to remember about Chihuly is that it was free entry. We do know that people have had some challenging times, and maybe it was not the first thing they thought of doing when they came to the city, but because it was free, it enabled them to bring lots of family. I have heard many people say they came back at several different times with different groups of people and that it was just a beautiful experience: 'Come and see this. It's great for photos. It looks exceptional.' So it was really well loved, and we think that was absolutely fantastic.

We recently hosted LIV Golf from 14 to 16 February. More than 102,000 fans attended across that three-day tournament. We have seen that growing year upon year: 77,000 in 2023, 94,000 in 2024, and we have increased that again. It was great news when the Premier announced that Adelaide would be the exclusive home of LIV Golf in Australia, with an extension agreement through to 2031 and, even more exciting, bringing it here into the city with plans to redevelop the North Adelaide Golf Course. That will be in collaboration with the Adelaide City Council, and the golf course is going to be designed by Greg Norman. It will then be one of the world's best public golf courses.

Once again, we talk about legacy. We have these great events where the eyes of the nation are on us or we have a big international event, but what is the legacy from that for South Australians? I think you will see that is something we will come to see in the future that we appreciate, that we can have something of that excellence. Already, it is great, but we will take it to that next level as well. There were a few new products introduced. There was the Family Fairway on the sixth hole, with dedicated family and child-friendly activities. It was an opportunity for children to get up close to the players. I thank the Grange Golf Club for their continued activation and involvement with us to develop that.

The Tour Down Under had its 25th edition in January this year. It was such a significant milestone and, once again, an opportunity for us to showcase South Australia in fantastic international coverage. It is estimated that we have had 12.5 million attendees over these 25 years and it has given more than $1 billion into South Australia for their visitor expenditure, which is fantastic. Over those 10 days, we saw 765,000 spectators—and not just here in the city, because we push out every year to our different regional areas.

That footage beamed across the world. I had someone say to me, 'Did you actually plan for the kangaroo to hop across the causeway?' I said, 'No, that just happens.' It was a beautiful image and that is actually what our international tourists want to see. There are three things they want when they come to Adelaide: the food and wine, our events and festivals, but topping out the top three is connection to wildlife and the outback. They want to see Australian animals and they want to see the bush, and you can do that very easily in South Australia.

I recognise the focus over the last few years, including having the UCI Women's WorldTour race, which is a three-day race, and the six-day UCI Men's WorldTour race. We also added on the one-day UCI Women's ProTour race and the men's Criterium, which provided lots of diversity within that day. I had the opportunity to go and meet with the women who were competing. They train so incredibly hard and they fly all around the world, but they said the welcome that they have here in South Australia—staying at the Hilton, the same accommodation as the men, and being paid the same as the men—is something that they incredibly value. It recognises the work that they have done over those many years.

We had an opportunity to recognise some of the people who were so crucial over these 25 years and to recognise the work that they did to bring everything in. There was a special dinner to recognise this and to recognise the legends—and to recognise them quite clearly. The other thing that we brought back was the mass participation ride, which people really were keen to do. It was delivered by NX Sports this time and more than 1,600 people participated. That was something that was really welcome.

On a completely different note, I would like to talk about those new areas within Multicultural Affairs that we have been funding. One that means so much to me, which I hope and believe will shift the dial, is our Empowering African Youth project. I launched it just on Friday at ServiceFM, with the support of Football SA.

The African Communities Council of South Australia came to us in 2023, supported by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, to produce a report on their concerns about the increasing incarceration rates of young African youth. They raised these concerns, they have a public document, and this is our way of responding to that. As we know, we have a very young African population here. We are home to 23,500 African South Australians and 15,000 in addition who have one parent or more who was born in Africa. Africa is a continent, and we have people here from 45 countries from Africa.

This partnership program is with the Department for Education. Football SA have also been engaged. They have a targeted schools problem that they have introduced. Football SA have appointed an African youth program coordinator who is of African heritage and is focused on introducing and facilitating students' engagement and participation.

The key part of this program is connection to school attendance. Education is the biggest differentiator for anyone—here in Australia or around the world—and if you do not attend school you are not going to have those tools to support you in your life going forward, so we are connecting our program with school attendance. We will be looking at announcing some homework clubs.

I would also like to recognise Mentoring, Coaching and Counselling (MCC), a non-government culturally specific service. They are running these village programs, which are in six schools here in South Australia. We think this is a model that will work. It is about intensive case management, activating young people after school, talking with them, engaging them in sports. Football is a key part of it but so is the involvement of Basketball South Australia and the Eastside Rams as well.

Sometimes we meet some incredible leaders in the work that we do. Marial Machar started the Eastside Rams to get African kids involved in basketball. Already some of the people he has supported have received scholarships to go to the US to be in those sports colleges. More importantly, however, it is making sure our kids are involved, making sure someone is taking the time to understand what is going on in their life. So I recognise the work that they do. Within this program, of course, are also some one-off grants to African community organisations, who are already doing work around parenting programs and homework clubs. I am really pleased that they are doing that as well.

I also recognise the role of SAPOL, the Legal Services Commission, Mission Australia, STTARS and Basketball SA. To those schools that have higher proportions of African students, thank you for putting up your hand, and thank you for being part of that.

The last topic I want to talk about is the Ambassador Program. This follows our tabling of the Multicultural Charter, which is a wonderful set of words, but we wanted to activate the words of the charter, looking at our multicultural community from where we were, where we are today and where we are going. What this means is inviting private companies and not-for-profits into the multicultural Ambassador Program to look at diversity and inclusivity in their workplaces. It is an opportunity to look at cultural content, to look at what they do but also to say how they might be able to achieve more with engaging people. Also, it is understanding that there are qualified people who have come here on visas, maybe as international students or skilled migrants, who are now not working in their areas, and to invite them in. There is a lot happening.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (11:21): I rise to speak to the Supply Bill, which is the bill to keep government services operating in this state post June as we debate the budget. I note that it comprises $7.681 billion to be appropriated. There are a couple of things I want to talk about in regard to local issues today. One is the growth that has been happening in Murray Bridge and will happen well into the future. I know I have raised this in this place before, but certainly Murray Bridge and surrounds will be a major part of the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan moving forward, and it is great to see that opportunity will be realised over decades and decades to come.

A lot of this would not have been possible—in fact, most of it would not have been possible—if it was not for the fact that the Murray Bridge Racing Club went out to Gifford Hill all those years ago, from the seed that was sown back in back in 2003, about three kilometres out of the centre of Murray Bridge. So I guess there is a central icon that developers can build a new suburb around for Murray Bridge.

Certainly, I have met with Grange, the developers that are going to expand on this proposal. It was interesting last year, with the announcement of the 17,100 homes coming as part of this development of Murray Bridge, that the government did not even turn up. I had an excuse: I was away. Even so, it is a great opportunity to put housing where there is also such a huge opportunity for jobs. It is not just the hundreds of jobs available in that area but the thousands of jobs already operating in regard to food processing, value-added agriculture and in the prime agricultural sector. There are thousands of jobs, whether it is Thomas Foods, Costa mushrooms, Big River Pork, in the horticulture industry locally or in the chicken industry locally, which is not just about raising chickens but about the feed mill which takes so much local feed and gives farmers another option for their crops.

It is certainly going to be exciting moving into the future, on top of a lot of exciting things that have happened in recent times, and I look with anticipation at how that will unfold. Certainly, part of that growth that has been discussed as part of the Greater Adelaide Regional Plan is the freight bypass and the environment and food production areas. It is interesting when we have proposed from this side of the house—and I know the legislation has moved to the other place—amendments realising more land that could be utilised. I am certainly glad to see that some land that has to be part of that project, not just at Gifford Hill but some of the land at Northern Heights, is being realised for that development into the future.

Certainly, the freight bypass is a much welcome thing that went into the recent federal election with support from both sides of politics, though I do note that the federal Labor Party only promised half of the money, $525 million, in a fifty-fifty split. Whichever way it is going to end up, whether the state Labor Party can convince the federal Labor Party to top it up to 80:20, which we were going to do from our side of the ledger, I just want to see it done. I just want to see it done because not only does it get freight off roads in Adelaide but it creates efficiencies for those bigger truck combinations that cannot come down the hill anyway.

With the bypass, it is good to see the Swanport Bridge being duplicated, which is long overdue as it should have been done in 1979 when the first part was built. That duplication is necessary to get 53 metre or three-trailer road trains across legally and safely. Instead of running through Murray Bridge, through Hindmarsh Road and Maurice Road, around Cypress Terrace, around the back of Murray Bridge and then coming out at Mannum Rd, it will officially be part of Monarto where the turn-off comes off the freeway. They will need a new roundabout there.

They will need some works around crossing the main Melbourne-Adelaide railway line and also road upgrades around all of those roads heading around the back of Monarto through to around Pallamana and connecting up to the Murray Bridge-Mannum Road, noting that there are a couple of T-junctions there, so it will be interesting to see what elements will be done to straighten out those T-junctions for these big combinations.

Certainly, it will need some work on the section from Mannum through to Halfway House, which is the turn-off point on the Sturt Highway. Part of that will be a bypass around Cambrai and Sedan. Obviously, the big bypass that needs to be done is up at Truro, where it looks like it will be a dual-lane bypass, heavy vehicle freight bypass, to get those heavy combinations around. Trucks are already using this route because anything bigger than a B-double has to use this route. To get it fully upgraded, to get the Swanport Bridge put in place over the next few years, will be a major uplift for freight efficiency and safety in this state.

I want to talk about another thing close to my heart in my electorate, which is Kalimna at Strathalbyn, which is a health precinct that people hold dear in Strathalbyn. Years ago, when I was not looking after Strathalbyn for a little period with the redistributions, it was shut down because it was supposedly noncompliant as an aged-care facility. Essentially, at the time, I was told that it was about firefighting and that people could have been bundled up in their beds, taken straight out of a large sliding door in every room and taken to safety. Evidently, that did not comply, so Kalimna fell out of favour. What was very interesting were the public meetings, attended by over 300 people, making the severe point, 'We want our Kalimna, we want something done with it and we want it as a health facility in Strathalbyn.'

After a long time, it is noted that there is a $3 million upgrade coming that will bring outpatient and clinic rooms, health education places, staff offices and amenities. There will also be allied health, community health, nursing, medical, Aboriginal health and mental health services provided there. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. This is welcome news because the people of Strathalbyn and surrounding districts have raised the money not only for the land for Kalimna but also for the original building itself.

Another issue that greatly concerns me is the issue of MedSTAR and what is happening in regional areas. I am happy to be corrected if I am wrong, but I have not seen a helicopter come into Murray Bridge for many months now and I just worry what impact that has not just on the health of the citizens of Murray Bridge but on emergency department services way out in the Mallee, the Upper South-East and the northern regions out past Mannum and Callington, to get people their health care.

I have heard all sorts of reasons such as the pads have been upgraded, both at Mannum and Murray Bridge, and other areas across the state, and yet there seems to be an issue with the helicopters, for whatever reason, not coming in to conduct that vital life-saving work. I am very interested to see what is going on there because that is a vital service. The MedSTAR service has certainly assisted in saving many lives right across this state, and I would really like to know what is going on there.

In regard to other developments in my electorate, we have housing developments in Strathalbyn. We have Aurora Park, a $180 million housing development, which is being done by the Hickinbotham Group, and I went to the launch of that. There are already some buildings and a $2 million playground in place.

Certainly, part of the work that the Hickinbotham Group have done to cater for the growing population is to work with Catholic Education South Australia, and not just work with them but partner with them, to contract the first ever Catholic school in the Alexandrina Council area. What will happen over the next few years is St Francis de Sales College will open in 2029 for students in reception to year 6, with the possibility of expanding to year 9 if the demand is there over time.

In more recent times, we have seen about 20 hectares of land near the old Bull Creek Road, just outside of Strathalbyn, rezoned to pave the way for another housing development by Oakford Homes, with minimum block sizes of 450 square metres and potentially up to 275 new homes in total. They are welcome developments. I think there is a bit more planning going on in there than a lot of the work going on in Mount Barker, which is welcome news as well.

An issue I have been working on for what seems a long time now, years, is the searching out of a location for clubrooms for the Mannum Returned Services League. It has been a long process. They were cohabiting with the Mannum Rowing Club down by the river. The rowing club was flooded, of course, in the flood nearly 2½ years ago and it has been through a process. I congratulate Tony Pasin, the member for Barker, on getting the funding to build the new rooms and obtain the site. There was a lot of toing and froing. There was some interest in a tree at the top of the site on the showgrounds which was, for whatever reason, controversial, but I will leave that alone.

Anyway, a place was found where the old cricket clubrooms were. It has been built for a couple of years now, the new building for the RSL, however, they have not been able to operate it because it did not have a sewer connection. Thankfully, through working with the council and working with opportunities that have come up with grant applications—I think it is about a $90,000 job—that work will proceed fairly shortly and get it up to speed. The Mannum RSL have been really keen to properly move into that facility and have somewhere to call home.

In relation to drought, the Mid Murray Council had an issue with 14 standpipes and the way they were operated in the area. Obviously, there has been a far greater need for water from these standpipes for people to use not just for their homes but as stock water in these unprecedented dry conditions. It has been proven now in pretty well most of the state, if not all, that it is the driest time that has been experienced in recorded history.

Thankfully, there has been some grant funding allocated so that seven of these standpipes can be put into place and automated so you can use credit cards to pay for the water instead of the honour system that was in place and bring it into the 21st century. Obviously, that depends on phone coverage and that sort of thing to make that work. I understand that Tilt, which is proposing a wind farm in the area, and another company with a solar build are going to sponsor another couple of standpipes, and it is hoped that with some budget rejigging the Mid Murray Council will find the money to probably get 12 out of the 14 operational, which will be a great win for locals and will keep things on track.

I want to talk about energy just briefly. It seems obvious that nuclear will not be on the agenda now. That is disappointing for a range of reasons, not the least of which is getting to net zero by 2050. On the other side of the coin, we have had the state Labor government pushing its failed hydrogen plan, a proposed $593 million project which was turning into $1 billion-plus. Notwithstanding, there would have been plenty of people telling the government, from Premier Peter Malinauskas down, that it is just too expensive, that it will not work and that you lose so much power in the transition, because apart from the fact that you would need thousands of wind turbines and thousands of acres of solar panels to generate the so-called green energy you lose 80 per cent of that energy on the transition through to hydrogen.

It just does not stack up, and no-one in the private sector in recent times, whether Twiggy Forrest, Origin or even in government sectors, like the Queensland government, is going ahead with projects like this. The turbines that were bought recently would have had to run on four hours of gas anyway, so just hook up the gas, which is what they are going to end up doing anyway.

Something close to my heart is the agriculture sector. As I indicated, it is so dry, so darn dry at the minute, and that is causing headaches across the board, whether it is water supply for your stock or just water supply for your house. It is extremely, extremely tough and not just that, it is the severe lack of water for dryland farming. People are taking a punt investing—it would be hundreds of millions of dollars and heading into the billions over the last few weeks and moving forward.

The people farming my farm under a lease arrangement sowed the canola on Friday with a great cloud of dust behind the air seeder. Many farmers are taking that punt of reinvesting, upgrading machinery if they have the capacity to, maintaining that machinery, purchasing the fuel, purchasing the chemicals, purchasing the fertiliser and, as they always have, taken a huge gamble as a landholder to grow food, not just for this state but for this country and the world, and I just hope that we get rain soon so that we can get a year to pull everyone out of the situation we are in, which is diabolical, actually diabolical, moving forward.

I want to talk about the mining opportunities in this state. I have worked with three mines: Mindarie, Strathalbyn over time, which is shut down at the moment and has been shut down for about 10 years, and Kanmantoo where, apart from the open cut mine, they have gone underground now to realise the copper potential.

I found it interesting when the Woodside goldmine proposal was put up and went through. I think there were about 14 years of investigation. It is not just the mining department that do these investigations, the Department for Environment and Water, and a whole range of government departments feed into the compliance mechanism to see if the ore could be mined safely. It was interesting, to say the least, and disappointing, when there was going to be a goldmine at Bird in Hand, and the minister, as he has a right to under the legislation, said that mine was not going to go ahead and yet the recommendation from all the departments was that it was safe to do so under the heavy regulation involved.

I find that interesting with a minister, and Minister Koutsantonis, who talks about 'follow the science and you will get the result'. He certainly did not follow the science there. In speaking to the Supply Bill, I note that this will go ahead with no opposition because it keeps the function of everyone with any association with government going. I commend the bill.

Mr DIGHTON (Black) (11:42): As the newest member of parliament, I am excited and honoured to rise to speak to the Supply Bill and recognise the important areas of funding and investment that the Malinauskas Labor government have made in my community over the past three years. At the 2022 state election, as the Labor candidate, along with the Malinauskas state Labor team, I made a significant number of important commitments to support my local community. I am proud that a number of these have been and are being delivered.

The $120 million Majors Road on/off interchange project was arguably the most significant commitment made for my community. The commitment was made jointly by the state Labor Party led by Peter Malinauskas and the federal Labor Party led by Anthony Albanese. In March 2022, I was proud to stand with the now Premier and the now Prime Minister for this important announcement. And, I have been very excited to see the progress that is occurring on this significant infrastructure project.

The project is important to my community for a number of reasons: it will support residents of Hallett Cove, Trott Park and Sheidow Park to access the north-south motorway and consequently it has shortened commute times. The project will also alleviate some of the traffic along Brighton Road, which will benefit residents in Marino, Kingston Park, Seacliff and Seacliff Park. The Majors Road interchange project will provide all commuters with improved access to Glenthorne National Park, the Sam Willoughby International BMX Facility, and the Southern Soccer Facility from the southern expressway.

The project includes the widening of Majors Road from the southern expressway to Lonsdale Highway, tree planting, putting the powerlines underground and the realignment of the Patrick Jonker Veloway to improve path orientation. I note that this project was promised by the former member for Black, who stated that it was his number one priority, but then, once he was in government, he and the Liberals abandoned it. Extraordinarily, he campaigned against the project over the past few years, demonstrating that members opposite and the Liberal Party have a disregard for the infrastructure needs of my community and the inner southern suburbs.

I am very excited that this project is on track for completion this year, and thank residents for their patience whilst roadworks are underway. I particularly want to recognise the impact on the Cove FC (football club), Sturt Pistol and Shooting Club, Southern Field Archers, Cove BMX Club and the O'Halloran Hill Metropolitan Fire Service.

Another project I was passionate to support was the redevelopment of the Cove Sports and Community Club. At the last election, I committed $2.5 million towards the redevelopment of the Cove Sports and Community Club. This funding was used by the Marion council towards stage 1 of the redevelopment, which included building a new netball facility, including change rooms, administration, storage, an additional 347 car park spaces throughout the centre, along with the resurfacing of two of the netball courts.

It was wonderful to recently visit the netball facility and see both the Cove Tigers club and the Hallett Cove Netball Club in action, as well as see the new facilities being used to serve those who are supporting the players. Sporting clubs not only support personal health and wellbeing, they build stronger communities: communities where people feel a much stronger sense of belonging, and I will continue to champion the clubs in my community and fight for improved facilities for communities to use.

Of course, building stronger communities is not just about sporting clubs and facilities. We need other good community assets and facilities, and one such example is the upgrade to the Marino Community Hall. At the 2022 election, the state Labor team and I committed $500,000 towards the upgrade of the community hall, which includes various community spaces, an informal cafe space, a new frontage and expanded car parking, and is now going to be a facility that is capable of delivering a range of community programs. The hall will host a number of activities, including theatre groups, art classes, dance, yoga and Pilates classes. I am very excited that the upgrade is nearing completion, and I look forward to the activities and the cafe returning to the hall in the coming months.

Another commitment was made to provide funds to the Marion council to build the toilets at Fryer Street Reserve in Hallett Cove. You may be wondering why I am highlighting a toilet commitment. Well, let me tell you. The Fryer Street Reserve is located on the coastal walkway between the public toilets at Marino Rocks and those at Hallett Cove Beach. Given the significant number of walkers along the coastal walkway, I decided that it was an important piece of council infrastructure to be built and I note that many people are utilising these new facilities, particularly on weekends.

In addition, the state Labor government also provided funding to the Marion council to help complete the upgraded coastal walkways, which includes two suspension bridges. Many people now regard it as one of the most spectacular walking trails in our metropolitan area, and is a very popular tourist attraction. This was not an election commitment, but a decision to support important infrastructure in our community. I am lucky to live very close to the walkways, and my family and I enjoy walking along there. In fact, I host a 'walk the boardwalk' on the first Friday of every month, with my next walk on Friday 6 June, so feel free to come along.

Some other projects that we committed to at the 2022 state election that have now been delivered include constructing a wombat crossing facility on the Great Eastern Avenue in Sheidow Park, which supports children who are walking to Woodend Primary School to travel safely, funds to support the City of Holdfast and the rehabilitation of old tennis courts in Kingston Park.

At a macro level, the Malinauskas Labor government has made a significant number of contributions—most importantly, a generational investment in their health system, and I am delighted that the Minister for Health is in the chamber to listen to this. We are delivering more beds, doctors, nurses, ambos, allied health professionals, alternative care options and mental health services. This includes major investments in hospital and health services in the southern suburbs, so that my community has better access to health care closer to home.

We are expanding inpatient capacity in the southern suburbs by more than 20 per cent over the next four years with an extra 228 beds. Last year, an additional 72 beds were opened across Noarlunga Hospital, Flinders Medical Centre and the Repat Health Precinct, with another 58 this year, totalling 130 by the end of this year. This will be followed by a further 98 beds at the Flinders Medical Centre in 2028.

Other initiatives recently completed, planned or underway include opening two Medicare Urgent Care Clinics in Marion and Morphett Vale, building new ambulance stations in Edwardstown and Marion, upgrading the existing ambulance station at Aldinga, supporting the development of a kids' mental health hub, supporting the Marion Priority Care Centre, delivering alternative care treatment pathways for older people at the Repat, and establishing a 24/7 pharmacy in Clovelly Park.

Talking about a 24/7 pharmacy provides me with a good segue to talk about commitments that I and the Malinauskas Labor government made at the recent by-election last November, when I was elected as the member for Black. During the by-election, I advocated to the Premier and the health minister for my community to have a 24/7 pharmacy after seeing the fantastic success of the first three pharmacies at Salisbury Plain, Clovelly Park and Norwood. I want to list some of those successes: more than 170,000 people visiting, more than 69,000 scripts written and more than 7,000 phone calls from people seeking advice, all of which occurred during the extended opening hours since those pharmacies were opened the year before last.

These 24/7 pharmacies help to reduce avoidable presentations to busy hospital emergency departments by providing access to medicines, health advice and professional pharmacy services. Consumer feedback indicates that around 20 per cent of customers would have visited an emergency department if the 24/7 pharmacy was not available. I am excited that a Malinauskas Labor government has committed to a fourth 24/7 pharmacy in my community of Hallett Cove, Sheidow Park and Trott Park. I know from personal experience how important it is to be able to access medicines after hours, and I know my community will receive significant peace of mind from the soon to be announced opening of the 24/7 pharmacy.

Another exciting announcement that occurred during the by-election was one I made with the Deputy Premier, Susan Close, regarding the declaration and gazetting of one of the state's newest conservation parks, the Kauwi-marnirla Field River Conservation Park. The Field River Conservation Park is a 177-hectare conservation park between Sheidow Park and Reynella. The Aboriginal name, Kauwi-marnirla, translates to 'two good waters'.

The proclamation of the new park provides a significant opportunity to protect, restore and rewild the metropolitan river valley corridor along the length of the Field River catchment adjacent to the Glenthorne National Park. In total, consisting of in-kind and direct financial support, about $13 million is being invested in the establishment of this park. This includes contributions from the Albanese Labor government Disaster Ready Fund to support the work of the Kaurna Firesticks team who will help manage the park, including through fuel reduction works, seasonal cultural burning and targeted ecological restoration, and a South Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service contribution for the purchase of land. Other investment is coming from the Foundation for National Parks and Wildlife, the Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation and Green Adelaide.

The park will be managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in conjunction with Kaurna practitioners who will help deliver land management services that utilise traditional knowledge and practice. In the past, my family and I have enjoyed walking and exploring the Field River, and we are excited by the work that will go into new walking trails and signs to allow more people in my community the opportunity to explore and enjoy the unique Field River system and environment.

Recently, I had the opportunity to tour the Field River Conservation Park with Green Adelaide and the National Parks and Wildlife Service's rangers. It was terrific to see the work that has already occurred to clear weeds and introduce species, in particular olive trees, and revegetate the areas with natives. Thanks to Green Adelaide, the Kaurna Firesticks team, Friends of the Upper and Lower Field River groups, the City of Marion and the National Parks and Wildlife Service for the work they have done to date.

It was also special to stand next to gum trees that predate European settlement and to gain appreciation for the history of this place for Kaurna people. The old quarry and the Worthing Mine are also important historical sites, and these areas will undoubtedly make up important features of the management plan, which is currently in the development stage and will be released for public consultation later this year.

The Field River Conservation Park will be a wonderful addition to my community's reserves, open spaces and existing parks. I feel very fortunate to represent a community that has a number of parks, including the Marino Conservation Park, the Hallett Cove Conservation Park and Glenthorne National Park, which incorporates the old O'Halloran Hill Recreation Park. These parks are maintained by the National Parks and Wildlife Service but, in particular, I want to recognise the work of the fantastic friends of groups, almost all of which I have now had the opportunity to meet since I was elected last November.

Another commitment that was made during the by-election was the $2 million upgrade to the Marino train station. This upgrade includes the installation of CCTV camera technology, 24-hour emergency phones, tactile paving installation and shelter and platform upgrades. I am excited to update the house that this project is already underway, with work starting over the Easter weekend, and it is scheduled to be completed later this year.

I want to recognise the work of the federal member for Boothby, Louise Miller-Frost, along with the campaign by the Marino, Marino Rocks and Kingston Park Neighbourhood Watch group and, in particular, the former area coordinator, Mr Darren Bailhache, for the campaign that they ran to secure the funding for this upgrade. We want as many people as possible to feel comfortable and safe using public transport, and the upgrade is an important way that we can support more members of my community to use public transport.

Of course, it is clear that there is only one major party that will protect our public transport system, and I was proud to stand with our Premier and the Minister for Transport earlier this year on the day that trains came back into public hands. Our public transport is a critical public service and my community are both avid users and protectors of our transport system. I want to recognise the work that Rail Care teams at Seacliff, Marino Rocks and Hallett Cove do to preserve and look after those particular stations.

The Labor government's commitment to public transport stands in stark contrast to those opposite who, as soon as they got into government, sold off our trains. You have to question whether they want to be in government, given they do not want to take responsibility for providing critical services to South Australian communities, such as public transport.

I have been speaking about a number of election commitments, both from the 2022 state election and from the by-election last year, that have been delivered. However, I also want to speak about an exciting infrastructure project that was announced earlier this year, and that is new traffic lights that will be installed at the intersection of Brighton Road, Ocean Boulevard and Scholefield Road to improve safety for road users, pedestrians and cyclists.

The intersection is the primary access point onto the arterial network for the Kingston Park and Marino communities, and also for parts of Hallett Cove. I am very familiar with this intersection; I have driven it almost every day for the past nine years and I, like many in my community, have been increasingly concerned by how dangerous the intersection was becoming. I would never attempt a right-hand turn, given how dangerous it was, and there have been a number of near misses, including a truck going straight through the intersection and then through a nearby school crossing.

Given the substantial additional traffic that will be created by the Seacliff Village development, it was important that a solution to this problematic intersection was found. During the by-election, we committed to conducting a traffic study for this intersection and I was excited to announce earlier this year, along with the federal member for Boothby, Louise Miller-Frost; the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport; and the federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Catherine King, that an upgrade to this intersection will occur. It is exciting to already see that surveying works are occurring and construction will be starting next year—a great example of how a Labor government sees an issue, listens to the community and acts.

As a former teacher and school leader, I am very passionate about education and I am excited to highlight recent upgrades that have been made to schools in my local community. This includes a $19.3 million upgrade of Seaview Downs Primary School that will deliver contemporary learning areas designed for collaboration and flexibility, along with new administration spaces.

There was also a $5.2 million upgrade to Woodend Primary School that features new covered outdoor learning areas, a re-establishment of the existing library, home economics facilities, adjacent toilets and associated circulation, the refurbishment of the foyer entrance, general learning areas, the creation of two STEAM rooms, and a new general learning area. I was there last week and it was fantastic to see these spaces already being used and really appreciated by that school community.

Seaview High School has had $17.6 million worth of upgrades, including a two-storey multipurpose creative design space, construction of a new single-storey performing arts facility and associated performing arts spaces, along with rehearsal workshops, amenities and outdoor spaces. I look forward to continuing to support the schools in my community so that we can make every school a great school.

I also look forward to Tonsley Technical College opening and welcoming students in 2026. The Tonsley Technical College, which will be located in the Tonsley Innovation District, will be run in conjunction with the Adelaide Science and Maths School, and students at the technical college can get a head start to a career in one of three in-demand industry specialisations, including advanced manufacturing and engineering, automotive and energy, and building and construction. The technical college will support students in years 10 to 12 to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education.

The state Labor government has made many significant investments in our health, in our education and in infrastructure projects and in my community of Black.

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA (Hartley—Leader of the Opposition) (12:02): I welcome the opportunity to speak today on the Supply Bill 2025, which introduces $7.681 billion of spending for the Public Service of the state for the financial year that will be ending next year. As is customary in this place, of course, the opposition will support the passage of the Supply Bill, which ensures that the government is able to continue to fund those very important services to South Australians across the state.

As we know, the state budget will be delivered in June and this will be an incredibly important signal in terms of where this state government is trying to take the state of South Australia. It will also be the last state budget before the state election, more so to the point. As it approaches this upcoming budget, the problem that this government has is one of its own making, and that is that it has become increasingly reliant on a windfall of revenue and, unfortunately, much of this revenue that the government is relying on has been sucked from everyday South Australians, hardworking South Australians and also businesses, and this is of course to prop up what is an absolutely eye-watering debt that this state is accumulating under this Labor government.

Over the last three years, the government has delivered budget after budget, and what we have seen from this government is not only increased spending but also increased debt. Concerningly for South Australians, with such high levels of debt, we do not seem to be seeing a sustainable level of debt from this government and no plan to repay the debt that ultimately South Australians will have to pay. On this side of the house, we believe that future generations are at least owed an explanation as to what that spending has delivered, especially given that they are being lumped with such a bill.

As debt and spending shoot up under Labor, households would also be right to ask themselves: if the debt is increasing and the spending is increasing, why under Labor are South Australians going backwards in terms of their standard of living? The fact is that this Labor government is taking more than it gives, and this Labor government is big on debt and small on delivery.

We know that South Australians have suffered enormously from an increase in their cost of living since Labor came to office in 2022. How has this government responded? What we see now is that they are extracting more money from the household budgets of hardworking South Australians through what are punitive government taxes, and increases in fees and charges as well.

On the weekend, I was in a small business in the seat of Dunstan, where we saw that there are around 55,000 people, just as an example, who are late in their repayment to SA Water. That represents an amount of money of around $63 million. It shows that the cost-of-living crisis in South Australia is real and this government is letting down the people of South Australia.

Despite going to the last election with a claim to deliver no new taxes, we saw last year a government not shy about hiking water bills for South Australian households, and also businesses, to fund what they say is an underinvestment in water infrastructure in this state. Maybe this is a sign of more things to come under this government.

Hardworking families should not have to foot an extra $85. Small business owners are telling us that they are paying hundreds of dollars more annually for their water bills because of what has been Labor's poor planning. They can slice it or dice it however they want, but the fact is we are coming into a period where Labor will have been in power in this state for 20 out of the last 24 years.

It was revealed recently that at the end of January 2025, as I mentioned, about 55,000 SA Water customers have that combined outstanding debt of around $63 million with SA Water that has passed its due date, which is a significant issue. What we also have here is an ever-increasing reliance on heightened revenue from government taxes, fees and charges, and the signal is pretty clear on how this Labor government might seek to repay what are ever-expanding debts. Clearly, what they are going to do is suck more money out of the economy, more money out of the hard-earned pay cheques of hardworking South Australians.

That is a significant issue, and it is the fundamental difference between those on that side of the chamber and us on this side, because we believe that South Australians know how to spend their money much better than this Labor Premier, this Labor Treasurer and also the Labor government. Conversely, those opposite in the Labor government have had no hesitation in pumping what is—we still have not seen the official last figure—tens of millions of dollars, over $100 million, into what was a failed hydrogen vanity project, or over $100 million into government advertising.

They went on to fund campaigns such as the ill-fated State Prosperity Project. We have not seen much prosperity from that. Regarding building a bigger health system, they forgot the bit where they said that they would fix ramping, and despite saying that went on to deliver what is now 35 months of the worst ramping in our state's history.

South Australians are tired of being spun a yarn through leaflet drops using their own taxpayers' money that appear to distract from the fact that this government has completely failed on its core election commitment to fix the ramping crisis. It is clear that this Labor government has let down the people of South Australia and that its priorities are wrong, despite a campaign slogan at the last election—we all remember the little thumbs up in the corner—that said 'the right priorities'.

We could go on talking about spending and debt in the economy. We could talk at length about the failings of this Labor government, but I really want to stress here today, as we consider the Supply Bill, the importance of monitoring closely where the government is currently taking the finances of this state, before the budget is handed down. There are current projections that show that South Australia's net debt is expected to reach around $46 billion over the forward estimates.

As a lady pointed out to me, that is far, far greater than levels experienced in this state during, say, the State Bank disaster. We entirely expect this number to increase in the state budget, because we know that this Labor government especially has demonstrated what is a deep-seated problem with debt and spending.

This places an enormous burden on future generations. It is expected to result in a daily interest payment of approaching what will be $6 million by 2028. It is taking us on a path where the debt owed will amount to nearly $24,000 for every man, woman and child in South Australia. One would think that if this Labor government is going to burden our great state with $46 billion of debt, there might be something to show for it, more to show for it—at the very least, a detailed debt repayment plan in place. We are yet to see that.

I can tell you that I, personally, do not think that South Australians are getting a good return on their investment. In fact, we spend, as a state, more money servicing interest repayments on state debt than we do basically funding our police services in this state. Have a think about that. That is an enormous amount of money, and it begs the question: what is this debt spending actually returning to the people of this state? What dividend are the people of our state getting?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. V.A. TARZIA: That is right. The government continues to overrun budgets basically like it is Monopoly money. The health minister seems to be treating the finances of this state like Monopoly money. We saw what he recently did. The health budget alone blew out by almost a billion dollars last year—almost a billion dollars for one department. How does anyone still keep their job, spending that much over budget?

The Department for Infrastructure and Transport has also demonstrated extreme consistency, continuing to stick to this Labor government's theme of over budget and over time. Today we get a signal of what is to come from this Labor government, and it is shaping up to be more of the same.

If you look at some of the measurables, last financial year our gross state product per capita actually went backwards—minus 0.4 per cent. After countless parades and feel-good TED talks from the Premier—and, yes, the member for Elizabeth laughs, but you know the ones I am talking about: loud music, everyone gets up and puts their hands in the air, and there are countless parades about how things are apparently going well. Well, why don't we look at the data?

Let's look at the data released in April's CommSec State of the States report. It shows that South Australia has dropped to sixth in the nation in real economic growth, and compounding the problem is that two of NAB's most recent business confidence reports—and I think there is one out today—show that South Australia had, in fact, the weakest business confidence in the nation.

According to the latest South Australian Business Chamber and William Buck 'Survey of business expectations', there was similar feedback there as well that showed that South Australian businesses are experiencing conditions actually similar to the peak of the COVID pandemic. How is that a good thing, given the pressures that existed during the time of the COVID pandemic? The report notes that South Australian business confidence actually fell 13.9 points in the March quarter to 80 points, and that was actually the steepest decline in confidence and the lowest score since June 2023.

Where does the problem lie? One explanation provided by the CEO of the South Australian Business Chamber notes that a 'force that can't be ignored is the impact of government policies, legislation, and compliance, commonly referred to as red tape'. He goes on:

This is now the second biggest issue for business after costs and has consistently climbed up the ranks for the past few surveys.

This is not just the opposition talking about this; this is the men and women who own and run small businesses, and this is what they are saying about this government.

The South Australian economy has a sickness, and while this government continues to spend big but also continues to shut its eyes to reality, I think it is only going to, unfortunately, get worse under Labor. We are seeing business closures across the board. We have all seen them—go for a walk through the city or in the suburbs at the moment. The number of businesses going into insolvency in South Australia, in some figures over the past three years, has actually more than doubled. It has more than doubled—it is a statement of fact.

We know that inflation, until recently, has run rampant through the government. We know that many things have gone up. By some measures things have increased by nearly 15 per cent in our state under Labor's watch, and reckless government spending we know has also only drawn out that inflationary pain for South Australian households. We know that South Australia is facing enormous debt and at some stage the government has to confront this issue. Big debt, big spending, big problems, more money, more problems—all because this Labor government simply is not listening.

In terms of cost of living, unfortunately the story is not better for families. Cost-of-living pressures are pushing South Australians to the brink. We saw this recently, on Sunday when we did media, when we went out to the electorate in the seat of Dunstan and we were spoken to by a couple who told us that their water bill has gone up significantly without any due explanation. Under Labor, the price of essentials is also far more than it was at the last state election. Let's look at some of the figures here: eggs are up 36 per cent, if you can get them, and bread is up 25 per cent. Insurance is the big one that people are talking about, including last night when I was at a dinner. Insurance is up dramatically—46 per cent—and of course there is electricity, which is up 44 per cent.

The only significant Labor Party policy in relation to energy was about this thing called hydrogen. What have they done? They have basically wasted three years and spent, what is it, over 100 million bucks, and continued to pay their mate Sam $600,000 or so a year, despite the fact that this project has failed. What about that promise of reducing energy prices by 8 per cent? The last time I checked energy prices, the only way they are going under Labor is up; they are not going down.

Adding to the cost-of-living crunch was Labor's increase to water bills, as I said, despite a promise that there would be no new taxes and no new tax increases. When somebody gets a bill and it is replicated on every bill across the state, guess what? If it looks like a tax, feels like a tax, sounds like a tax, it probably is a tax. Instead of curbing its wasteful spending, the Premier has chosen to squeeze even more money out of hardworking South Australians during a cost-of-living crisis. He has completely lost touch with the common person. The cost-of-living crisis has seen an immense decline in our standard of living here and ultimately what the government should be doing is helping to promote and increase our standard of living, not decrease it.

Even worse, Labor's GP payroll tax grab is making it more expensive for sick South Australians to get help. If you go into almost any GP practice at the moment, you will see the campaign that they are running there, and you will see the campaigns on the walls because people are sick and tired of how they are being treated by this government. South Australians are feeling the hit in all aspects of everyday life. Go and talk to some of the restaurant owners at the moment. Go and see how people's spending habits are changing. This Labor government has not done enough to provide them with assurances, relief, or just a positive signal that things will get better.

I have not even spoken about housing. We know that at the moment here in South Australia, after nearly the last 24 years under Labor in this state, we have a significant housing crisis, and we know that, here in South Australia, in terms of buying a home and renting a home, we have some of the worst rental conditions and arguably the worst when it comes to buying a home. There is such disparity between the income that is earned by South Australians and the median home price as well, and the Labor Party wants to paint this picture that this just sort of did not creep up on us. A lot of it has to do with a failure in policy under government and under this party that now occupies the treasury benches. This did not just happen overnight. It has been happening for an extended period of time.

The pain extends to young South Australians who are just trying to get ahead. If you have spoken to any university students and young adults lately, you will have likely noticed that they are overworked and under immense pressure. Many seem to be juggling not only a full-time study load but also a full-time job, just to try to get ahead, keep up with the cost of living, and put a roof over their head. It used to be that the average hardworking South Australian earning a decent average wage could afford a home and good food. Unfortunately, that dream has turned into a nightmare for many aspirational young people.

So to the young aspirational people who are out there trying to get a home, I say, 'We hear you and we will continue to work on policy that addresses that issue,' because we know that at the moment housing affordability is worsening, while the government's response remains muted, to say the least.

The average house price in Adelaide, believe it or not—we saw recent reports—cracked $1 million for the first time last quarter, according to Domain. On those figures, this would mean that on the average home you could be paying almost $50,000 in stamp duty—$48,000 and a bit. The dirty little secret is this: the Labor government is running the state and they are continuing to have this spending problem, and the elevated prices in housing are delivering a record windfall in terms of revenue. That has also masked the problem.

You show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome. The incentive for this government, they think, has been to squeeze South Australians at every turn, and they are clipping the ticket on the way up at a rate of almost $50,000 on the average home price, according to Domain. For what? They then have the temerity to force price hikes on household water bills to fund water infrastructure upgrades that they fail to make. It is outrageous to infer, in this decision, that they are not getting enough money to deliver essential infrastructure when revenue from stamp duty has absolutely skyrocketed.

A symptom of the problem now is that we are seeing more and more young, bright South Australians leave for what they perceive to be better opportunities interstate. Under this Labor government the brain drain is back—not for one quarter, not for two quarters, but for more than eight quarters now. The brain drain, unfortunately, is back under this Labor government.

Poor affordability is no doubt a factor that will continue to put pressure on our youth and also add to the brain drain. We know that in the last two years population data shows net interstate migration; we are losing people now. Labor is overseeing the biggest failure for young people in the history of this state. This is real, this is happening, and they do not care enough. Constantly, this Labor government has failed to address the needs of young people.

It is crystal clear in the failure of this government to deliver an affordable housing solution for first home buyers, as well. Under this Labor government, Adelaide has fallen into a housing affordability crisis; it is the least affordable capital city in which to rent and the second least affordable in which to buy in Australia. While all South Australians struggle with the cost of buying a home, this Labor government is more interested in boosting its coffers to pay down the debt.

In the remaining time I have—because I could go on—the housing crisis is not only gripping our state, but our regions are also suffering and still continue to be ignored in one of the worst droughts we have experienced. Under this Premier's watch we also know that crime continues to skyrocket, and I have spoken about health and how they are letting the people down. There is a better way, and it is a Liberal way. Only a Liberal government can undo the damage of this same old Labor government.

Ms HOOD (Adelaide) (12:22): I too, rise to speak on the Supply Bill 2025 and talk about key investments that are being made in my wonderful community of Adelaide.

In this place I often speak fondly about my upbringing in regional South Australia, in the South-East in the most beautiful town of Naracoorte and out on the farm at Bool Lagoon. When I talk about that, what I talk about is the pride I have in the community that is created down there. When you grow up in a regional community it really is in your DNA, whether it is going down the main street and running into everybody so it does take that two or three hours just to get a carton of milk or a loaf of bread, or the fact that volunteering is not really a word you spoke about when you were growing up in a country town but just something you did.

You just happened to be a Lions member or a Rotary member, or you were an umpire, or the canteen person at the local footy club. Volunteering was not even a word we used; it was just what you did when you grew up in a country town. So I have a real sense of responsibility, in my role as the member for Adelaide, to create that same sense of community that you would find in any country town in a capital seat.

I think some of the key election commitments I made to our community were about that. They were about growing community, about connecting community, about making sure that people stay fit, active and local in their community, because I really do think there is power in somebody knowing your name, whether that is at the local coffee shop or the footy club or at your local recreation centre.

For me, a real jewel in the crown of the election commitments that we are rolling out for our community of Adelaide is definitely our brand-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre, at $135 million. Just last week, I had the pleasure of touring the site with our transport and infrastructure minister, Tom Koutsantonis, and our sport, rec and racing minister, Emily Bourke, just to see an update on the works—and it is just going full steam ahead. I really cannot contain my excitement about this project. We got to stand, literally, in the 50-metre pool and to make the announcement that YMCA Aquatic will be the operator of the brand-new centre. They are a highly experienced operator. They run the aquatic centre further down south, in Oaklands Park, so they come with a wealth of experience and knowledge about how to run aquatic centres well.

There was another element to that announcement, namely, that we will be creating 300 jobs at the brand-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre. What we will be doing is asking the former staff of the old Adelaide Aquatic Centre—they will be given the first opportunity to express their interest in filling those roles. We want to go out to them and we want to say, 'We want to welcome you back to what will be an absolutely first-class facility.' Once we have offered the former staff of the old centre the opportunity to express their interest, we can then undertake a wider recruitment process.

We were able to see how the new centre is coming along. It is going to be a real game changer for our community. I know that a lot of us, as parents of young kids during the summer, will often bundle up our kids and grab the beach bag with the picnic blankets, the sunscreen, the snacks and the beach huts and go down to the beach. But really, we now have a real opportunity, that in the future we are going to have this amazing aquatic centre where, in the summer and in the warmer months, we are going to be able to use the brand-new outdoor pool, sit on a picnic blanket under the beautiful trees in our beautiful Parklands, and get to enjoy summer right on our doorstep. That is one of the things I am so excited about with this project.

We will have our 50-metre indoor pool, which importantly is deep water. It gets raised with me a lot in our community: is it deep water? It absolutely is, so we will be able to welcome back our water polo players and also our deep-water aqua aerobics participants. Just before the centre closed, I was able to go along and join in on one of the deep-water aqua aerobics classes. It was exhausting, and I can see why they are so fit and active and healthy. It is an amazing class. So we will be welcoming them back to our 50-metre pool, which will also of course be available for lap swimming and a lot of our swim clubs.

We will have our outdoor pool as well, which will be available for lap swimming and just enjoying the water. There will be a dedicated warm-water rehabilitation pool, spa, steam room, sauna and also a dedicated learn-to-swim pool as well. My children attended the old Adelaide Aquatic Centre, so we were a part of the 1,500 or more children who learnt to swim and the other people who used the facilities who have gone to other pools while the brand-new centre is being built. I just want to say a huge thankyou to everybody who has found alternative locations while the new centre is being built. For myself, we transferred our children to Findon Swim School, which has been fantastic, but we are very much looking forward to my kids returning to the brand-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre to continue their swimming lessons there.

Swimming is such a vital skill. I myself went through all of my swimming, through to bronze medallion, at the Naracoorte Swimming Lake. I became a swimming instructor for VACSWIM and became a lifeguard at the Naracoorte Swimming Lake because I understood just how important water safety was. That is something that I really want to pass on to my children: the importance of that.

It is going to be a beautiful sight when we see hundreds and hundreds of local kids learning to swim at the brand-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre. Of course, my kids always ask me about it, and I say, 'Yes, it's happening. We are going to have brand-new water slides and splash play as part of the brand-new Adelaide Aquatic Centre,' so they are very excited and cannot wait to try those out as well as a lagoon pool outside and a splash pad and also kind of entry-level diving facilities.

We are really trying to create a community hub that is for everybody. It is very unique to find a special place like this, where people, from literally babies through to seniors—of all ages and from all walks of life—get to use a community facility like this. It is very unique, and it is very special, and that is something I am really proud to be able to deliver for my community.

Parklands is obviously a really big element of this as well. We are not only delivering a brand-new centre with better facilities, but we are also able to deliver 1,000 square metres of Parklands back to our community. At the end of this project, there are going to be more Parklands on Park 2 than there have been before, and I think that is a really important point for this new centre that we are going to have those Parklands. It is going to be a multiuse oval for various sports, which is fantastic as well, but just having that open green space on Park 2 is going to be a real game changer.

It is also going to be a better facility to run. The former facility cost the City of Adelaide to run it and to operate it, and one of the big elements of this is that it is going to be 100 per cent powered by renewable energy, so it is also going to be better for the environment. Parking at the centre is also often raised with me, so it is great to be able to let people know that there is going to be more car parks in the car park. It is going to be configured in a better way to be able to provide more parking. Parking will increase from 266 to 384, so that is more than 100 extra car parks. That will include 10 disability car parks as well, which is really important.

I want to give a huge shout-out to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT), as well as the Office for Rec and Sport, which have been exemplary. They have been brilliant in the management of this process, both in the construction and also in managing the users of the facility. They have worked so diligently with so much attention to detail, and I want to give them a huge shout-out today. Everybody who has been working on the project should be incredibly proud of themselves, as well as Sarah Constructions.

I live nearby the centre, and so I drive past it almost every day. My partner and kids do have a bit of a giggle when every morning I say, 'Oh wow, the centre's really coming along.' And then they say, 'Alright, say the next bit,' and I say, 'Terry's doing a great job.' Terry the project manager is doing an absolutely incredible job at Sarah Constructions, so I want to give a huge shout-out to Terry. He is fantastic. I know he probably thinks I should have my own little site office on the site because of how much I love going down there to check out the progress, but he is doing an excellent job. All the workers are doing an excellent job, so I want to give them a really big shout-out.

As well as the Aquatic Centre, just down the road in Walkerville we are also building in partnership with the Town of Walkerville a brand-new Walkerville Recreation Centre, which is around a $10 million project. That is being built by Hutchinson Builders. Just last week I went and visited the site and it is coming along really well. We have some slabs going down and structural steel is expected to go up this week.

This site has a long history. It was previously the former Walkerville YMCA. It had been a part of the community for decades, but its lease did end under the previous Town of Walkerville council, and we really lost an incredible community hub in that facility. Whenever I go to Walkerville, whenever I am door knocking, whenever I am speaking to locals, everyone has a story about the YMCA, whether it is about themselves playing sport, their children playing sport or going along to the vacation care. It really was an amazing hub to bring the community together and so I knew that I wanted to make that commitment to the community that we would bring back a recreation centre to the heart of Walkerville. I was very pleased to have a partner in the Town of Walkerville, in the Mayor Melissa Jones and her councillors, who all are making an excellent team to be able to deliver this project.

It will provide a two-court stadium on the site at 39 Smith Street for basketball, netball, other indoor sports, and other community activities. Again, it is a unique community hub where people from all walks of life can come together to stay fit, active and local. This will not just be a benefit from a physical and mental health wellbeing perspective but also a benefit to the broader community. It might be the barbershop across the road, the fruit and veg place across the road, Nest Bistro or Coffee Institute, or the butcher inside the Woolies complex.

This is about extending the benefit of a community hub like this that draws people in and then draws them out to the local businesses that surround it. I am very excited to see the real excitement and beating heart of the community that I think that this centre will create. Once again, I want to give a shout-out to the staff at the Town of Walkerville and the elected members, and also Hutchinson Builders. We hope to have the centre open towards the end of 2025 and look forward to hearing the sound of squeaking sneakers and basketballs and also the sound of laughter when we get to open that incredible centre.

Another important project that I have been wanting to work on in my community and that we have made investments in is around increasing the open green space in our community, and we have been able to do that through the creation of pocket parks. We have already created a pocket park on the corner of Main North Road and Da Costa Avenue, which is also used as a dog park, which is quite popular. Currently under construction at the moment, almost finished, is another pocket park that I have been able to secure for my community on Churchill Road at Ovingham. We are literally in the final stages of that.

I drove past it yesterday. A lot of the trees are in, the footpath has been formed, the stairs are in. I have been working closely with a local greening group, Ovingham Greening, who have been quite dedicated in planning for a community garden on that site. We have been able to give them grants to support that endeavour. Once the Department for Infrastructure and Transport hand over the park to the care and maintenance of the City of Prospect, I do hope to work closely with that Ovingham Greening group to be able to develop a community garden on that site, hopefully with the support of the City of Prospect.

A little way away in Nailsworth, on the border of Nailsworth and Collinswood, we are also able to undertake, in partnership with the City of Prospect, an upgrade of RL Pash Park. We have been able importantly to retain the open green space and add in brand-new exercise equipment. We have kept the iconic little pirate boat that existed in the park before but created some improved amenity, exercise equipment and also a couple of activities for children as they grow older.

As I know as my kids start getting older, you do want to look at activities that keep their interest. Suddenly they might not want to go to the playground as much, but that is why it is about finding activities, like the climbing boulder we have at RL Pash Park, that will encourage them to still want to go outdoors not just to use the playground but to kick a footy as well. It has been lovely to see the community really embracing the upgraded RL Pash Park. I thank the City of Prospect for working with me on that project.

Investing in main streets: as I was saying, the main street is the heart of a community. It is where people know your name at the local coffee shop or the butcher or the bakery. The investment has been made of $1 million in Melbourne Street to create some aesthetic improvements because that street has so much potential. I have often said it reminds me of when I lived in London, some of the high streets that you would visit in the city, that real kind of village feel. I think there is so much potential with that wonderful street.

We have been able to declutter it, add in more consistency around colour and pot plants, etc., look at improving lighting and also better direct people to where they can find car parks as well. Recently, I was very excited to announce with the Lord Mayor, Jane Lomax-Smith, that we would be contributing funds to wombat crossings as well on Melbourne Street, both in the heart of the business district but also further down Melbourne Street in front of Ronald McDonald House. We have given them a grant towards two wombat crossings.

It is surprising how much a few white painted lines on the road can cost. It does give you a bit of a shock. Maybe we can get former member for Schubert, Ivan Venning, to come along with some paint and a paintbrush and do it for us for a much cheaper cost. That will really improve safety along Melbourne Street and slow down traffic, particularly in front of Ronald McDonald House. They have a lot of families that stay there on one side of the road and need to cross over to access the playground on the southern side of the road. I am looking forward to hopefully having those wombat crossings delivered by sometime within the first quarter of next year.

Another thing that often maybe does not get as much attention is the importance of our free City Connector bus. I was visiting St Ann's students last week and was the guest speaker at their formal dinner. I asked them, 'Do you catch the free City Connector?' and quite a lot of the students put up their hand.

I think people underestimate the power of this service. When the former Marshall Liberal government looked at cutting some of its funding, it was a great concern because it is a way of connecting people to services, to our cultural institutions and to their social networks. One of those stories that really hit home for me was my friend Robert Eckert, a local artist who used the City Connector. He has experienced homelessness, and the free City Connector was his way of reaching his social networks and reaching services.

When I first met Robert when I was the candidate for the seat of Adelaide, he was selling his artwork at the Hutt Street markets. I remember seeing one of his artworks and saying, 'I like that one, what's that?' and he said, 'I call that Bumpalong. I take a blank piece of paper, I sit on the free City Connector bus and I let the movement of the bus guide the pen on my page. Then I colour in the artwork in lots of different colours because the free City Connector means so much to me.'

It was probably about four or five years ago now, but I said to him, 'One day, Robert, you will see that artwork covering the free City Connector bus.' Just over a year ago today, we were able to wrap the free City Connectors in Robert's Bumpalong artwork. Next time you see the free City Connector driving around our city, you will see this beautiful multicoloured artwork. Just know that it is Robert's, and it is a way of us being able to celebrate the stories behind the free City Connector: how it is more than just a bus, it is people's lifeline to their friends and to the services that they need to connect with. Although that project did not cost a lot, it means a lot—and certainly to Robert. When we were able to unveil the bus, there were a few tears in the eyes when he was able to see his artwork covering the free City Connector.

Another project is around school safety. I think how cars are operating around our schools is coming up more and more as an issue. I was very proud to be able to deliver the 25 kilometre school zone in front of Gilles Street and Pulteney Grammar. I think that is an area that honestly does deserve more attention. I think we need better road safety around schools and more road safety around schools, not less. I look forward to working with council to make some improvements in that space.

I am very proud to be making these investments in my community that are all about creating a stronger, more connected, healthier and happy neighbourhood.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (12:42): I rise to make a contribution to the Supply Bill. I am going to focus on regional South Australia. It is in the grip of severe hardship at the moment. As I hope many in this place would understand, severe pressure is put on the day-to-day machinations of living in the regions, being a primary producer and being part of South Australia's engine room—that is agriculture at large, but there are a number of sectors that are also under severe strain, even when not affected by drought.

Whenever there is an overall drought within any part of this country, it affects even those irrigated crops because we all need the contribution from the heavens to make our country more sustainable and more usable. What we are seeing at the moment is that many of my constituents—many of the constituency who I have talked to right around South Australia—are saying they have never had it as tough.

What we are seeing currently is that not only are we dealing with the drought but we are dealing with the global uncertainty of those who we rely on as our customers, as our trading partners, and as people who are buying our commodities and goods to generate an economy here in South Australia.

There are always different numbers that are pushed around. The $18½ billion agricultural economy here in South Australia is a vital economy that continues to create jobs, create certainty, and it is all part of a renewable industry. Right around South Australia, if we look at mining, if we look at other sectors, they are in one way, shape or form digging a resource out of the ground that will not be renewed. Those resources, once they are dug out of the ground, are gone, and they are gone forever.

The ag sector is a renewable industry. Every year, we are great custodians to our lands. We plant, we nurture, we maintain, and then we harvest, and we continue to do that year on year. With the complexities of a farming operation, it is no easy feat. We have a variable climate that has put a challenge on the doorstep of a farmer every day of every season of every year. There is never one season exactly the same, and this year those challenges are immense. We have seen the drought that has been ongoing now for more than 18 months. In some areas we have seen the odd storm. It is quite unusual that we have one corner of the state that is underwater; the rest of the state is suffering significant hardship with the drought.

Over time, the current state government, aided by the federal Labor government, have been very slow to act. I am not going to push too many numbers around, but it is about the responsibility of government to put support mechanisms in train in a timely fashion so that those primary producers, those regional communities that are suffering severe hardship, financial strain and mental strain at the moment, are given adequate support in a timely fashion. That is probably one of my biggest beefs. I am not a politician who is looking for government handouts at every corner, but I am looking for the support that the primary sector needs in a time of uncertainty, and that is now.

What we have seen is a very popular Premier when it comes to handing out money and bringing popular sporting events into the state, and by and large they are good for the economy. They make people feel good, but the other side of the coin is that there is a sector that is doing it extremely tough. We have seen the Premier and his cabinet go to Whyalla to look at how they are going to bail out the steel industry up at Whyalla. We have seen the Prime Minister head up that way as well. They have come together and put a large packet of money—$2.4 billion—on the table to support an industry that is critically important not only to Whyalla but to the service sector to that industry. What we saw 10 years ago was a very similar story: it was a bailout again. What we are seeing now is that the $2.4 billion potentially will not be enough money to refloat a steelmaking industry in the Iron Triangle, if you like, of our state.

While they are experiencing hardship and uncertainty, we must remember that the former Labor government also installed GFG Alliance and put them into operations up at Whyalla, and it has failed, and it has failed dismally. I have listened to the workforce up there, I have listened to the community up there, and it has been a long time coming. It is almost as glaring as a spotlight in the eye that Sanjeev Gupta and his company's business model has been to buy stranded assets, go to government, look for a handout, then rebuild or refurbish those assets. That is his business model.

What we have seen is that Whyalla has been exploited to the nth degree. It has been run into the ground. He has now walked away, making severe losses, but now the government has walked in, picked up the pieces, and is now going to bail out what is now, in its current form, an unviable business model. It is unviable for a lot of different reasons, whether it is the arc furnace, whether it is the infrastructure or whether it is the ongoing operational costs of a very aged piece of infrastructure.

I think history will tell us exactly what it means to South Australians and what it is going to cost every South Australian to refurbish an industry that has proved unviable at two iterations. By no means am I saying that Whyalla should not go ahead. Yes, it should. It has a unique opportunity in the steel products that it makes and exports, but what I must say is that, in its current state, in its current form, it is not viable.

On the other hand, I come back to the agriculture sector, where $2.4 billion has gone into the steelmaking exercise. The support that has been put into agriculture, the first tranche of money, the $18 million, some of it new money, some of it reannounced, was very disappointing. I am very happy to see the new tranche of around $55 million that has been put on the table as a support package to help with water infrastructure and to help with looking after the mental health of our regional communities, our agriculturalists and all of the service sector to that industry. The money is there, but it is on a shelf too high for most people to be able to access and that support package that cannot be achieved is a real concern.

What we are seeing is that there have been many applications for that support money that they are not able to achieve. As I said, it is an $18½ billion dollar economy that continues to get just a trickle of support—taxpayers' support, I might add, because when the government spends, we all spend. What we are seeing is that that sector is on its hands and knees.

My family farm in the Mid North, my horticulture operations in the Riverland, has never seen it so tough not only within ag but with the dry conditions we are seeing now. Speaking to a couple of cereal farmers and livestock producers this morning they said you would have to go back to the early 1900s to see it anywhere as tough as what it is today.

The cost of water for our livestock is becoming unsustainable. There are many farmers and livestock producers who are selling livestock to pay their water bills. It is just outrageous that the price of water is outstripping the viability of our food producers and our livestock breeders to make sure they can actually live with breeding stock to make sure they can be part of a viable economy.

Right next door to that we have the wine industry and I hear that the minister and his colleagues were out spruiking the wine sector and how buoyant it is and how great it is to see that it is bigger and better than it ever was before. My invitation to the trade minister is to come to the Riverland and have a look at what the engine room of the wine industry looks like. It is on its knees at the moment. Many small wine businesses are struggling big time. We have a few premium businesses that are going along okay, but the engine room of the wine industry is currently unviable.

We are seeing tanks that are full. We are seeing sales into our global markets that are well below the cost of production. I hear that a lot of wine is going into China at 40¢ a litre. It is unheard of. It is just outrageous that to create cash flow these particular businesses are looking to lose significant money, returning under the cost of production.

This is coming up to vintage number five that they have not received the cost of production, so what we are seeing now is that the attrition rate will be severe. We see that in the water markets the price of water has increased significantly, while in accounting we see that some of our Murray-Darling Basin suppliers' books have been closed, so it has put a limited supply of water into the marketplace and we are seeing prices for water skyrocket. That is now making it unviable for any wine grapegrower to be able to afford water to put into their water accounting balance, to make sure that they are viable for another year. I know that, sadly, we are seeing irrigation trusts in the Riverland that are locking off meters. In the vicinity of around 100 meters have been locked off. There have been threats of suicide and as the local member I am greatly concerned.

I have sent messages to the Premier, Deputy Premier and the Treasurer and had conversations with the trade minister because they need to give a listening ear and better understand exactly what the challenges are. It is all very well for ministers to spruik some of the great work that South Australian businesses are doing, but they have to put a fair balance into the conversation and currently we are not seeing that.

Yes, the world is changing its drinking habits, its styles and the type of beverage they consume, but we are seeing a year-on-year decline in consumption of around 7 per cent and that is really taking its toll, particularly on entry-level wine. The middle-class consumer globally is now also struggling with the cost of living . They are struggling with decision-making on what product they buy first: do they consume one bottle a week or do they consume two?

What it is seeing is that the Riverland product—that $10 a bottle product, by and large—is now really under threat, not only with the consumption but also with the production of that product here in South Australia, which is a Riverland product, and it is really under the pump. So while the state government have issued a $260,000 blueprint for funding, it is time for the Treasurer, the Premier and the primary industries minister to regroup and come together to look at how they can put a responsible support package in place.

I have said to a number of them that diversification is a potential partial solution. It is about how we diversify our farming properties away from total reliance on an ailing wine industry. I must say, it has been done before. The sugar growing area of Mackay in Queensland is underpinned by small family farms and in a crisis, more than a decade ago, there was a structural adjustment model put forward that was about putting diversity into that local economy.

Further south in the Burdekin, we see a lot of corporate farming and they were able to survive. They have deep pockets and investors' pockets that continue to underpin the uncertainty through that sector in the sugar industry, but for those small family operations they diversified and it was through some very clever creative thinking that gave them the opportunity to structurally adjust and move away from a monoculture, which was sugar. We have exactly the same issue here in South Australia, particularly in the Riverland, with the wine industry.

We did follow the government's wish to grow our economy by supplying global trading partners, but the former Prime Minister of Australia really did dong that large investment on the head when we were growing and building trust with China and China shut the gate on us. It impacted on a lot of industries: seafood, grain, wine, timber, red meat and many more, the list goes on. Those industries are able to rebuild and people are still consuming those products, but, as I said, they are now not consuming to the level that they were with Australian wine.

I would also like to just touch on some of the other challenges that the primary sector is facing. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 12:59 to 14:00.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT