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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-05-30 Daily Xml
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Supply Bill 2023

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 17 May 2023.)

The Hon. N.D. CHAMPION (Taylor—Minister for Trade and Investment, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Planning) (11:01): It is a pleasure to speak on the Supply Bill 2023. In my area of ministerial responsibility, there is no greater pressure than that on the housing market, and the government is undertaking a number of reforms to address the very great demand that we see in the community. I am sure it is true of those opposite, and it is certainly true of government members, that one of the first issues that is raised with government members—on the doorsteps, at street-corner meetings, at shopping centres, out there in the community—is the very great demand that we see each and every day in the community, in the media, in the public discourse around housing.

We have been left with an absolutely diabolical situation in terms of demand. It is fair to say that it is a national issue, a national housing crisis—we see it in the national consciousness and in the national public discourse—and the problems are very similar across the country, although there are always local factors in on it. Demand is, of course, an issue of public discourse and often people turn immediately to migration and to young homebuyers, as well, as a driver of demand. They are the two areas of public debate that tend to get attention, along with people at risk of homelessness and the like. But there is insufficient public discourse or understanding of one of the major drivers that is present in demand for housing, and that is the household formation issue.

If members think about their own lives and about the lives of the community around them, we have more people living on their own than ever before, and much of that is actually as a result of good public policy change; that is, older Australians are living in their home longer and being assisted to live in their home longer before entering nursing home accommodation. That is a good reform for the community, but of course it means that people live in homes longer, and that has some effect on housing supply and an ageing population.

The other factor is the rise of constellation families, as opposed to nuclear families. Nuclear families are now in the minority. Constellation families are where people get together, have a couple of kids and then break up and then, rather than having one household, have to get two. Often, those households are not any smaller because they have to accommodate the share of custody for children for 50 per cent of the time. Again, this is a consequence I think of modern living, but the decision for one family is just a decision for that family, but if you have that as your predominant social formation or household formation, it does have an effect on housing supply.

We see great demand out there in Australia, generally, because of these issues. In South Australia, we are retaining more of our South Australians in the state, rather than seeing them go to Melbourne or Sydney or other places around the globe. More South Australians are choosing to stay post university and the like, and I think that that is a reflection of the economic and social life of the state being in very good stead. But, if we turn around effectively 30 years of exporting graduates and the like to other states, that will have a very positive effect on the state, but it means that we will need to have more housing. We need to attract more people to deal with some of the big economic opportunities in AUKUS and critical minerals and hydrogen and the state's economy growing more generally.

We see, in South Australia, in particular, and across the nation, a huge pressure on housing and a more complex picture on supply. For as long as I have been in public life, we have seen a lot of demand-style measures being utilised by governments in order to stimulate the housing market. Some of those have been more effective than others, but they tend to have not added enough to supply, and there has been an insufficient focus on supply-side measures.

You can see that in the Financial Review, a national paper which led yesterday with a report done by Tony Richards, a former Reserve Bank economist, about 1.3 million missing homes. He blames it on councils and nimbys. I am not sure that necessarily is helpful, because if you read later on in the article the councils blame developers and finance and other factors, but I think the mere fact of 1.3 million missing homes is useful to the public debate because it gives you a comprehension of the undersupply figure. Since 2001, we have not been building enough homes to give people choice in the rental market, in the property market and the like.

Later on in that article, somewhat more tragically, the University of New South Wales talks about 640,000 families and individuals who are at stress, who cannot find appropriate housing. Of course, that has a massive flow on to our economy. It is an economic disenabler because if employers cannot get staff—and that is far and away the biggest issue that employers raise with me—that is an economic inhibitor, but it is also an inhibitor to people's general wellbeing. Part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs is the need for shelter, the need for security of shelter, of predictability of shelter.

When people are entering into a dysfunctional rental market—the vacancy rate in South Australia is 0.6 per cent; it is the second lowest rate in the nation after Western Australia—there is huge pressure on our rental system and, of course, that means that a great portion of society faces very real issues. The government has been all about addressing this issue, and we have acted on the supply side, and that is for good reason.

We have announced 23,700 more housing allotments for South Australians in Hackham, where we have already rezoned 235 hectares of land, providing the capacity for 2,000 new homes, 1,000 of which will be on Renewal SA's land. Chris Menz, the Chief Executive of Renewal SA, and his department should be congratulated on the role they played in facilitating the rezoning, along with my department, the planning and land use department. It is a very useful rezoning that is going to see new homes in the south, an area we know is particularly starved of greenfield sites.

We have also looked at Concordia and announced that we will rezone Concordia, where I initiated the code amendment to facilitate the rezoning only a week and a half ago. It is an important beginning that will involve community consultation and investigations as to infrastructure, which is very important for Gawler more generally. We know that there are traffic issues in Murray Street and the like, and we want to address those as part of the code amendment process. But, most importantly, we want the civil works to begin, and we want to get those land allotments into the system so that people might buy them and participate.

We have begun discussions around Dry Creek, where the government is a significant landholder along with the Buckland Dry Creek company. There are significant challenges with that site, but there are also significant opportunities. It is probably the most significant opportunity for the state, in a greenfield sense, to really build something that might be a next level up Mawson Lakes—not that Mawson Lakes is not a great place, but this will build another level again. It is a piece of flat land next to transport corridors with an opportunity to really design a city of the future which, of course, was always meant for that part of the world. Similarly, at Sellicks Beach, we have met with the council. We are relying on their structure plan and we have begun the process by which that land will be rezoned with the developers in question.

We are bringing 23,700 allotments into the land supply system. We have also initiated a code amendment for Murray Bridge with 1,000 new allotments in 113 acres all around the township, and that is obviously designed to meet Murray Bridge's needs. Murray Bridge is a rural city, but it is a city and there are some significant opportunities there. Again, there was consultation with the community and investigations into transport, emergency services, environmental and educational agencies, utilities and telecommunication providers to make sure that the infrastructure is in place so that there is a good outcome for the community.

The most important thing, of course, is that this was driven by the Rural City of Murray Bridge itself. I commend the Murray Bridge mayor, Wayne Thorley, Councillor Airlie Keen and Councillor John DeMichele for really driving it internally through the council and being interested in land supply. It is a model I think for local government generally, where councils drive housing supply in their communities, integrate and address the infrastructure issues up-front, accommodate growth up-front, and think about growth up-front. That will mean that we get better outcomes at the end side.

We have also announced 600 homes for Noarlunga Downs, of which 15 per cent will be affordable housing, and 80 new social houses, public housing, as part of that. There will be 800 homes for Aldinga, where we have protected the rail corridor, which is very important to public transport options for the future, and 500 homes up in Golden Grove. The construction of all those homes is expected to begin in 2025.

They are all actions that we have taken on land supply. Land supply is a critical part of housing supply—you cannot get around that. We know that infrastructure is critical, which is why we have formed the infrastructure unit within the planning department. We have appointed Elinor Walker, who has been on the State Planning Commission for the last few years and has a very good understanding of the challenges the state has in front of it. I am very pleased with her appointment because she is a professional held in high regard by both the development sector and local government more generally. She has been a planner for a very long time, and I think she will bring a degree of expertise and focus to that role, which is very important.

We have also been focusing on affordable rental supply, which is critical to having essential workers in our city. You cannot just have a land supply strategy and leave it. You cannot just have high-end, luxury apartments. You have to have an affordable rental supply, where people can save for a deposit and not get trapped renting for their whole lives.

If we do not have affordable rentals in the system, if we do not have some moderation of rent rises, then we will never see people be able to save the deposit they need to get into the housing market. We want to create a pipeline or an escalator, some way for things to keep moving in our rental market, where people are constantly moving into home ownership and constantly making room for new entrants. That is a critical part of any housing strategy.

We have announced some projects which are at the beginning of seeking support from the federal government. We hope that the federal Senate stops debating motions for three-quarters of every Senate sitting day and gets on with actually passing legislation like the Housing Affordability Fund. It is hazardous to enter into any of the federal debates anymore, but it does seem that there is a coalition of the unwilling between the Greens and the Liberals, a strange coalition of doing nothing in the federal Senate.

If they get out of the way and just pass the legislation—and they can aim for perfection at some point in the future—then we can get on with projects in our community. They are things like Playford Alive: 249 allotments, 25 homes specifically as affordable rentals. In Bowden, there are 60 new rental apartments. Bowden 2 has 36 new rental apartments. In Prospect, there are 30 new rental apartments, and the second part of Prospect has 42 new rental apartments. We are bringing all of those into the market as supply.

The same goes for Franklin Street, where we have a really good project that the Premier and I announced three or four weeks ago. It is really a city-changing project, taking an at-grade car park—the biggest waste of space you can have in your city is a single-level car park—and turning it into an absolutely vibrant community with up to a thousand people residing there, with a combination of affordable rental, public housing, rental more generally, ownership, build-to-rent, a hotel and a civic and cultural space right next to the markets, where we already have a significant development underway. That is a project that will help to define our city. All these things are designed to push supply into the market.

They are not going to be the only projects that this government undertakes, and this will not be the only land supply that this government undertakes. I have missed a couple of rural allotments. We have announced Fisherman Bay in Goolwa as well. We are very interested in talking to the regions. We have the Office for Regional Housing in Renewal SA and, for the first time, a board member who resides in regional South Australia.

We are very interested in Renewal SA participating and partnering with rural employers and rural councils to provide supply into the townships of our state, because we have an even bigger problem in many regional areas with effectively a zero per cent rental vacancy rate in many of these towns. If you think about that, that means that you are just inhibiting the economic and social growth of those towns in a way that is very damaging.

I know members opposite, and the crossbench as well, are very keen on this, but this initiative should have been done years ago, especially the provision of government-built homes for its own employees should have been done years ago. The Minister for Health and I have had some very productive discussions about that, but we are in a housing crisis and the truth is that because of the inaction of the past we cannot build homes or get projects up quickly enough.

There is no time for delay—absolutely no time for delay in this area. We cannot afford the Senate to delay; we cannot afford federal bureaucracies to sit on hundreds of millions of dollars waiting for perfect projects to arrive. We have to get projects and housing supply into the market as quickly as possible, because there is a dire need out there in the community.

Ministers are often kept awake at night with our responsibilities, but the one that really does keep me up at night is the idea that in Australia we might face a situation where it becomes normalised for people to sleep in their cars or to sleep in tents—working people who cannot get a rental. If that is to become the norm in Australia, then we have become somewhere quite alien to our social and national ethics.

I think for those of us who do have secure housing who are in positions of responsibility, we have to do absolutely everything we can, and opposition parties have to do everything they can. We should not be in a position where people are delaying legislation in the commonwealth parliament, as well as opposing housing projects on the ground. We need housing and we need it now.

The Hon. B.I. BOYER (Wright—Minister for Education, Training and Skills) (11:22): I rise to add some comments to the passage of this Supply Bill. It is an opportunity for me to speak about some local issues in the seat of Wright and the north-eastern suburbs more broadly insofar as they relate to the passage of this Supply Bill.

I might start with an election commitment made by the government when in opposition for an upgrade of the Wynn Vale Dam area. To many people who live in the north-eastern suburbs—in fact, one of our attendants who is in the chamber at the moment—this is well known as the home of the Jubilee Way or Wynn Vale parkrun, which is an incredibly popular and growing local event. I am sure members here are familiar with parkruns, but the Jubilee Way parkrun is very picturesque, through the creek area and then around the dam (which is in Wynn Vale) in a loop and then back for five kilometres.

I am new to parkrun, but I am giving it a go. I have managed to get there for the last few weekends. I am hoping to get there again on Saturday, because although it is fantastic for one's health and wellbeing—and in this job we do, you spend a lot of time, unfortunately, sitting—I also acknowledge that it is a fantastic community event where people make friends, catch up with people who they have not seen, get out and about, and then start the weekend the right way.

I am very pleased that the Malinauskas Labor government is supporting the growth of this parkrun by investing in the infrastructure that is used for the runners and walkers who flock to the area every Saturday. It is regularly in excess of 200 people who come along, which is fantastic, but there is a bit of work that is needed at this very popular site to make sure that it is fit for purpose in terms of all those people running, some of whom bring their kids and some of whom bring their pets. We, of course, encourage all that.

When doorknocking the whole of the Wynn Vale suburb before the last election—it was the second time that I have done that, and I managed to get to about 45 per cent of people who live in the area, which I think is a pretty good return—I asked for their feedback on what kind of support they would like to see a future Labor government give in terms of upgrading the area.

The very clear overwhelming feedback I got was that people thought there needed to be improvements to things like lighting and the footpaths and a better playground for kids in the vicinity of Wynn Vale Dam, which of course is not only used for parkrun but is also an area that is frequented by people who come to see the ducks—I saw someone fishing there on the weekend—and have a stroll around. There is a playground there that families come and use, which is in need of a bit of refresh.

But the most powerful bit of feedback I received from local community members was that many felt unsafe in the winter months when they are running or walking after work when it is dark quite early or running or walking early in the morning before work when it is also dark. There was an incident—I think it was more than 10 years ago—at Wynn Vale Dam where someone I think tried to attack someone. Fortunately, I am not aware of any other situations, but I thought it was an opportune moment for the state government to support the Tea Tree Gully council to make sure the lighting in the area was upgraded so that people in the area who might be using the beautiful and natural surrounds there to walk or run or exercise in the winter months when it is dark could do so and do so safely.

To that end, we committed to a $1.1 million grant to Tea Tree Gully council, which will include in stage 1 an upgraded pedestrian bridge; shared-use pathways; and additional nature playground infrastructure, including a custom-made inclusive play boat. The other piece of feedback about the existing playground that was there was that, although it is very popular—I would not say dilapidated or anything like that—it was not really able to cater for young people who might have a disability.

The feedback we had was that, if we were going to make an upgrade and put a nature playground in, which of course are all the rage at the moment and are fantastic, we should make sure there is some inclusive play equipment there and we will be doing that with a play boat. There will also be some balancing equipment and some water play elements.

Anyone here who has been to one of their local schools recently will see that the most popular piece of new infrastructure at schools is either a COLA (a covered outdoor learning area) or nature play. Nature play often includes water pumps and a channel where the water can flow and kids can either play with a bit of mud or play with the water, which I think is wonderful. We are going to make sure we have something like that in the new play space at the Wynn Vale Dam area as well.

There will also be some park furniture, including a picnic table; shelter; a drinking fountain; and a bike repair station, because of course one thing I did not mention is that cycling is very popular in the area as well. There will also be a bit more tree planting and landscaping to make sure we keep the area looking beautiful and some way finding signage, which of course is important in making sure people know where they can find all the different things that attract people to the Wynn Vale Dam area. I am really pleased we are doing that.

I should take the opportunity, too, to congratulate the Jubilee Way parkrun on five years. They just celebrated their fifth birthday. I was pleased to go along with some cake and thank the volunteers, Deb and her team there—all volunteers who are out very early on a Saturday morning to set up. They are there until the last person has finished. A shout-out to councillor Kristianne Foreman, who I think was the last person. Good on you, Kristianne.

Deb and her team have done a great job to keep it going and to grow it into what it is and I am glad that, through support from the state government and the Tea Tree Gully council, we will be able to make sure it can continue to grow and that we attract more people from the area to come along, whether it is on parkrun on a Saturday or throughout the week.

The other significant local election commitment that we made was around a master plan for Wynn Vale Drive. There will only be a few members of this place who would be familiar with Wynn Vale Drive. I am sure my colleagues the members for Newland and King know it well. It is a road that goes from Bridge Road in Salisbury East, through Gulfview Heights, up the hill, through Wynn Vale to The Golden Way and connects Salisbury East to Wynn Vale. It is a path used by many to access schools in the area, including King's Baptist, Gulfview Heights Primary School, Keithcot Farm Primary School and others as well.

It is a very busy and important piece of infrastructure but like many of those suburban connector roads particularly during school time has suffered from increased traffic and congestion. In particular the intersection at the bottom of the hill, where Wynn Vale Drive meets Bridge Road, I would have to say hand on heart is one of the most dangerous intersections I have ever seen. There is not a week that goes by when there is not a pretty serious kind of crash. I regularly have constituents from the seat of Wright and around send me photos or post them to Facebook of the most recent accident.

It has been problematic in terms of getting change there because, to be honest, former governments, both Liberal and Labor, have done the right thing when local members have written to the transport ministers saying that this intersection needs to be looked at for reasons of safety, and they have sent out the team from the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, or whatever the department might have been called back in the day, to do traffic surveying. They have set up their gear and they have dutifully stayed there and looked at the traffic and then the report normally comes back and says that there is not a significant volume of cars trying to turn right from Wynn Vale Drive into Bridge Road.

Both I and the former member for Wright have always said, 'That's because people have given up trying to use the intersection because it's so dangerous to turn right.' I have myself sat there and done my own surveys and got footage to prove this—that vehicles are instead turning left onto Bridge Road, driving down a few hundred metres, doing a U-turn to go right, or they are going through rat runs in local streets of Gulfview Heights, including past Gulfview Heights Primary School on Kiekebusch Road, and I have had reports from the principal there, Chris Zunis, of a few near misses where people have barrelled past, trying to cut through Gulfview Heights to avoid the intersection with Wynn Vale Drive to get onto Bridge Road and have just missed kids.

It is only a matter of time before we have a fatality at that intersection, so I am pleased that finally we have got a commitment to upgrade that intersection and make it safe for all the local residents who use it. It will see a significant increase in traffic using that intersection, but I think that can be done safely, and it will reduce street traffic in local suburban streets, moving it away from schools like Gulfview Heights Primary School and will instead enable motorists to be able to use the intersection safely.

We will be doing that through traffic lights which we will be installing there. We will see a dedicated right-hand turn lane from Bridge Road onto Wynn Vale Drive. There is not one at the moment, which results in numerous rear-enders from vehicles that plough into the back of a car sitting and waiting to turn right.

There will be a much-needed pedestrian crossing as well. Just on the other side of the road, in Salisbury East, there are some small apartments or flats. I know, because I have doorknocked there and spoken to the residents, there are probably a disproportionate number of elderly residents who live there who try to cross Bridge Road, which is four lanes of traffic. There is no pedestrian refuge in the middle, there is no pedestrian crossing and there are no lights. I have seen some of those elderly people standing in the middle of the road trying to make sure they fit between cars as they make their way across. Having this signalised intersection there will make sure that pedestrians can cross from Salisbury East into Gulfview Heights and vice versa and do so safely.

The other thing that this will accommodate will be some dedicated indents for the bus which travels up Wynn Vale Drive. I will give a shout-out to my opponent from the 2018 state election, Luigi Mesisca, who made a commitment to put bus stops on Wynn Vale Drive. That morphed into providing an actual bus service there, which had been missing, which we now have. But the bus has to pull over in a number of spots up the hill where there is not an indented bay where it could do so safely and therefore traffic builds up behind the bus, creating another hotspot for incidents.

So we are going to make sure there are some more indents up Wynn Vale Drive so the bus can be used without disrupting traffic, including around the King's Baptist-Keithcot Farm school area, which has a lot of traffic in the mornings for drop-offs and the afternoons for pick-ups, and to make sure that the vehicles using Wynn Vale Drive can drop off children to those schools and pick them up safely.

The final component of the master plan is a commitment we have made to a more detailed traffic study at what is one of the most contested intersections I think, certainly in my electorate if not in the north-east, which is any intersection which turns onto The Golden Way, which becomes jammed with traffic during school pick-up and drop-off times. The reason we have committed to a detailed traffic study there and not anything more concrete is that I am very conscious—as someone who uses The Golden Way every day myself, and also from talking to residents—that we would be close to a record number of traffic lights between the village and McIntyre Road if we were to add another set.

I am going to work with Minister Koutsantonis and his department to see if there is not some other kind of solution we can find to ameliorate those issues of congestion at that intersection in what is actually a quite narrow period of time—about 45 minutes between 8am and 8.45 and again at drop-off time. The intersection actually functions quite well during the rest of the time, and we have to find that tricky balance between safety and not impeding the flow of traffic in what is a very busy area. I am really looking forward to delivering that. Early works have already started, which is great because, as I said, it is a matter of life or death at some of those intersections now and this fix, this solution, cannot come soon enough.

I should also mention that I was very pleased to join the Minister for Health—we have him in the chamber, so we can give him a shout-out—the member for King and the member for Newland recently to announce the location of the new ambulance station at Golden Grove. I have to give credit to the minister and the department for being able to pull off the location they have found. It is an absolutely prime piece of real estate, right next to the new Golden Grove park-and-ride, just behind the Helping Hand nursing home and adjacent to the North East Hockey Club. Of course, it is near Golden Grove High School as well.

Parcels of land like that anywhere, but particularly in the Golden Grove area, are few and far between. The fact that we have committed to this new ambulance station on that 5,200 square metre parcel of land means that ambulances and teams stationed there will be in a fantastic position to be able to reduce response time to people in that area.

It was pointed out by Paul Lemmer from SAAS, at the stand-up I did with the Minister for Health and the members for King and Newland, that we have an ageing population, particularly across the Golden Grove development suburbs of Greenwith, Wynn Vale and Golden Grove. You could possibly add Gulfview Heights and Modbury Heights as well because, in those bits that were developed by Delfin, lots of families moved in for obvious reasons—a fantastic place to live, large blocks. They have stayed and are older now, and Paul Lemmer said he had noticed there was a need for more ambulance services in that area. The fact that we were able to find the site there in such a central location to the suburbs I just mentioned means this will be a fantastic asset for the north-east, and I commend all those involved in making that happen.

The subject of health care is a perennial issue in any electorate. The north-east is no different and Modbury Hospital has been an issue that has come up again and again at election time. I was pleased to be able to go out there and make an announcement, with local members, the minister, and the Premier, to talk about our commitment for 24 more mental health beds at Modbury Hospital. It is a $44 million mental health rehabilitation unit that will be open in 2025—not a long way off—and I think I would be on safe ground in saying that other members would agree that if you were to go out and knock on 100 doors or make 100 phone calls to residents or constituents in your seat, the issue around access to mental health care comes up a lot.

One of the things I have observed, which really struck me as an area of need, was older residents who might be trying to support adult children battling mental health challenges. They are trying to navigate the mental health system at an older age, which they find difficult, but they are always very keen to make sure they can get that care and support for their family members close to home.

We know that Modbury Hospital on the precinct there is held dear by the north-east community. You only need to talk to residents like the members for Newland and King and Florey and the member for Makin—and I do quite regularly—and you will still hear people who will talk about how they moved to the area because it was a place that had its own hospital. There was Westfield and not long after there was the O-Bahn. There are these amazing bits of social infrastructure—excluding the shopping centre—but wonderful infrastructure for the community that actually attracted them to move to the area in the first place.

That is why you see the quite strident and vehement response when any government of any colour tries to change or remove services in the local area. I am really pleased that this is a government that has committed to putting services back into Modbury Hospital, which is going to be really well received by the community. It is not just the mental health support; it is also the cancer centre, which will include 12 chemotherapy chairs and an outpatient consulting room to actually deliver those cancer services, which, sadly, lots of people rely on in the north-eastern suburbs.

If I can reiterate, it is true for things like mental health; you want to be able to get that support close to home and it is particularly true, I think, of those who might be getting chemotherapy or something like that who are older and who do not want to travel any further than they have to to be able to have that regular health care. If they have an elderly partner or family, it gives them the ability to be able to travel five minutes down the road and offer them some support.

I think this is fantastic. I do not think Modbury Hospital has ever had a cancer centre, so this is not actually a case of putting something back in that was taken away. This is something brand new and I think I have had more positive feedback around this commitment than I have almost anything else. I feel that we have seen the need and hit the nail on the head here and that is going to be open in 2025, which is incredible. These things are not out on the never-never; they are happening, the planning is underway and we have had ministers and premiers and everyone out to announce things, and it is really exciting.

I will finish with one more on health care which is, of course, the Lyell McEwin Hospital. My seat sits between the two hospitals, and this is a 48-bed expansion at the Lyell Mac to increase the capacity; two new 24-bed inpatient wards are going to be built due for completion mid next year—again, really soon, welcomed by the whole community, and I have to say hand on heart I am proud of the things that this government has committed to in the area that I represent in this parliament.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Stuart—Minister for Local Government, Minister for Regional Roads, Minister for Veterans Affairs) (11:42): I have great privilege and pleasure today in rising to support the Supply Bill 2023 and to make some comments about the challenges and the opportunities I see for the people in my new electorate of Stuart. Before I do, can I just say that I am very privileged to be the new member for Stuart and the boundary reshuffle at the last election gave me the opportunity to have an about 95 per cent new electorate to where I was before in Frome. I consider myself very privileged to be able to travel in an area where I was travelling when I was an area manager of BP Australia many, many years ago when I lived in Port Augusta.

Members of this house will know that I am a glass half full type of individual. I look for the positives in most things and in the context of the bill before us, I genuinely look at the opportunities before us and the challenges we face to ensure that we achieve and maximise the benefits of those opportunities that are given to us in this house and in this state in the bill. I see tremendous opportunities in and for the communities in my seat and, more broadly, in the Upper Spencer Gulf.

Uppermost of course is the state government's implementation of this ambitious and exciting Hydrogen Jobs Plan. The plan centres on the large-scale delivery of hydrogen production, power generation and storage facilities, leveraging the high-quality geographic and economic characteristics of the Upper Spencer Gulf region to stimulate industry investment in hydrogen and create a globally competitive clean energy industry.

The Upper Spencer Gulf has been blessed with the best opportunities anywhere in the world for green opportunities, renewable opportunities—whether it is wind turbine, solar, PV panels or whatever it may be—Ross Garnaut made that comment some four years ago at a global maintenance conference in Port Augusta. I think if we continue the way we are with the Upper Spencer Gulf, we will see great opportunities for not only green energy, renewable energy, but also opportunities for value-adding for industries to communicate with the battery storage facilities to look at the opportunities to relocate some of the industries to the Upper Spencer Gulf; in particular, Port Augusta, Port Pirie and Whyalla.

What is not fully appreciated and talked about enough is the private investment in hydrogen that is being generated in the Upper Spencer Gulf. That broader investment includes additional projects being pursued in the Upper Spencer Gulf region, including the Port Bonython hydrogen hub project, critical water infrastructure initiatives, such as the Northern water supply, and significant private sector investment in energy production and transmission. Trafigura alone, one of the world's largest physical commodity trading companies and parent company to Nyrstar, the Port Pirie smelter, a global multimetals manufacturing business, are progressing plans to construct a commercial-scale green hydrogen manufacturing facility in Port Pirie for their purposes alone.

I know this is in the business case study, but they are progressing that quite well at this point. That shows the confidence that Trafigura, one of the biggest commodity traders in the world, have not only in Port Pirie but in the opportunities for the Upper Spencer Gulf. I look forward to working continuously, as I have as the local member for Frome previously and now as the new member for Stuart, and collaboratively with Trafigura to pursue the opportunities for expansion of that plant and also to divest and to have other opportunities.

This proposed $750 million project will be developed in a phased manner, initially producing 20 tonnes of green hydrogen per day for export in the form of green ammonia. The full-scale plant will produce some 100 tonnes of green hydrogen per day from a 440 megawatt electrolyser, enabling it to meet both export and domestic supply needs.

Hydrogen industry development presents significant economic growth opportunities for South Australia. The Upper Spencer Gulf has a uniquely high-capacity factor from coincidental wind and solar, as I mentioned earlier. The rapid expansion of a hydrogen industry will help unlock the development of gigawatt-scale renewable energy projects across all of South Australia. Then, of course, there are the enormous and ever-growing exploration and mining opportunities in the north of our state, which will be supported to have these energy generation and water supply initiatives. Their proximity to transport routes by rail, water and corridoring in the Upper Spencer Gulf points to more opportunities for employment and growth.

The challenges of course are equally enormous. We need skilled workers and appropriate housing to facilitate the envisaged growth in the region. In that regard, I compliment the government, which has committed to building a technical college at Port Augusta, which I know is in the early stages at this point, but that will give the opportunity for training in those facilities. The Minister for Education has been to Port Augusta and Port Pirie and looked at the TAFE facilities, and hopefully we can improve on them and get the them back to where they were many years ago.

Further, we also need the supporting softer infrastructure like health and education services. I have the Minister for Health sitting in front of me in the chamber here today. I will compliment the government: it has committed money towards the Port Pirie Regional Health Service for the improvement of its accident and emergency service. That is a regional health service and has been in need of a lot of improvement.

I look forward to working with the minister regarding further opportunities to enhance not only the facilities but also the conditions for the staff and visiting specialists. At Port Augusta, vast funds have been committed to Port Augusta Hospital, and again I compliment the minister on what he is doing there. He has visited on a number of occasions, and I have been working with him regarding a number of opportunities.

With regard to education, we talked about the technical college—this is one of the things we had years ago; in Port Pirie, we had technical colleges and then they were done away with—and this is the way we have to go. If we have a shortage of trade skills, we need these facilities. I know that it is okay to have them in Adelaide, but a lot of people cannot afford to come to Adelaide to do that training. I compliment the government on establishing the one at Port Augusta. That will complement the uni hub established at Port Pirie and Port Augusta, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Kadina. They are working collaboratively with industries to do the training facilities there, and in conjunction with the Minister for Education I am sure we will get on top of this and provide those opportunities.

Whilst we have the education and the hospital, we also need to take into account our emergency services. Our ambulance services across all of regional South Australia, in particular, do a fantastic job out there. The Port Pirie service has a very good facility and has great staff. Port Augusta had a very minute, very small building there and, when I had a look at that during the election campaign, I was very surprised at how they actually got the ambulances reversed in there.

To the credit of the government, they have now committed to build a new ambulance station in the CBD near Port Augusta. It is in a very good location: it is readily accessible, you do not have to go across any rail crossings or anything like that, they will be able to get to the hospital, and it is straight next to the highway. The progress of that is amazing. People in Port Augusta are looking at it as it transforms as it is being built; there are lots and lots of comments about that. The task at hand is to ensure that the public efforts of the state and local governments are well coordinated to support and encourage that growth.

It is in this regard that, as the Minister for Local Government, I held forums with all the council. I gave an invitation, after the council elections, for every councillor to come in and talk to me and then with Premier and the Deputy Premier, who were guest speakers there. I want councils to look at the opportunities to be able to facilitate cooperation and partnership with the state government, and vice versa—to create the opportunities out there, whether it is in being able to release excess land that councils may have for housing and affordable homes or that some councils have the opportunity to divest some financial assets to create employment opportunities.

I go on about the Upper Spencer Gulf; I am very passionate about the Upper Spencer Gulf. It has been my home for many, many years, and I intend to promote and to do the best I can for the Upper Spencer Gulf and also for the outback of South Australia and other regions in my electorate of Stuart. That is why the Premier has asked me to convene and chair regular meetings of the Upper Spencer Gulf cities—that is, Whyalla, Port Augusta and Port Pirie—with their mayors and their CEOs, taking with me the most senior leadership in the Public Service through the CEO of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet to ensure that there is a common understanding about what each of us needs to bring to the table to ensure that we do not to tread on each other's toes but instead move in relative unison in the interests of our common constituents; that is, the people of South Australia.

I am very fortunate and very privileged to be a member of the community of Port Pirie, in the previous 13 years as the member for Frome and now as the member for Stuart, which takes me into the outback. As the local member, I have facilitated and had meetings there. I have had tours going up north to Marree and all those places up there—Lyndhurst and so forth, and the Birdsville Track—talking to pastoralists, visiting them and understanding what their concerns are. As I said, there have been lots of opportunities there.

We need to also acknowledge the challenges that are in the outback areas, and I am talking about through the OCA. There are a lot of challenges there but there are also a lot of opportunities. As I said earlier, we have the untapped resource opportunities in the Upper Spencer Gulf and also in the north. What we need to do is work very collaboratively together, in unison, but we also need to work with confidence. We need to work with positivity and make certain that we do not have negativity going on around us.

There are another couple of issues there. There have been quite a few bridges on the Horrocks Highway that have been upgraded and renewed. We have another one in the Northern Areas Council that has been out there through the council. They got some funds through the government, which complemented their funding. They are going out to tender for that one. That will make it a lot easier. We know that we still have a couple of bridges on the Horrocks Highway to upgrade, but we are going to get to that. That will make it a lot easier for the tourists to go through there more safely, and it will also make it more efficient for the grain industries to be able to not only use single-axle vehicles but also have road trains going through there.

The other thing is the OCA (Outback Communities Authority). I will pay tribute to Mark Sutton, who was the director for many years. We now have a new director there and also a new chair and a new board. They have lots of opportunities, they have lots of experience, and they are on a positive journey going forward.

In closing, I see nothing but great opportunities for the Upper Spencer Gulf in particular. If we grasp those opportunities and work with local councils, the state government and the federal government we can achieve the best results. We are in this chamber to do what we can for our communities. If we do not look toward future generations, then who is going to look after those future generations? We all need to do that to create opportunities.

I am here with other members to not only look after our own families and our own generation but future generations and I see nothing but opportunities. It is a privilege to speak on the Supply Bill and I look forward to working very collaboratively with everyone in this house, councils and the federal government to get the best results for all of regional South Australia.

Mr BELL (Mount Gambier) (11:55): I rise to make some comment on the Supply Bill 2023. I need to begin with an acknowledgement of the contribution that the state government is making and has made in previous budgets towards the South-East, and obviously those funding cycles will continue over the next three or four years. It is worth reminding people of the significant contribution that this government is making and its focus on the South-East.

At the moment, a new technical college is being developed in consultation with Kevin Scarce, who is heading that project. As the member for Stuart said, education is a key plank for a community to not only thrive but to grow going forward. This educational precinct will be to the tune of $60 million. We have just had a big project built in Mount Gambier, Wulanda, and that is in the order of $60 million. When people walk past they will see the value for money you can get.

This is an equivalent-sized project focused purely on education. It will bring together the technical college, the Department for Education, TAFE, forestry, private providers, and the University of South Australia and will create a true educational precinct to draw people into our community and support the many people within our community who will go through that precinct for education and training.

To make sure that it is coordinated properly, we have diverse interests all coming together to get the best outcome and the best value for money. I applaud the Premier and his commitment to employing Kevin Scarce to oversee this project, which has many moving parts and many interests that need to align to get the best outcome. The state government has invested in public housing in Mount Gambier and we are seeing, certainly in my memory, the first new public housing being built. I believe Empak are towards the end of the first lot of new builds that are occurring.

There is support for the rock lobster industry in the form of relief in fees, which is greatly welcomed by that industry. Certainly, the downturn in exports to China had a major impact. It is worth pointing out that that impact is felt in the community because when one sector is doing it tough and they do not have money to spend, that money does not go into the local community. Whether it is equipment, cars, repairs and maintenance on boats, or new fibreglassing, there is a whole range of things that simply do not flow through the community.

Forestry has been a big winner, investment directly into forestry in terms of research but more broadly for our community in terms of fire towers. The anniversary of Ash Wednesday was not that long ago, and it is a stark reminder that major bushfires pose a significant threat to our community. This is really about community safety, particularly when most of the towns are surrounded by plantation forest.

There is investment in paramedics, 24/7 paramedic crew and additional crew being put on, mental health beds, upgrades to our emergency department, drug and alcohol as well as detox beds, and investment in roads. All in all, well over $100 million has been committed to our region going forward.

At this juncture, my aim is to perhaps talk about opportunities and things to focus the government's mind, if they are willing to engage. I still see the Future Mount Gambier document that I put together two years ago as being a key plank in the future of the South-East, as a bit of a road map on how to get there, but of course it always needs to be updated and I think there are some exciting opportunities on the horizon.

I have a great affiliation for the Upper Spencer Gulf, having taught in Port Augusta for five years. I can see the impact that $300 million for a hydrogen plant will make on that community and the benefits to the wider community. I genuinely hope and believe that it will be successful, and I would like to use it as a template for what can be done in the South-East. The South-East has most of the key elements needed for hydrogen production. We have an abundance of water, we have an abundance of wind and wind-generated power. If you put those two things together—hydrogen is, in very simplistic terms, putting electricity through water—we have the key elements in spades.

The other thing that we have in the South-East are major offtake users, such as Kimberly-Clark, which manufactures paper products, most notably toilet paper. During the pandemic, we could see how important that was to the lives of many people. There is also a great opportunity just over the border in Portland, which has Alcoa, an aluminium smelter that would take every bit of electricity that could be generated in a plant based in South Australia selling green energy to Victoria, into Alcoa. I am very supportive of the hydrogen project. I want to see it succeed and the future opportunities that might arise for our community around hydrogen, because we have all the key elements to prove its success.

Going forward, there are exciting opportunities around mobile connectivity. I want to congratulate Michael Patterson from Telstra on putting forward a very exciting proposal that would require $5.6 million from the state government, which is 20 per cent of the build cost of 27 sites that would give complete coverage for the Lower South-East. The federal government would be 50 per cent, Telstra themselves 25 per cent and local governments would make a contribution of 5 per cent. To have the South-East connected through this development of 27 sites would be game changing, particularly for primary industries but also for local communities and businesses and enterprises that would leverage from that.

Tourism I still see as one of the most undeveloped industries in the Lower South-East. I would like to see a real focus on product development, a reason to deposit your money into the South-East economy whilst you are there visiting, creating jobs and enhancing the experience for tourists as well.

It is no secret that most of our attractions are actually free. You can walk around the Blue Lake, go to the Umpherston Sinkhole, go to the Valley Lake, and enjoy many activities which do not cost any money. I want all of that to continue, of course, but I also want to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs and private capital to come in and develop products that, for people who do want to spend money, enhance their experience of perhaps some of our natural resources, and other resources in our area, because that is where the jobs are. That is where the beautification and the improvements to facilities can come from. It is not just the state government or the local council which need to contribute to these types of improvements for all of our community to enjoy.

The Hon. L.W.K. Bignell: You need some major events like a big bike race.

Mr BELL: I was going to touch on that in a minute. Of course, one of the ways in which we can draw more people to our region is embracing the South-East and its proximity to Victoria as a real advantage to major events. Following on from that, I am really pleased to see our community engage in ideas. I have been talking about tourism and the opportunity that that industry presents for our community in terms of jobs, in terms of revenue, in terms of improvements for a long time.

Just today, Sam O'Connor, a guy I know very well—he is a stock agent; if you ever need to sell any cattle or sheep, Sam O'Connor is the one you need to go to—rang me and said, 'It's unlikely we are going to get a game of AFL football in Mount Gambier because it's too far away from Adelaide, but how do we look at attracting all the Victorians who are travelling to Adelaide through Mount Gambier around that period of time, instead of them perhaps going straight from Melbourne to Adelaide, whether it's a direct flight or via car?'

His idea, I think, is a good one. Why not talk to the state government about doing Tasting Australia in the week before and the week after in Mount Gambier, with world-class chefs and people coming to Mount Gambier for a reason—i.e. that product development I am talking about—staying a few days, then travelling up to Adelaide to watch the Gather Round and then, the week after, LIV Golf. It is a fantastic idea and exactly what I have been talking about. It will be on the list of points I will be talking to the Premier and the minister about, around how we create events in Mount Gambier that get people to stay before they travel to perhaps the Gather Round or LIV Golf.

Going forward, we need to do some work on radiation therapy and what that is going to look like for our community. I thank the health minister for his very proactive engagement at this stage around that and certainly the funding by the state government of a business case for radiation therapy. It is a topic that has gathered over 16,000 signatures. It is important to our community and it is important to get it right, and I am pleased to see a proactive first step on what the business case looks like, as long as that business case does not get bogged down in bureaucracy and take away from the main focus—that is, how do we deliver the best health services to our community?

I keep talking about regional TAFE and our TAFE in Mount Gambier. I am of the fundamental belief that, unless you get the administration structure and the responsibility to a community right, you can throw as much money at TAFE as you like but you will get suboptimal results every time. I have talked a long time about having a regional board that is responsible to the community and responsive from the community. I believe that this is not a model that works just for Mount Gambier—I think all regional TAFEs need to have that type of structure and that type of accountability. I see a real opportunity with this education precinct that, instead of just having a TAFE board, you would have a precinct board that coordinates the technical college, the TAFE, forestry, private providers and UniSA, with them all coming together to get the best outcome for our community.

I met with Kevin Scarce yesterday and talked through these ideas, and that an accommodation precinct is a key element to this. If you are going to treat education as an industry and you want to draw people to your area, there are a couple of key elements. One we have no control on, that is, to have it in the heart of your community as we have done in Adelaide and as they do everywhere else around the world. Our TAFE and education precinct will be on the outskirts of our town. The second one is to make sure that you have the best infrastructure around that, and accommodation, public transport and ease of access are the types of elements that really do need to come together.

Some other areas to focus on include In Home Hospice Care. This is for people who are at the end stage of their life, who choose not to spend that time in a hospital. We have a fantastic service in Mount Gambier run by a dedicated group of people. Probably the most vocal to me is a lady called Maureen Klintberg who is a passionate advocate and supporter of In Home Hospice Care. They are facing a funding issue. In 2020—and great credit to the Marshall Liberal government—$150,000 was put to In Home Hospice Care, but that funding is obviously coming to an end and there is uncertainty around where that service will go. For return on investment, somebody being cared for in their home is a hell of a lot cheaper than somebody being cared for in a hospital, so I think it is a very small investment that can be made.

I cannot leave without mentioning the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme, one of my pet projects since I first came into parliament. The accommodation subsidy is still at $40 a night, and it has not changed for a considerable period of time. Try to find accommodation in Adelaide for someone from Mount Gambier at $40 a night. I do not even think a tent site at a caravan park is $40 anymore, so that is something we could certainly look at.

I still see great opportunity for medical cannabis. You meet kids who have epilepsy—and their parents—and what this does for their quality of life and care. I still see Mount Gambier as having perhaps some of the best expertise and also the best facilities that could make that a reality. The problem with medical cannabis is the cost and this, to me, is a real supply-and-demand issue: if we can increase the supply, the cost will come down.

In finishing, housing really does underpin everything. If we are to grow, we do need more housing. I know our councils are in constant discussion with the Minister for Planning about which lands can be opened up and about building multi-storey developments within the CBD of Mount Gambier, which I would certainly encourage. I think that will leapfrog us as a community into the next era of growth, but we still have issues around skilled workers not being able to find accommodation in Mount Gambier, believe it or not. Certainly, the more we can support private capital going into building housing, the better I think it will be for our community but also for the economic return for the state.

In short, there are myriad things for the Treasurer to address, and I am glad that he is in the chamber right now. The future of our community is probably the brightest I have ever seen it and I am really excited to see what transpires over the coming years.

The Hon. D.R. CREGAN (Kavel) (12:15): The Supply Bill is sustaining a number of critical projects in my community: first, though perhaps not most importantly but very importantly, the Mount Barker hospital. Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, you will be aware that there are approximately 32 beds in the existing hospital—32 beds for a growing community. I am delighted that in this Supply Bill a decision by this government has been made to build a new Mount Barker hospital.

It will be constructed on this existing hospital site—it is an important site in our community—and it will complement the emergency department, which of course has been opened at Mount Barker hospital with substantial federal funds to sustain that project as well. I wish to acknowledge Rebekha Sharkie's contribution to ensuring that the new emergency department could be realised. Taken together, the hospital, the new hospital and the new emergency department will see about a hundred beds in the Adelaide Hills. Some might say that additional beds might be required in the future, but can I say that a hundred beds are a very substantial improvement on about 32.

Vital to my community is mental health care and support, and 12 beds in the hospital for the first time will be directed at supporting those with needs in that respect. Also critical to my community are paediatric beds, and two beds in the new emergency department are dedicated to ensuring that there is emergency paediatric medical support and clinical support. I should put on record my thanks to the Adelaide Hills O&G clinic, which is supporting, through private health care and also assistance under Medicare, many women who are giving birth in my community, and the number of births is increasing substantially.

Can I say, too, that the Supply Bill will sustain a new ambulance station. There has been a single ambulance in Mount Barker since 1992, operating out of a small and dilapidated station. We require a new fit-for-purpose facility and we require a second crew. This is a matter that my community joined cause with me on, and many thousands of people, of course, signed a petition to emphasise the significance of this issue, not just in Mount Barker but in the Adelaide Hills more generally. A second crew is now operating. A fit-for-purpose station will be built. A site has been selected. This is a very, very significant and important investment, and of course new stations are open at Strathalbyn and Birdwood too.

Can I touch briefly on a matter that is not directly relevant to health care, although a failure to invest in an upgrade of the Adelaide Road intersection until this point has seen a number of casualty crashes. It is essential that we duplicate the Adelaide Road bridge at the Adelaide Road freeway interchange. That work will proceed. It is vital work, it is an essential upgrade, and I am very delighted to see that it will proceed. There will be some federal funding and some state funding to see that project to end.

Whilst I have the house's attention, can I emphasise, as well, the value of the resurfacing of the Onkaparinga Valley Road. I cannot emphasise to members the number of times, when I was out doorknocking in the north of the electorate, this issue was raised with me. The road is in a considerable state of disrepair. That resurfacing work is underway. It is a significant corridor. It supports most of the horticultural and agricultural activities in my community and throughout the Hills. It is an absolute disgrace that that corridor was left unaddressed and unrepaired for many years. The work is underway, and I thank the Treasurer.

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (12:20): Can I thank all members who have made a contribution on this bill. The Supply Bill debate is an opportunity for members to speak on a free-ranging basis about not only matters relevant to their budget but also matters relevant to their electorates. From those contributions, which I had the benefit of hearing or reading subsequently in Hansard, it is clear that members take the interests of their electorates very seriously. They advocate strongly for the interests of their communities and their electorates. It was of great interest to me, and I am sure to other members of the government, to hear some of the contributions that were made by those members.

Of course, you will excuse me, Mr Acting Speaker, if I do not necessarily agree with all the contentions that were raised by some members about the management of the state's finances, but I look forward very much to presenting the Malinauskas Labor government's second budget to this house in a short period of time. Perhaps it will be of interest to members who made a contribution to the Supply Bill which of those issues they raised in their contributions the government has been able to accommodate or address in the proceeding budget.

Bill read a second time.

Supply Grievances

The Hon. S.C. MULLIGHAN (Lee—Treasurer) (12:22): I move:

That the house note grievances.

Ms SAVVAS (Newland) (12:22): It is always a pleasure to stand in this house and have the opportunity to talk about what is for very many people in the north-eastern suburbs somewhat of a religion, and that is, of course, local community football.

However, I have to be careful when talking about community football in the north-eastern suburbs because quite uncommonly for a metropolitan seat—I would not pretend to be able to compare with a regional seat in terms of the number of clubs around—I have three active, large community football clubs in my electorate. All three of those football clubs provide such a great opportunity for the community to get involved, get together, work as a team and, of course, get into some competitive football as well.

I would like to speak to you today about all three of those clubs and list some of the things that make those clubs special in their own right. They all preparing for the big event that I am attending this Saturday, which is the Hope Valley Past Players and Sponsors Day, where Hope Valley, one of my clubs, is actually playing against the Modbury Hawks, another one of my clubs. This is a moment I have been dreading because last year all three football clubs played in different divisions, but now that two of my clubs are playing against each other I have to leave all my scarves at home.

Firstly, I thought I would mention the Tea Tree Gully Football Club, which is one of the oldest football clubs in South Australia. Just last year they celebrated their 160-year anniversary. If you would ever like to know about the history of football and sport in this state, I would recommend that everyone have a quick squiz at When the Going Gets Tough, which is the history of the Tea Tree Gully Football Club, a 500-odd page book written by senior president Dave Crisanti. It is an incredible book that showcases not only what the Gullies have done for football but also the way that the Gullies have been involved with community service and community clubs and their connection with the Tea Tree Gully CFS station, which is just down the road.

It is also a really wonderful way to learn about the history of Tea Tree Gully. One of my favourite things to look at in the book is the list of players who played in that first game for the Gullies football club and see the names that I recognise. They are the names of the streets that all of us in the Gully drive down on a regular basis—Haines and Ellis—the names of the forefathers of the Tea Tree Gully historical precinct. They all happen to have played in that first footy game. I do love to drive around the city and see what different things have been named after those footy players in years gone by and acknowledge their contributions to our community.

The Tea Tree Gully District Football Club is an enormous club and has teams all the way through, from the juniors up. They also have a women's side, which won the women's grand final against Edwardstown last year. I went down to Edwardstown to watch the Gullies in the grand final, alongside the members for Badcoe and Elder, who were of course cheering on Edwardstown. It felt pretty exciting to have that win against them, having driven all the way down to Edwardstown to see that win. Unfortunately, it was a disappointing day for my dear friends the members for Badcoe and Elder but a really awesome thing for the Gullies women that day.

The Gullies are also competing in the APM SANFL Inclusive League for the second year, which has been a really important opportunity for players of varying abilities in our community to have the opportunity to play football. I went down to the Gullies two weeks ago. I was doing a bit of a shift in the canteen and got to chat with the Inclusive League coaches about what it means for people with varying abilities in our community to have the opportunity to play football, particularly those who have grown up watching their siblings play footy or perhaps their parents or uncles or cousins play footy, and have the opportunity to get involved as well. I am incredibly proud of the work that Simon and Caz are doing with the Inclusive League, and I look forward to watching it go from strength to strength.

I would like to mention one of the other longstanding clubs in our state, which also celebrated their 160-year anniversary just last year, and that is the mighty Modbury Hawks. The member for King and I did a canteen shift at the Hawks on Saturday for their ladies day, where the Lady Hawks, as we call them, all got together, dressed in purple, to raise awareness for mental health but also to put their heels up, have a drink and celebrate the role that women have in the Modbury Hawks Football Club.

We were made incredibly welcome, as always. I ended up spending pretty much most of my Saturday down at the club. I would particularly like to mention Jodie, Cheryl, Lou, Rhiannon and Kitty, who are members of the committee who had so much to do with putting on that ladies day but also all of the women at the Modbury Hawks club who put so much work into bringing up that community club, particularly those who are also playing in the women's side. They won a grand final two years ago in their first year, I believe, playing women's football at the Hawks. You can see that their women's side is going from strength to strength as well. They had a win down at North Haven on Friday night. I would like to acknowledge the work of Reece Johnson, the coach of the women's side. He is a lifelong Hawks supporter but also plays cricket at the Tea Tree Gully District Cricket Club.

I would also like to mention the Hope Valley Football Club. I mentioned a moment ago that I will be in the canteen at Hope Valley this weekend. They are another wonderful club that has recently joined the league, alongside the Modbury Hawks. I love the feel of the Demons. You can really feel the strength of that club at the moment and watch them going from strength to strength. My teenage cousin came up from Belair to Hope Valley on the weekend. He made sure he commented to me that they were an incredibly strong side. It is great to see their juniors prosper but also their seniors as they move into a higher division this year as well.

Hope Valley is another club that really supports the women who do so much for their club. They have another wonderful ladies day at Hope Valley. Last year we had a Nutrimetics stall and bubbles and tea. It was a really awesome afternoon. At the Hope Valley club they also had the women's side bring out a cricket side last year. They were very successful as well—after being rained out for most of the beginning of the season, the Hope Valley women's cricket side have been awesome.

It has been such a privilege to be able to get involved in these three community clubs—all with cricket sides at their homes as well—over the past year as a member, as a candidate before that, and also as a councillor in the City of Tea Tree Gully. We were very, very proud to make a number of commitments to those clubs.

At Hope Valley, there was a $1.2 million commitment for facility upgrades. At the Modbury Hawks, there was an over $3 million commitment to redo their clubrooms. We had the designs up on the screen on the weekend and it is looking absolutely awesome—I cannot wait for that one to get off the ground. Up at Tea Tree Gully at Pertaringa, Ray White Oval, there is a $150,000 master plan not just to redesign or look at what we can do for the clubrooms but also to do some wayfinding and really connect the entire Banksia Park sports area.

This area includes not just the Tea Tree Gully football club but also the Tea Tree Gully Tennis Club, which is getting an upgrade, and the Tea Tree Gully Gymsports, which is getting an upgrade. We also have Little Athletics and athletics that occur there. There are a number of other clubs, too, that all make up the Banksia Park sports area, including the netball that is played there. I particularly note the growth of the Strikers, who have gone from one team to 28 teams in something like two years. I am watching the different way that community clubs are growing in that space.

I do think it is really important to acknowledge the work that we are doing to foster community sport, and particularly community football. As much as I am looking forward to my canteen shift at the sponsors and past players day at Hope Valley, I ask everyone to keep me in your thoughts as the Hawks players come up to the Hope Valley canteen and see me there serving them their hot chips and hotdogs, knowing that I served them at the Hawks last weekend. I have made a firm decision to go scarfless and beanieless and to be completely non-partisan. But I will say that Hope Valley are playing at home, and the side that is playing at home obviously has a bit of a benefit there with Hope Valley Oval.

I am really, really proud of the work we are doing in community sport and my three amazing football clubs. I am really, really happy to be supporting all three of those today.

S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (12:32): I rise to speak on the grievance debate for the Supply Bill. I would like to spend the next few moments speaking on some of the activity in my community over the last few months. Kicking off the year, in February my community was outraged when we lost another beautiful significant gum tree. It was not because the tree was unhealthy or a storm came and knocked some branches down, but it was to make way for a car yard—the corporate greed of Jarvis Toyota who bought a property on Brighton Road in full knowledge that the significant tree was on that site, and had been for 130 years.

There are plenty of businesses as you drive along Brighton Road that do manage significant gum trees on their site. Indeed, the business before Jarvis Toyota was more than happy to work around having a significant tree on its site. But, instead of managing this tree, Jarvis Toyota thought that they would take on Holdfast Bay city council and, with the aid of a King's Counsel, won the right to have the tree removed. It was so disappointing that, rather than doing the right thing by the community and incorporating this tree into their development, they fought to get rid of it. I supported the community at a rally at the site and fielded lots of calls from distressed community members.

Of course, significant gums are not only a thing of beauty. They provide shade, they help clean our air and they are also a habitat for birds and, in this case, a koala in years past. In fact, when the tree was cut down there are videos of a flock of birds fleeing the tree for safety. Companies these days are of the view that they can clear their conscience by planting some trees to offset the loss of one significant tree, yet we must ask: how do saplings planted elsewhere sufficiently make up for this loss of habitat?

I would like to thank everyone who contacted my office and tried to save this tree. Its removal strengthened my resolve to fight for better laws to protect our trees. The current tree and planning laws have been one issue that is consistently raised with me and one I am more than happy to advocate for.

My community is looking forward to seeing the results of the review of the planning laws from Minister Champion and wants to see more sensible planning laws that pay due regard to the environment and our significant trees. In Gibson, we have lost too many beautiful trees over the years as infill development and corporate greed have bulldozed them in the name of progress—progress that is increasing our urban heat islands that we see and feel across our suburbs.

I would like to thank the minister for meeting with my constituents at a street-corner meeting to discuss our planning laws and for providing the opportunity for residents to provide feedback on the review of the planning laws. I will never stop fighting for sensible planning laws that protect our environment.

Another activity happening in my electorate is walking football. Members may not be aware that walking football is a sport that several hundred people play across Adelaide and is a football competition aimed at those aged over 50 years. It is a lot of fun to play and ensures that footballers like me can keep playing the sport we love forever, although I am not quite ready to hang up my competitive boots for Westminster just yet.

The team at Walking Football are a delightful group and I was glad to join them in a game earlier this year so I could get a true sense of what it is like. I can tell you that you might be walking but it is a hell of a workout. Obviously, the health benefits for this age group are considerable and, of course, there are social benefits as well.

I want to congratulate Derek Finch, who is the External Competition Secretary for Walking Football Adelaide, for his enthusiasm and passion for his sport and ensuring that it receives appropriate recognition and funding. I was very pleased to see them receive a $4,000 Ageing Well grant to purchase equipment to support walking football across Adelaide.

It is important that we support all our sporting clubs wherever possible, particularly those that do not have a high profile but still provide vital fitness, socialisation and support opportunities for people in our community. I would like to thank everyone involved in walking football for their commitment to their sport and ensuring that it continues to grow.

Other activities of recent time have been those focused around ANZAC Day. I began these on ANZAC Day eve in Gibson at the Marion RSL, where I was joined by my colleagues the members for Elder and Badcoe to start the reflection as young Scouts guarded the memorial from 3pm through to dawn. Thanks to Ethan for helping me to lay a token at the youth vigil and I thank all Scouts, their leaders, parents and caregivers for their dedication to our fallen heroes. It was a moving ceremony, and it is always interesting to chat with the Scouts about ANZAC Day and what it means to them.

Of course, we all rose early on ANZAC Day morning, and I was back at the Marion RSL for the dawn service. It was a fabulous turnout to honour our veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I was pleased to able to speak at this event and lay a wreath and I thank everyone involved in the organising and presentation of this ceremony.

I would also like to thank the Marion Football Club, which provided a delicious barbecue breakfast that extended through to lunchtime. The Marion Rams Football Club volunteered their time on ANZAC Day so veterans and their families could take the time they deserve to spend with each other. Their barbecue was a great success and recently on a Friday night they presented a cheque of $2,000 to the Marion RSL and Marion RSL Bowling Club. Following the service, the member for Elder and I did a shift on the bar once again to support the club. I would like to thank Kenny and Chris who showed me how to pour a beer. It was fantastic to be able to support this community in this way.

At the same time, there was a fabulous service going on at the Brighton RSL where Rod Murray organised and MC'd his final dawn service before his retirement from the role. It is always a fabulous service at Brighton, on the coastline. It is an incredible backdrop watching the Brighton Surf Lifesaving Club out on the water. It was good to be able to visit the RSL later that morning and watch the very enthusiastic two-up and speak to some veterans and hear their stories.

Just prior to ANZAC Day, I was pleased to present a new Australian flag to Rob, the President of the Marion RSL, and I want to thank Nadia Clancy MP for making this happen. Additionally, I was proud to be at the ANZAC round game with the Brighton Rugby Union Football Club, where all Brighton teams won on the day, though to be fair that is not an unusual event, as it is such an incredible club.

I am grateful to all the volunteers in my electorate, whether it is the volunteers at the Brighton and Marion RSLs; the parents and past players who put their hands up at the footy, rugby and soccer clubs or walking football teams; the surf lifesavers; the volunteers in the service clubs, environmental and arts groups; or all those who assist anyone in need with meals, clothing or toys for children.

I was pleased to be able to start National Volunteer Week recently with VollieCare volunteers at the Flinders Medical Centre. These fabulous volunteers make the whole patient experience better by giving so generously of their time and skills. In addition, they are joined by some wonderful dogs. I got to meet Winnie the pup, who provides patients such joy and certainly gets many pats on their rounds.

I would also like to take a moment to thank one of the other groups that assist our community, and that is the St Jude's Anglican church at Brighton. The St Jude's team hosts community meals each week where community members can come together for a meal but also social connection. The meal is the price of a donation for those who can afford it and free for those who cannot. Certainly at this time of year a warm meal is appreciated, but it is also really important to be able to have a chat, have some connection.

You might look around Brighton and only see those who are doing well, but there are many people struggling and living in their cars and having a really tough time. I really appreciate the work of all the volunteers at St Jude's who support those in our community who are finding these times so hard. They are led there by Sophie, the reverend, and coordinator Virginia Summers, who make sure they spend their times having conversations with those in need and identifying any support that might be required. St Jude's also has the St Jude's Community Pantry, where those in need can take what they need at any time, with all of the goods being donated by the community.

I would like to pay my special respects to everyone who volunteers in our community. It really does make it a fabulous place to live.

Mrs PEARCE (King) (12:42): I often speak in this chamber about the investments we are making in my community, more specifically the investments that are being made as a direct result of engaging with and listening to my local community, investments that will help make my community safer, stronger and more connected. It is something that I am incredibly passionate about and something that I believe is an important part of my role as a member of parliament.

So today I thought I would share with you all the impact these investments are having in my local community, because what we do has a real influence on the ways communities are structured and thrive. Take, for example, our plans to build a brand-new ambulance station in the heart of Golden Grove. Taking into consideration the way the area is structured, with its many cul-de-sacs, how the area has grown in the past 30 years and the health needs within the area, building a brand-new ambulance station in Golden Grove will go a long way to help improve response times in my community.

This was something that my community called for, and it was something that was backed up by health professionals. By working together, we were able to ensure that we are investing right where there is a direct need. But the impact it will have on my community goes further than that. It is giving locals like Sam an opportunity for employment close to home.

Who is Sam? Sam is one of the 20 new paramedics who will be based at the station that commenced work earlier this year. He acquired a job thanks to the investment we are making in this space and, as someone who grew up only five minutes from where the station will be based and who knows the area inside and out, Sam is a welcome addition to the crew. As another local, Nakeita, pointed out:

[It] really helps having locals at the local station. They know all the quirks of our roads, and can put a picture in their mind to a lot of local pickup spots, helping with faster times than a GPS route might suggest if they weren't aware of where to go.

I could not agree more: no-one knows an area like a local.

Staying in theme with health, just this weekend I had a discussion about dialysis with a lovely stallholder at the Old Spot markets. Her son has been receiving dialysis services at the Lyell McEwin for most of his life: it is all he has ever known. Fortunately, our $1.2 million development of a temporary nine-chair dialysis unit will help to increase the capacity to 21 chairs at the hospital. Through that, her son identified that there will be a notable change in the ability to receive this critical service. It will help to make it more accessible.

It is not just a direct investment into health that is seeing a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of my local community, it is investments like the $2.4 million to help support those living with MND. This investment meant the world to Jean and Greg Downton, who have been running a support network for those living with MND and their families in the north-east for some time now. I often catch up with this network, along with the member for Wright, over at the Grove to hear firsthand their experiences and see what we may be able to assist them with.

This investment has helped secure an additional support coordinator from MNDSA, helping to better support families. Hearing the positive impact it has had on those families is truly wonderful. It also means the world to those in my community who have lost someone to MND, such as Annette, who provided quality education and care in her 20 years as director of the Greenwith Kindergarten. I often bump into her family at the Jubilee parkrun on Saturdays, and I am so pleased that we have been able to provide some comfort through this investment. These are the types of influences that I like to see in our community, helping to make things better.

Of course, cost of living is incredibly important right now as we start to see the economic impacts of COVID. I often host coffee catch ups at the end of a sitting week, and about a month ago I caught up with a Greenwith local called Alison at the local St George's Bakehouse. She shared with me the work she has been doing at King's Community Centre in an area called Carelink, where she helps people who are struggling financially with bills and food. More often than not, there is a need for assistance with utility bills, mainly electricity, and that need is rising dramatically within our local community.

Alison does this work because her family was once in a position of needing help, they were in the same boat, and this is her way of giving back to the community that supported her. I was so pleased to be able to call her, not quite a week later, to let her know what the Malinauskas state government and Albanese federal government were prepared to do in this space, because we also recognised a growing need.

We will help support more than 420,000 of the most vulnerable South Australian households with an energy bill rebate to help combat rising electricity prices—which, of course, will be on top of the existing state government energy concession worth up to $263.15 in the next financial year. We are also supporting 86,000 small businesses that will be eligible to receive a rebate of $650. These include small businesses like Nourish + Flourish—which the member for Newland and I visited last week—that provides specialised training to women at all stages of their life, and the amazing Badger and Bones Café that I believe makes the best hash browns in all of South Australia.

Just as importantly, it will put downward pressure on inflation, and Alison was so pleased to hear that such active steps are being taken by this government. These are not the only stories I can share about the impact our investments are having in my community, but I am aware that I will likely run out of time before I will share them all, so I will try to speed up just a little.

In regard to what we are doing for public transport, Andrew is particularly pleased with our commitment to help install bus shelters across my community. As a Hillbank resident who relies solely on public transport, he has become increasingly frustrated that there was no protection from the elements when he travelled to Saints shopping centre not only to buy essential items but also to access essential services, such as the dental and pharmacy services available there.

From those discussions with members of my community like Andrew, it was also raised that we should do more to make public transport more accessible—such as some of the ladies from the Mall Walkers who are so pleased to hear that public transport is free for seniors all of the time thanks to the Malinauskas government, making their trips to the centre on a Tuesday and Friday all that much easier.

Keeping on the theme of roads, this weekend just passed I heard countless times the appreciation towards seeing a government taking action to help improve safety and congestion at vital intersections in Salisbury Heights. They echoed the sentiments I had received from Richard, who has lived in the area for almost 20 years and become increasingly frustrated by the increasing pressures on local arterial roads, as the area has continued to grow over the years.

He worries for the safety of his daughter and granddaughter when they visit and need to cross over The Grove Way during busy peak hour traffic and how these upgrades will help to make things better. I do not just listen to my community about what is important to them: I work with them to help make our communities safer, stronger and more connected. I am pleased that the investments we have made to date are helping to achieve this.

Ms THOMPSON (Davenport) (12:51): I am excited, too, to take this opportunity to talk about some of the extremely exciting projects that are happening in my electorate of Davenport and that the Supply Bill essentially allows us to keep working on as we await the state budget.

I would like to start by talking about one of my favourite places in my community, that is, the Happy Valley Reservoir, and it is fantastic to see that our government is continuing its ongoing investment in this space. Every Friday morning at 9am, I run a small event called 'Around the res with Ez', which is an opportunity for members of my community to come on a walk with me around our beautiful Happy Valley Reservoir.

The reservoir includes a range of trails, ranging from about two-kilometre trails to 11-k trails. We usually pick one in the middle: around a four to five-k walk, which takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and then we finish it off with a coffee from the Signature coffee van. Anne makes an incredible coffee or an iced coffee if you have worked up a bit of a sweat. We have really started to develop quite the group of regulars who join me every Friday morning.

Last week, we were lucky enough to have the Premier join us on a walk. We had about 60 or 70 people come along and join us for that walk and to have a chat with me and also with the Premier. It was a great opportunity to talk about some of the local issues happening in our community and about some of the statewide issues and the policy decisions that are being made here in this house, and I look forward to that day every week.

While we go on these walks around the reservoir, we do not just talk about issues happening right across the community or in the state. One of the key things that people like to raise with me is ways that we can improve our Happy Valley Reservoir even more. We have had quite a few wins that have come from those discussions we have each Friday morning. We have seen improvements to access to the reservoir. At the moment, there are two main entry points that have car parks, and we have seen those areas be improved with things like plantings or improved surfaces, and one of the car parks had a bit of an expansion to accommodate more traffic at community events.

Also, there is a variety of pedestrian and bike-only access points around the reservoir, where we have experienced some traffic issues or safety issues with parking, etc. We have been able to work through those issues and provide some improvements for our community and provide better access to the space. One we are still working on, and one that is an ongoing conversation with SA Water and the Department for Transport, is an entry gate on the south-western side of the reservoir which remains locked.

Certainly residents who live on that side of the reservoir would love to see that gate opened and have better pedestrian access to that point. We are just working through some of the challenges that are currently keeping that gate locked, and hopefully we will see it open soon to even further increase access.

We have also seen a few new sitting points, new public seating, drink fountains and improved access to the kayak and canoe ramps, which is really great. We are seeing more people either bring down their own kayaks and canoes or utilise the new business that popped up there a few months ago, to pop on down, spend $15 and spend half an hour being able to view the beautiful reservoir from a different angle, from the water. There are over 90 species of birds inside the Happy Valley Reservoir that people can enjoy and take in some nature while they are there.

Another really exciting project happening in my electorate is the safety upgrade of Main Road at Cherry Gardens. I have been advocating for this for a long time, long before I became the member for Davenport. When I was the mayor at the City of Onkaparinga this was high on my list and something that residents raised with me time and again. A resident who lives along that street, Mr Villios, who has advocated to just about every single politician he could think of over the years, to both sides of governments, to local government, state and federal, had a letterhead from just about every politician in South Australia on his desk when I went over there for a cup of coffee to talk about how we might push forward with this project.

It was probably when the RAA determined it to be the second riskiest road in South Australia that we really cracked down and decided this project needed to be funded. It has received $10 million for a significant safety upgrade, and that is part of the $120 million Adelaide Hills Productivity and Road Safety Package. We have been consulting with our community over the last few months; some initial works have been undertaken and some concept plans have now been released to the community for them to have their say on, and we expect construction to start on that road later this year.

It will be a significant construction project and will probably take a year or two to complete, but I know the residents in the larger area, but specifically those who live on Main Road, Cherry Gardens, are really looking forward to seeing that project progress. There have been so many times that the residents on that road have had to be first on the scene when there has been an accident, lives have been lost on the road and there have been plenty of minor bingles every week along there, so it will be fantastic to see that improved and to see some great safety outcomes.

Road safety is certainly a key priority in my electorate of Davenport. Unfortunately, there have been quite a few cyclists who have lost their lives on our roads, not just right across our state but particularly in my electorate of Davenport. In the last 12 months there have been deaths on our roads and our cycling community have been advocating to me regularly. Sadly, we recently lost a member of SAPOL, who was riding down Flagstaff Road. I think it is a 70 km/h speed limit coming down that hill, and I know that some bikes get above that speed limit. It is pretty scary; I cannot imagine riding a bike down that hill, but plenty of keen cyclists do enjoy that commute into the city, and it is important that we make sure that they have a safe cycling route to do so.

I have been working with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to see if there are opportunities to improve safety on that road particularly, and they have put in in some initial changes to date to make it immediately a safer route for cyclists, but we are also working together on some longer-term solutions to try to up the safety on that road. Many of the roads in my electorate need improvement in that space, so I will continue to have conversations with the department around trying to encourage off-road cycle routes or safer, wider verges for our cycling community when they are commuting from the electorate of Davenport to the city.

Before I run out of time, I raise the issue of Majors Road, which is a huge project happening in my community. Construction is about to kick off later this year; it is a $120 million investment shared between the state and federal governments. Federal members Louise Miller-Frost and Amanda Rishworth, myself, and the member for Gibson, Sarah Andrews, are all very excited to see those works start, as is the community. We are pleased that we will be able to deliver a plan there that has no impact on any of those fantastic facilities that are such a hive of activity up there on Majors Road.

In conclusion, I am really proud of some of the projects happening in my community and also have been extremely proud to listen to some of the speeches of my colleagues today, as it sounds like there is a lot happening right across the state. It is very clear that we are a government that wants to deliver for all South Australians, and that is what we are doing. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00

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