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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-11-11 Daily Xml
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Bills

Waite Trust (Activities on and Use of Certain Trust Land) Bill

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 29 October 2025.)

The Hon. D.G. PISONI (Unley) (15:50): This bill obviously affects the Waite Trust and that area sits within my electorate of Unley. I was first aware—

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Sorry, member for Unley, are you the lead speaker?

The Hon. D.G. PISONI: No, I am not. I am very supportive of this proposal, given the location of the oval, the fact that it is an oval that is underutilised and, most importantly, it is about supporting the expansion of juniors' and women's football. We know how popular women's football has become since it was recognised and supported by the SANFL and the AFL. It has grown at an astronomical pace.

As we witnessed, when you have girls competing with boys, even when it is not traditionally a boy's sport, boys tend to get the better facilities and they tend to get things quicker. That reminds me of a big fight that happened at the Unley High School Rowing Club. Obviously, because of the age of the rowing club, it had been established at a time when women were expected to take second place to men and all new boats went first to the male rowers. When the boats of the male rowers needed replacing, those formerly new boats that were now a bit rickety and second hand were moved over for the girls' use, and that was their new boat as the boys got another boat. Back in 2011 when my daughter was rowing, a group of girls thought that was very unfair and challenged that process.

So it is terrific to see a facility that is being supported and developed by the Sturt Football Club. Those who know me—and Sturt are fully aware of this—know that I am not a big fan of any sort of sport; however, I am a big fan of what sport does in the community and what it does for young people in particular. There is no doubt that the Sturt Football Club is a very strong supporter of youth through the work it does beyond football for the community.

I am pleased that Rosalie Rotolo, the Liberal candidate for Unley, also supports this project. She wrote a letter to Belinda Marsh, the Head of Infrastructure and Government Relations at the SANFL. She wrote:

Dear Belinda

Further to our meeting I am writing to strongly support the Sturt Football Club / Urrbrae Agricultural High School Oval Development Project.

This project will provide much-needed facilities for Stuart FC, support the growth of junior and female competitions, and deliver important new amenities for Urrbrae students. It will also activate an under-utilised oval for the wider community.

With funding secured, urgent legislative progress is needed to avoid delays and rising costs. I urge its timely delivery for the benefit of both the school and local sporting communities.

That is from Rosalie Rotolo, the Liberal candidate for Unley. So, beyond my retirement, this will still be a very strongly bipartisan supported project.

Mr TEAGUE (Heysen—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:54): I rise briefly, and I appreciate the contribution just now of the member for Unley highlighting the local importance of the activities that the changes to the trust are expressed to permit. I think it is important on this occasion—and there have been others, although rarely, over the course of the parliaments that have continued in the now more than 100 years since Peter Waite and his wife, Matilda, made this really momentous gift to the state—to recognise that this continues to be a lifeblood, a part of the south of the city and, although expressed in terms that only the member for Unley could, in terms of the broader context of sporting activities and the benefits that they bring, about which we might have some varying views, clearly this is all about extending the capacity of particularly the Sturt Football Club to be able to carry on its training activities in particular.

It needs to be highlighted that this is very much in connection with the Urrbrae Agricultural High School. It was agriculture, and innovation in agriculture, that Peter Waite was so dedicated to, and was the primary purpose for which the trust was established and the lands—the subject of it—are continuing to be set aside.

Way back in 1913—I say 'way back', but it is a really quite modern gift. We are not talking about something at the very foundation of the state but rather not quite a century into colonial South Australia. In 1913 Peter Waite advised the government that his gift of the Urrbrae estate was for two main purposes: firstly, for the University of Adelaide to establish an agricultural research centre and that is now the famous Waite Research Institute, and that continues, and, secondly, for the South Australian government to establish a secondary agricultural school which is now the Urrbrae Agricultural High School. The fact that both of those institutions have been established and continue to thrive, and continue to be really at the global leading edge of their respective disciplines, is a tribute to the vision of Peter Waite and his wife, Matilda.

It is no small thing for the government to bring to this parliament a bill that will amend the terms of the trust. It is a serious matter and a committee will be established shortly to consider that and the nature of the bill that is required to be considered by the house. I just wish to place that squarely at the centre of our consideration. For mine, it is important to observe that I am pleased there are these crossover benefits. The interrogation, such as it will be, can be confined, by me at least, to a short committee stage. I otherwise commend the bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. N.D. Champion.

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