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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Second Session (51-2)
2008-06-04 Daily Xml
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GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (15:28): Mr President, as you well know, I am and have always been a man who is happy to give credit where credit is due. Today I would like to congratulate the Rann government on a number of recent initiatives and decisions that it has made.

My colleagues in this place are well aware that I have argued passionately for the introduction of tasers across operational policing roles, so I was delighted to see the Minister for Police, Paul Holloway, announce the six-month trial of tasers in two metropolitan local service areas. My decision to strongly back the Police Association's calls for the introduction of tasers earned me the moniker of 'Taser Terry' from the other side. As I have said before, I am happy to wear that sort of abuse, and I congratulate the government for being big enough to take my advice and support the taser trial.

Honourable members will also recall that I heavily backed the Police Association's call for the outdated Smith and Wesson revolver to be replaced by semi-automatic firearms. It was wonderful to see the Minister for Police announce, not so long ago, that our frontline police officers would now be equipped with semi-automatic firearms. Again, I congratulate the government on making this move.

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS: I thank them for taking the advice of the opposition. Of course, there was some name-calling during this process, with the Minister for Police calling me 'Rambo Stephens'. Again, I am happy to wear that, because officers will now have the latest and best equipment, as they rightly should.

It seems the Rann government is on somewhat of a roll of late in taking up the opposition's suggestions. It does not just stop at tasers and firearms. As the man in the ad used to say, 'But wait; there's more.' As opposition sports spokesman I was recently on radio asking why the women's NBL champions, Adelaide Lightning, were not being offered a state reception, just as our men's champion sporting teams, such as Port Power, the Adelaide Football Club and the Adelaide 36ers, have received in the past.

Sports minister Michael Wright took up the suggestion and a public reception is now being planned, and I, for one, am looking forward to it. Once more, I say to the government: well done. I will give credit where credit is due. We do not stop there. For months, Netball SA has been requesting financial assistance for the state government to purchase a portable floating court so that big netball matches, such as international fixtures, could be held at venues such as the Distinctive Homes Dome or the Entertainment Centre. So, while ETSA Park is an excellent facility, it sometimes cannot cater for bigger games purely because of its smaller capacity.

The opposition helpfully suggested that the government should stop dragging its feet and provide what was not a massive amount of funding in the scheme of things, and the government took up our suggestion. Again, it was listening and we say: well done. The figure was $150,000—not a large figure, I would have thought (football has just been granted $100 million)—so, while the government is in form, I thought that today I would make just a few more helpful suggestions.

Yesterday, during question time, I called on the Rann government to pressure its federal colleagues to honour the delivery of much needed funds to north-eastern sporting clubs. Once they take up this suggestion, I would like the Rann government to address the state of the running track at Santos Stadium, which Athletics SA and our young athletes want fixed. To date, their calls are falling on deaf ears. Athletes are injuring themselves on this substandard surface, and they are forced to train in the parklands, give the game away or train interstate. It is facilities like these that urgently need to be addressed.

Please listen to Hockey SA's calls for new synthetic pitches. Please let our swimmers know what is happening with the proposed new aquatic centre at Marion, given that the Howard federal government has had $15 million invested in the project for two years. Please let our youngsters, who have been turned away from soccer clubs, know that you will help build new soccer pitches to accommodate the skyrocketing popularity of the sport.

Additionally, and finally, I call on the government to seriously look at ways to make sport more affordable for families. At a time when we are facing an obesity epidemic and many kids prefer a PlayStation to a ball game in the park, we need to provide incentives for parents to get their children outdoors and active, not price themselves out of participating. So, I say to the Rann government today: well done on taking up our suggestions of late. I reiterate that I am happy to give credit where it is due, and I call on the government to keep it up.

Time expired.

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