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Legislative Council - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-03-04 Daily Xml
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The Hon. B.V. FINNIGAN (15:34): My contribution today may seem a little indulgent, since it is principally about other members of parliament. I take the opportunity to congratulate the Hon. David Winderlich on his election. He is not someone I know particularly well, but I am sure I will get to know him. I am sure we all have been impressed with his contributions so far, which have been mercifully brief on occasion. The Hon. Mr Winderlich is clearly a man dedicated to his family, with strong country roots. Whilst I do not wish him electoral success, I nonetheless wish him well in his service in this place.

I wish to place on the record my thanks to the member for Mount Gambier, Rory McEwen, in another place, and my good friend and colleague, the Hon. Carmel Zollo, for their service in the Rann cabinet over the past number of years. It may seem a little premature to make tributes, particularly to the Hon. Carmel Zollo, since she is going to be here for another five years, but I think it is worth noting some of her achievements as a minister and particularly some of the records and firsts that she has set.

The Hon. Mrs Zollo is the first Italian-born woman to be elected to the Legislative Council and the first Italian-born minister at all, as I understand it, in the state. The Hon. Carmel Zollo is also the first woman to have headed the ALP ticket to be elected before a Liberal candidate at the last election. Under the Hon. Mr Lucas's leadership, the Liberals had a particularly bad election and the Labor Party topped the poll on that occasion, and so the Hon. Carmel Zollo was elected in the No. 1 position, the first woman to be elected as the lead ALP candidate.

I know that the Hon. Carmel Zollo is very dedicated to her family, her faith and the values that are important to her. She is particularly devoted to her children and her two grandchildren. The Hon. Mrs Zollo can be very proud of her achievements as a minister. The investment in prison infrastructure, which began under her watch, is something that will stand for a long time and will be a very important part of the future in respect of community safety in this state. It is not a particularly exciting project in the sense that people are clamouring to see new prisons but it is, nonetheless, a very important part of our law and justice system. Unfortunately, when people have committed crimes that require them to serve time in a prison, it is important that we have the right facilities for that. The Hon. Carmel Zollo has played an important role in getting off the ground what will be very long-term infrastructure for our state.

I also pay tribute to the work that the Hon. Carmel Zollo has done as minister for road safety—the first minister for road safety we have had. Safety on our roads is something which affects all of us. It is certainly something I am particularly passionate about, as are most people who have grown up in the country and have country roots. They know just what an enormous burden and tragedy it is when so many good people—and good young people—are lost to road accidents, and the tremendous impact that has on families all over country South Australia and, of course, in the metropolitan area as well. It is good that we have that focus on road safety, and I particularly congratulate the Hon. Carmel Zollo on her work as the first minister for road safety. I look forward to working with Carmel as she continues to serve in the Legislative Council as a backbencher, and I wish her all the best in that endeavour.

I congratulate also my good friend the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis (the member for West Torrens in another place), the Hon. Michael O'Brien (the member for Napier), and the member for Bright on their elevation. The member for West Torrens in another place is the son of immigrants. As I think he indicated yesterday, it is an extraordinary testament to our nation that these opportunities are afforded those who come to our shores and, to me, it is wonderful that the parliament of South Australia can be a part of that.

Time expired.

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