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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-09-29 Daily Xml
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PENOLA

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:42): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for State/Local Government Relations a question about Penola.

Leave granted.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Local government is a sphere of government that is often labelled as being about roads, rates and rubbish, but its experience in these grassroots areas means that it can act quickly when there is an unexpected event, such as a natural disaster. One such event was a tornado that hit Penola. Will the minister inform the house about the recovery in Penola from the recent tornado?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for State/Local Government Relations, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Consumer Affairs, Minister for Government Enterprises, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:42): I thank the honourable member for his important question. As the Minister for State/Local Government Relations, I constantly see examples of extremely good work in local government that often does not reach the headlines or perhaps is not readily understood by the broader community. Frequently, these examples are seen in rural and regional South Australia, and the response of the Wattle Range Council to the tornado that hit Penola on 31 July is perhaps one of the best demonstrations of community spirit that I have seen in my role as minister.

When I visited Penola in late August, I was met by Mark Braes, Mayor of Wattle Range Council, and Frank Brennan, the Chief Executive. I was given a brief tour and explanation of the tornado's impact and subsequent repair work that had been undertaken. I also met with the SES volunteers and members and council staff and volunteers who I have to say worked magnificently to bring about an extraordinary transformation of their damaged community. I was also able to meet with some of the residents whose homes and businesses were directly impacted by the tornado.

Even though a colossal amount had been done, it was still possible to get a sense of the incredibly fearsome impact of the tornado and, having seen it firsthand, it is truly quite miraculous that nobody was killed or seriously injured—it is absolutely remarkable. The community, led by a very active local council, have worked magnificently to repair as much as possible prior to the canonisation of Mary MacKillop, which will occur in Rome on 17 October.

The Rann government has played a very active role in the recovery, too, having already provided a grant of $250,000 to the council for Penola's recovery and $100,000 towards repairing the Woods MacKillop Schoolhouse building damaged during the tornado. I understand the Woods MacKillop Schoolhouse is not yet completed. However, I understand it will be ready by the time of the 17 October announcement when, of course, there are significant celebrations planned for Penola.

The bowling club, which was totally destroyed, has now been removed, and the club is operating its bar and offices (the important parts of an organisation) from two shipping containers on an adjoining allotment. As they say, any port in a storm. The bowling club is in no great hurry to find new premises and is considering its options carefully. I think that is quite prudent, because there are some real opportunities for them to consider at present.

Most of the shop premises in Penola are open for business, but the Country Women's Association building is unlikely to be ready. Council is providing rate relief to nine property owners suffering hardship as a result of the tornado by waiving the first quarter rate instalment, and it has also waived building rules assessment fees for applications for the demolition and rebuild of existing premises.

When I was in Penola it was my great pleasure to make the first contribution to a local appeal designed to funnel all the funds that many generous people around the state and country have offered the Penola community. On behalf of the state government, through the Office of State/Local Government Relations, we were able to kick-start that appeal with a cheque for $2,000. The fund will be administered through the Stand Like Stone Foundation, which is a community-owned, Limestone Coast philanthropic body. The name Stand Like Stone is derived from a verse by celebrated local poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, which is as follows:

Life is mostly froth and bubble,

Two things stand like stone:

Kindness in another's trouble,

Courage in your own.

I think the spirit expressed in that poem is still wonderfully reflected in the work I saw going on in Penola, and I certainly wish them well and congratulate them on their remarkable endeavours.

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