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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-04-10 Daily Xml
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FLEURIEU PENINSULA PRODUCE AND TOURIST TRAIL

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (15:47): I want to place on the public record a good news story about the Fleurieu Peninsula, my own home region and, in particular, my own home town, Mount Compass, and district. Yesterday, I had the privilege and pleasure, together with Diane Mattsson, the South Australian food writer for The Advertiser, Miranda Lang, the executive officer of Fleurieu Peninsula Tourism, councillor Grant Gartrell and Rebecca McCall and the committee, to launch the latest produce and tourist trail and associated brochure for our district.

I commend all those involved in the hard work that was done in putting this brochure together, including Rebecca McCall, who put so much work into it from about October last year until the launch last night, the Alexandrina Council and, most importantly, each and every one of the food producers, artists and recreational facilities, such as the Mount Compass Golf Course, and also those plant nurseries and other galleries that are involved in this food produce and tourist trail brochure.

I am very proud, as a member of a family of farmers in that district, to see the diversification and opportunities that have occurred since the time when pretty much all down our road it was dairying. Whilst I still want to see dairying grow and be strong in our district, I note that we have seen a massive diversification. I have only to look across the road from our own farm to the strawberry farm and watch the number of people who pull up there on a daily basis either to pick their own strawberries or purchase fresh strawberries, other berries, snow peas, garlic, cherry tomatoes and the list goes on—venison, marron, trout farming. The Fleurieu Peninsula is so diverse.

I have to agree with the former premier, the Hon. Don Dunstan, although I did not at the time, when I was worried about what direction he wanted to take the Fleurieu Peninsula. The Hon. Don Dunstan said that the Fleurieu Peninsula could and should be a holiday playground—and he was right. We are now seeing the diversification and the opportunities to capitalise on what is one of the most fantastic landscapes, with its diverse climate and produce trails, you would find anywhere. In fact, the Napa Valley is a similar distance out of San Francisco as Mount Compass, which is at the hub of the Fleurieu Peninsula, is from Adelaide. When you see its vibrancy, I think that we can, in time, make the Fleurieu Peninsula an even more exciting destination for South Australians and interstate and international tourists. That is why I so strongly commend their efforts.

Look at Alexandrina Cheese and what they have been able to do, winning awards everywhere for some of the great local cheeses produced from Jersey cows. Look at the blueberries, the strawberries, the cherries—and the list goes on.

In the brief time I have left after sincerely congratulating all of those people involved in the produce and tourist trail brochure, I want to also acknowledge the hard work of the young men and women, including my own son as president of the Compass Cup, who also feature in this and highlight other opportunities that are provided to—

The Hon. J.S.L. Dawkins: He sounded better on radio the other day than you do.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE: He's more talented than I'll ever be. The fact is that that provides opportunities for tourists from all over the world now, coming to visit Australia's only cow race, and also local families who have so much fun.

After congratulating them on the job they have done, I want to leave with one statement to the government: whilst we do have threats to and challenges with manufacturing—and we can give lip service to reinvigorating manufacturing with so-called innovative manufacturing the rest of the world can also do, including the advanced world and other OECD countries—value-adding to our food and tourism is where real jobs can be created and where significant opportunities are in the future, as we have to double food production over the next 40 years to feed the world.

In addition, if we put money into R&D, and proper money into PIRSA and Tourism SA, then we can capitalise on strong job creation for future generations. I ask the government to refocus its direction and have a look at the importance of agriculture and tourism to the long-term economic and job opportunities for this great state of South Australia.

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