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Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, First Session (53-1)
2014-11-19 Daily Xml
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Motions

Waite, Mr Peter

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. D.W. Ridgway:

That this council—

1. Notes the centenary of Peter Waite's donation of the Urrbrae estate to the University of Adelaide for the study of agriculture;

2. Acknowledges the significant outcomes delivered by the University of Adelaide and, in particular, the Waite Campus, as a result of this philanthropic gift; and

3. Recognises the position of the Waite Agricultural Research Institute to contribute positively to ensuring global food security and providing Australia's agricultural, wine and food industries with innovative research-led developments.

(Continued from 6 August 2014.)

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (20:50): I am pleased to speak to this very important motion. In doing so, we note the centenary of Mr Waite's donation of the Urrbrae estate to the University of Adelaide and acknowledge the significant outcomes delivered by the university and many other research organisations collaborating, in particular on the Waite Campus.

In 1913, Peter Waite presented to the University of Adelaide his valuable Urrbrae estate comprising 54 hectares of land and a house. In 1915, the adjoining Claremont and Netherby estates were presented, comprising an additional 67 hectares. In addition, Mr Waite donated 45 hectares of land adjoining his Urrbrae bequest to the state government of the day for the purpose of an agricultural high school. This school, now known as Urrbrae Agricultural High School, sits on this land.

The bequest of land and a financial investment of a little over £100,000 allowed the University of Adelaide to establish the Waite Agricultural Research Institute, which later became the Waite Campus of the university. The objective of the bequest was 'to advance the cause of education and more especially to promote the teaching and study of Agricultural and Forestry and allied subjects'. Indeed, in Peter Waite's letter to the University of Adelaide's Chancellor, Sir Samuel Way, at the time of his bequest he said:

Our population will continue to increase I hope, more and more quickly, and the natural outlet for the energies of our rising generation appears to me to be in producing wealth from the land. Our State has hitherto done notably in all branches of agriculture and the allied arts and, largely, without scientific direction and education. In the future competition threatens to be so keen that we must equip our people in the best possible manner. In the belief that such sections of the university work as agriculture, botany, entomology, horticulture, and forestry can be better dealt with upon such a property as Urrbrae than at North Terrace, I now desire to offer as a gift to the University the Urrbrae Estate.

Peter Waite's vision has come a long way over the last 100 years. The Waite Institute has developed into an integrated research and teaching precinct and is a world-class model for the co-location of agricultural research institutions. Today, the Waite Research Precinct is Australia's leading research, education and commercialisation cluster. It has the largest concentration of expertise in the Southern Hemisphere in the areas of biotechnology, cereal breeding, sustainable agriculture, wine, horticulture and land management.

The Waite, as it is known, is home to internationally renowned research bodies, including the Waite Research Institute, the Waite Arboretum, Urrbrae House Historic Precinct, and the Waite Conservation Reserve. In addition, the Hickinbotham Roseworthy Wine Sciences Laboratory is a state-of-the-art winery and research facility undertaking work for the South Australian and Australian wine industry through education, research and service to the industry.

As a leading educational precinct, the Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide delivers on Peter Waite's vision, offering a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs through the science faculty. This includes leading research in the areas of horticulture, plant and pest science, viticulture, soil and land systems, and developing the next generation of agricultural specialists.

The Waite now comprises a number of Australia's leading primary industries and environmental research organisations, including the Australian Centre for Plant Functional Genomics, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), the Australian Wine Research Institute, and the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI).

Staff and students of the university have the opportunity to collaborate with researchers and scientists from these organisations, which provides an opportunity to gain practical and theoretical knowledge through participation in a range of ongoing national and international research projects. It makes sense that South Australia's dedicated primary industry and development institute is based at the Waite. It fits with the intentions of Peter Waite when he bequeathed the land. There is no doubt that SARDI, in collaboration with the university and other industry partners, is ensuring that our agricultural sector remains ahead of the curve in a competitive global market.

I have had the opportunity to visit the Waite Campus on a number of occasions this year and on each occasion I have been impressed with the research being undertaken, particularly the research which is undertaken in collaboration with SARDI which is at the forefront of primary industry research and development in Australia, delivering high-quality research solutions to increase the productivity, quality and biosecurity of our state's primary industry and food enterprises.

We are grateful for the fact that this gift to our state has resulted in our research being recognised as leading the nation in strategy for research development in so many areas of agriculture. If you think of any food produced in South Australia, in nearly every aspect of agriculture production being undertaken today, there is a strong likelihood that collaborators operating at the Waite Campus have played a role in its research and production, whether it be developing new oat varieties or helping grape growers deal with heatwaves in vineyards, which has led to increases in agricultural productivity.

Late last year, the University of Adelaide celebrated Mr Waite's donation of his Urrbrae estate by offering the Peter Waite Centenary Scholarship for Excellence in Agriculture. The scholarship aims to support outstanding future leaders in agriculture through their PhD studies in the area of plants or soil science. We are confident that the Waite project, which began in 1913 and which has gone from strength to strength for over 100 years, will continue to yield dividends for the agriculture sector for a very long time into the future.

I congratulate the Hon. David Ridgway on bringing this motion to the chamber. This government recognises the importance of premium food and wine to the economy of South Australia and supports its development as one of its major strategic priorities. The future potential for South Australia's food, beverage and fibre industries is strongly supported by the innovation of research organisations at Waite and a legacy of the vision that Peter Waite had a century ago. We are pleased to support the motion in this council.

The Hon. R.L. BROKENSHIRE (20:56): A nice way to finish the evening, or close to it, is to see some multipartisanship. It does not happen often enough in this house, especially from the government. From the crossbenches, yes, and the opposition, yes—but here we do have an example of it. I congratulate my friend and southerner the Hon. Kyam Maher on his wisdom in understanding the importance of the bequest. Even my other friend, minister Hunter, realises what a great bequest Mr Peter Waite, a fantastic South Australian, has made.

I see him diligently reading lots of magazines on science, and as a scientist the Hon. Mr Hunter would appreciate that you cannot have a good science facility if you do not have land on which to build the facility. This is what Mr Peter Waite's donation of the Urrbrae estate has provided. I want to commend the shadow minister, the person who has a real focus, genuine passion and compassion for agriculture, for putting this motion forward. I put on the public record that Family First strongly endorses this motion.

We have heard my friend the Hon. Kyam Maher talk about the university side, and he did mention Urrbrae, and I also want to touch on Urrbrae. Think for a moment about the House of Assembly's green carpet and something I am passionate about, the wheatsheaf and the wine grape. Mr Peter Waite realised that. That statement says that the state of South Australia was built on and became vibrant as a result of agriculture and philanthropists such as Mr Peter Waite.

Successive governments, Liberal and Labor, have allowed the growth and development of the greatest publicly-owned agricultural precinct and research and development centre in the Southern Hemisphere; in fact, I do not know for sure, but it could be in the whole world—it could be in the Northern Hemisphere as well. It is a state-of-the-art facility that for generations has done us proud when it comes to developing agriculture. I hope that, in the future, that legacy will continue to grow opportunities.

Even this government, which ripped apart PIRSA and which did not really realise that people get hungry and have to eat, are now realising that fact. We saw it with the free trade agreement announcement, where the Premier came out and piggybacked on what the Prime Minister had done, announcing that they are going to get serious about capitalising on the free trade agreement with China. I congratulate the Premier on that, and I would like to see more of it. One of the most important things you can do to help that is to actually educate the future agricultural sector of South Australia, and that is what Peter Waite wanted.

I am very proud and appreciative of the fact that I was a student at Urrbrae Agricultural High School. 'Science with practice' is the motto, the wheat sheaf, tying in with what we have in the House of Assembly. Peter Waite was a visionary. He loved and had passion for agriculture. He provided this land, and long may that land continue to provide opportunities for our future generations in growing value-added food production from the farm gate to the plate right across the world.

What we have now, and I just want to finish with this, is an agricultural high school, we have the Urrbrae certificate course and we have integration on that campus with TAFE. From there, you can go across Fullarton Road to the University of Adelaide's Waite Campus and, ultimately, when you graduate, you can go back and do oenology and the wine sciences there, and teach or carry out research and development or, particularly with plant breeding, you can do research and development.

As well as that, it has left a magnificent, large, open space area for all South Australians to enjoy. I do say one caveat that I think Mr Peter Waite would not mind my putting on the public record today, that is, that we have probably encroached too much on our farming land in both the Urrbrae Agricultural High School campus and the university Waite Institute campus with arbour and wetlands. We need to understand and teach the balance between agriculture and the environment but, in my opinion, we cannot afford to see any more of that land going out of agricultural production.

With those words, again, I congratulate the Hon. David Ridgway, shadow minister for primary industries, and commend the vision and philanthropy shown by Mr Peter Waite. In this centenary, I think it is fitting that not only do we acknowledge, appreciate, thank and applaud Mr Peter Waite, but I leave a challenge for this government, and future governments, to ensure the absolute protection of this particular facility and campus, and growth opportunities to grow agriculture in our State of South Australia. I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (21:02): I rise today to make some brief remarks to note the centenary of Peter Waite's donation of the Urrbrae estate to the University of Adelaide for the study of agriculture and, of course, to congratulate the very hardworking Hon. David Ridgway for bringing this matter to the chamber.

Mr Peter Waite was a proud and remarkable South Australian who contributed his life to the advancement of South Australia's agricultural sector. He was a man who wore many hats and was known as a successful farmer and innovator, entrepreneur, philanthropist and a prominent pioneer of agricultural research, and I am delighted to have this opportunity to acknowledge his outstanding commitment to South Australia.

It has now been a century since Waite's original gift of the Urrbrae estate to South Australia, and his legacy through the Waite Agricultural Research Institute has continued to contribute positively to ensuring our global food security greatly benefits South Australia's agricultural, wine and food industries with innovative research-led developments.

To this day, the donation of the Urrbrae estate remains one of the largest public benefactions in South Australian history. With the generous bequest of land and Urrbrae House by Peter Waite, the Waite agricultural research institute was established in 1924 as a world-class research facility. Now, 100 years after the handover, the Waite Campus is Australia's leading research education and commercialisation precinct for agricultural science. A distinctive feature of the Waite Campus is the collocation of 12 Australian premier research and development organisations, enabling greater collaboration and the sharing of infrastructure and expertise.

South Australia has greatly benefited from the generosity of Peter Waite, allowing our farmers to gain world-class knowledge and technologies from the institute. South Australia's food industry generates more than $14 billion in revenue and employs one-fifth of the state's workforce. This vitally important industry helps to contribute to the total agribusiness sector in South Australia and therefore investing into this sector is extremely important, as farmers continue to battle the extreme outback weather, conditions and various diseases that continue to threaten their livelihood and the agricultural sector.

As the shadow parliamentary secretary for small business, trade and investment, I continue to meet with various stakeholders and business leaders from overseas and within South Australia who are working in partnerships with the Waite Institute, and they are gaining valuable research expertise from them in terms of collaboration. This Friday 21 November, I very much look forward to attending the Food SA 2014 South Australian Food Industry Awards. I am sure the Hon. David Ridgway will also be there and we shall witness the great extent of the achievements of the food industry. These awards will highlight the best of the best of industry leaders in South Australia.

Many of the primary producers in the agriculture industry have been beneficiaries of the Waite Institute. I also want to acknowledge the United Nations Association of South Australia on their recent event, which celebrated the International Year of Family Farming. The Leader of the Opposition Mr Steven Marshall and I were delighted to attend the UN event. We paid tribute to the hard-working South Australian farmers who continue to strive for successful production, despite the harsh conditions and the lack of support sometimes shown by the state Labor government.

South Australia has a fantastic agriculture industry which we need to continue to nurture. It was through Peter Waite's generosity, pioneering spirit and vision that South Australia was established as a world-renowned agriculture and research hub. His legacy should be celebrated and deserves to be on the public record. I would like to thank the shadow minister for agriculture and primary industries, the Hon. David Ridgway, for moving this important motion. He has a great passion for and experience in the agriculture sector, and I always feel that he is a farmer at heart. With those few remarks, I commend the motion to the house.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (21:07): I rise to support this motion and congratulate the Hon. Mr Ridgway for bringing it to this chamber. In the last few months, I have been pleased to have had the opportunity to read the book which is known as The Waite, written by Lynette D. Zeitz. I know the use of props in this chamber is out of order, but I do have a copy of the book sitting on my desk. This book is described as 'A social and scientific history of the Waite Agricultural Research Institute'. The cover note on the book says:

The Waite Campus is one of the world’s leading agricultural research and teaching precincts. It is fitting for this updated history to be published in 2014, the 140 years anniversary of the University of Adelaide.

I interpose that it is fitting that only today in this chamber the Hon. Mr McLachlan has moved a motion in regard to that 140th anniversary of the University of Adelaide. The cover note continues:

It is 100 years since Peter Waite formally bequested his Urrbrae property to the University in 1914, and 90 years since the University established the Waite Agricultural Research Institute in 1924.

Former University Registrar V. A. Edgeloe published The First Fifty Years 1924-1974 in 1984.

Since then the Waite Campus has added several large new research institutes and has strengthened its reputation. Lynette Zeitz has completed this detailed but engaging history to bring the story of the Waite Campus up to date. Her approach of focusing on the people, their personalities as well as their commitment to science, creates a lively and definitive work. I certainly enjoyed the book, particularly aspects of the incorporation of Roseworthy Agricultural College and the Waite Institute into the University of Adelaide nearly 20 years ago.

The book also covers various changes in focus of the Waite Campus over many different directors and many different governments and administrations. Those of us who have seen the public sector over a long time probably recognise that those things happened. The Hon. John Darley would be best placed, probably more than anybody here, to comment on the different changes that the public sector has to undergo. The dedicated staff at the Waite and the other facilities that it works with have managed to adjust very well to those changes.

The book also covers all of the other wideranging work done at the Waite across many agricultural and horticultural sectors. Lynette Zeitz, the author of the book, is a history graduate of the University of Adelaide and has been the manager of the Urrbrae House Historic Precinct at the Waite since 2008. She is also a visiting research fellow with the university's School of History and Politics. I commend her for covering the history of the Waite in a very interesting manner. It is something that I can recommend wholeheartedly to other members if they are at all interested in the history of science in this state and, of course, the Waite Agricultural Research Institute. I commend the motion to the chamber.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (21:12): I would like to sum up the motion and thank the honourable members for their contributions: the Hon. Kyam Maher, the Hon. Robert Brokenshire; my honourable colleague the Hon. Jing Lee; and, of course, the Hon. John Dawkins. I thank members for their contributions in support of the motion.

It is important that we recognise this wonderful bequest from Mr Peter Waite and the contribution it has made to our agricultural industry. As I said earlier in another discussion this evening, it was the industry that this state was founded upon, it was the biggest industry then and it is still the biggest industry in South Australia and it is important to recognise the contributions that have helped to steer the industry to where it is today.

I note that we have had an interesting grain season this year where it basically stopped raining around about the end of July/early August, yet right across the state farmers are surprised at the volume and quality of the grain they are harvesting. I suspect that is due in no small part to the research that has been undertaken over a century in improving grain crop varieties, grain varieties, different farming and tillage methods, different disease control, different rotations and different plant breeding programs.

You cannot pinpoint one particular thing but the combination of those things has meant that 100 years on some of our farmers, in a particularly strange sort of season, are going to have one of their best years ever and some are going to be pleasantly surprised that it is not the disaster it may have been 20 or 30 years ago. I think we have to be thankful for the foresight of Peter Waite and his contribution to agriculture in this state. I thank members for their contributions.

Motion carried.

The PRESIDENT: It is good to see so much multipartisan support.

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY: I have never heard of 'multipartisan'.

The PRESIDENT: Neither had I, but obviously we have it now.

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