KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (16:39): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber of the winners of the recent KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (16:40): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Having a strong partnership between government, businesses and the wider community is crucial for us to successfully address the issues relating to environmental and climatic challenges we face as a state, and I think this is exactly what is reflected in the Sustainable Communities Awards that KESAB now run. Sustainable Communities used to be known, of course, as Tidy Towns and is now in its 36^th year. In 2014 it remains a focus for hundreds of communities to work together to showcase their town, community and region.

KESAB Environmental Solutions is a not-for-profit organisation that has been running community awareness and participation programs since 1966, I am advised. The South Australian government is proud to support a range of diverse programs and activities that KESAB runs throughout the state. These include programs for schools, the building and construction industry and local government. A fundamental aspect of all of KESAB’s activities is changing behaviour through increasing awareness and understanding. The Sustainable Communities Awards very much exemplify this philosophy.

When the program was introduced in 1978 as Tidy Towns, its prime objective was to create incentives for communities throughout South Australia to actively and innovatively tackle local litter problems. In 2009, KESAB renamed the program Sustainable Communities to broaden the focus to include not only litter but also waste, water, education and innovation, biodiversity, conservation and energy.

The Sustainable Communities Awards are now South Australia’s longest and largest ongoing community environmental initiative. Over the years the program has generated enormous support, resulting in countless hours of volunteer time and an enormous sense of pride in the respective local communities. As we all know, a strong sense of pride and ownership towards our place of residence is vital for us to make active changes in the environment in which we live. Each of the entries in the 2014 KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards is making a real difference within their community.

This year, there were over 150 entries by rural communities and they each demonstrated dedication, passion and enthusiasm towards making their community a better place to live. I am told that a total of around 130,000 volunteer hours, valued at over $20 million, has gone into these projects. That is almost the equivalent of 70 years of full time work. It is a phenomenal effort by all involved.

While I believe that each of the entries must be commended for their efforts, of course there can only be one overall winner. I am pleased to report that on Friday 24 October, the town of Meningie was named the overall winner of the 2014 KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards. The town is certainly a proud and deserving winner. It was a town in the community that was badly hit by the drought in the previous decade. The water and salinity levels in Lake Albert were at dire levels and the local fishing and dairy industries were severely impacted, but Meningie emerged as a stronger community than ever with positive prospects about the future.

The town of Meningie was judged overall winner based on its extensive and diverse initiatives that included the community garden, the Meningie wetland, the Cheese Factory Museum, the Oval Playground development and the netball club healthy breakfast program, just to name a few. Each of these initiatives will put the town of Meningie and its residents in a stronger position to adapt to and cope with the changing environmental and climatic conditions that we are all facing.

Meningie will now be the South Australian representative competing against other state and territory winners in the Keep Australia Beautiful Australian Tidy Towns Awards next February in Sheffield, Tasmania. While Meningie was the overall winner, there were many towns that stood out in numerous other individual categories. Mundulla won the Best Small Town category and Mount Gambier won Best Large Town. There were also awards presented for individual outstanding communities within a particular region. I would particularly like to congratulate:

Port Lincoln for the Eyre Peninsula;

Wirrabara for the Flinders region;

Meningie for the Mallee region;

Eudunda for the Mid North;

Waikerie for the Murray region;

Marree for the Outback;

Victor Harbor for the Southern & Ranges;

Mount Gambier in the South East; and

Ardrossan for the Yorke Peninsula;

Congratulations must also go to the many individual category winners, who have been recognised for their outstanding initiatives. It is a very long list and, rather than read it out, I seek leave to have the list inserted in Hansard.

Leave granted.

KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards Winners List 2014

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER: I sincerely commend all the winners and entrants in the 2014 KESAB Sustainable Communities Awards for their commitment and dedication, and for being the face of inspiration and change in their communities. I particularly want to thank KESAB Environmental Solutions for its outstanding program of community engagement that continues to be a catalyst for positive change around our state.