Schaefer, Hon. C.V.

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:06): My question is to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation. Will the minister inform the chamber about the great contribution made by the former honourable, Caroline Schaefer, as the presiding member of the Northern and Yorke NRM Board?

The Hon. I.K. HUNTER (Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation, Minister for Water and the River Murray, Minister for Aboriginal Affairs and Reconciliation) (15:06): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Last night I had the very great pleasure of joining other presiding members of NRM boards to honour and thank the Hon. Caroline Schaefer for her significant contribution to natural resources management in our state. Caroline spent four years as the presiding member of the Northern and Yorke NRM Board before resigning in September 2014.

My colleagues in this place will of course remember Caroline from her time as a member of the Legislative Council from 1993 to 2010. Caroline served as the government whip in the Legislative Council from 1996 to 2001, I understand, and she sat on the Natural Resources Committee from 2003 to 2010. She was the first and, I believe, still the only woman in Australian politics to be appointed as Minister for Primary Industries, and her significant political achievements make her a very worthy role model for politically active women in South Australia, particularly in regional South Australia.

In addition to her deep understanding of NRM matters, Caroline also possesses a very acute understanding of the political process, and she has a very keen political nose. This great understanding of regional South Australia that she possesses, and also an understanding about the people and the challenges that are faced by people living in regional rural South Australia, make her a very effective NRM advocate and presiding member of the board.

Caroline's background, of course, is in farming. She has tirelessly championed, both in her role on the Northern and Yorke NRM Board and throughout her political career, farmers and their interests and I think Caroline can be very proud of her focus on the farmers' initiative, which is often referred to as Farmers First. Caroline, in my experience at least and I think my leader, the Hon. Gail Gago would concur, also put issues and getting things done ahead of politics.

In fact, the thing that I most appreciate from our time working together was her bipartisan spirit on the matter of actually achieving good things for our state. She was highly dedicated to her rural community, of course, and this meant that she always strove to achieve the best outcome for the local communities and the local environment that she represented. As we all know, Caroline was not, and is not, afraid to be very frank in her opinion and advice, and she warned me last night that she still has my mobile phone number and she will be taking advantage of it from time to time.

In her time as a presiding member Caroline demonstrated incredibly effective leadership for her community and a commitment to the Northern and Yorke NRM Board in the region, and this is not always an easy task, given that the Northern and Yorke region is a highly diverse region, ranging from some of the most remarkable coastal landscapes in South Australia through to semi-arid rangelands.

It also encompasses a huge variety of land uses, including the best soil farming country in the state, according to Caroline, pastoral land and grape growing. She led the NRM board in a spirit of collaboration and partnership and ensured that the board actively engaged with a range of stakeholders and, in particular, local government.

Perhaps Caroline's greatest contribution, though, was her strong focus on investment in young people. She understood that we need to engage young people in the environment to ensure that they continue to carry on this important work. Under Caroline's tutelage, the region supported education programs that focused on sustainability in NRM, such as the Appila Springs and sporting education days under the Australian Sustainable Schools Initiative. Thanks to these initiatives, Caroline will be leaving a strong and positive mark on the Northern and Yorke region.

I very sincerely thank Caroline for her substantial contribution, for her honesty and openness and for the commitment she has shown to South Australia's regional communities. She has often remarked to me, 'I don 't know why I am working for you—a minister and a government which I didn't vote for and which I don't support—but you have offered me an opportunity to make a difference for my community.' On behalf of that community and all of us in parliament, I say to Caroline Schaefer, 'Thank you.'