HANSARD
SITTING CALENDAR
SEARCH
LIVE BROADCAST
Hansard Dynamic Member Index
Legislative Council - Fifty-Third Parliament, Second Session (53-2)
2015-06-02 Daily Xml
Contents
Pdf Xml

Supply Bill 2015

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 12 May 2015.)

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (16:18): I rise to speak in support of the Supply Bill 2015. The Supply Bill 2015 provides for $3,291,000,000 to be appropriated from the Consolidated Account. This will provide sufficient appropriation to meet government expenditure requirements from 1 July 2015 until approximately the end of September 2015 and will ensure that the government's services can continue to be provided until assent is given to the Appropriation Bill 2015. These funds will be administered by the Department of Treasury and Finance to agencies in accordance with the Supply Act and financial controls governing public accounts.

Today I would like to take the opportunity to cover two broad issues, the first being the state government's response to the closure of the Australian automotive industry, which has significant ramifications for South Australia. The second issue is detailing some of the initiatives the state government has undertaken in the area of regional development.

The closure of the Australian automotive industry's original equipment manufacturers by 2017 will lead to the collapse of the automotive manufacturing sector in Australia. The short and long-term economic and social costs as a result of the loss of the automotive industry will have a major impact in South Australia, in terms of both businesses and workers in the automotive supply chain and also in specific regions. In response to the automotive manufacturers closure announcements, the South Australian government released Building a Stronger South Australia: Our Jobs Plan, which committed $60 million over four years to 2017-18 to prepare South Australia for GM Holden's closure in 2017.

The plan contains six key actions aimed at securing the future of the state's economy: the first, retaining displaced automotive workers so that they are able to secure new jobs in emerging industry sectors; the second, supporting the most adversely affected communities to generate local economic activity and jobs; the third, helping the transition of automotive supply businesses to new markets and industry sectors; the fourth, accelerating the transition of our manufacturing sector into advanced manufacturing through the support, the clusters, as well as funding for collaboration and innovation; the fifth, bringing forward significant infrastructure projects to create jobs and lift productivity; and the sixth, creating a new job accelerator fund to drive growth in our key industry sectors.

The Our Jobs Plan program provides funding to implement manufacturing industry programs over five years from 2013 to 2018. Key initiatives which have been implemented to date include: providing support to the impacted automotive industry workers and their families through a telephone hotline, establishing an automotive transformation task force to provide focus for the implementation of relevant components of the Our Jobs Plan, and the commonwealth government's $155 million growth fund.

In addition, it includes providing funds to four clusters to progress collaboration and formalise their structures, including the Aerospace Alliance in collaboration with the Defence Teaming Centre; the Musitec music and technology cluster; the two water industry-related clusters, in collaboration with the Water Industry Alliance, one in relation to managing aquifer recharge and the other in relation to water treatment in remote locations; and rolling out of the Manufacturing Technologies Program, an initiative which aims to raise manufacturing industry awareness, understanding and application of new technologies, including those being developed by local researchers.

To date, nine companies have participated in the applied metals additive manufacturing program, which will include design for manufacture, prototype development and commercial feasibility assessment. Launching the $4.5 million Business Transformation Voucher Program, vouchers of up to $50,000 are available to individual firms to engage the services of specialist consultants to assist with reviewing, developing and implementing plans to improve productivity and competitiveness. To date, 34 companies have been approved for funding of $1.28 million for business transformation. These companies have provided just over $1.9 million towards their transformation projects, which is a funding ratio of 1.5:1, 53 per cent greater than the minimum requirement under the program.

Under the pilot program for which the BTV was developed, the Innovation for Growth pilot program, run in collaboration with KPMG, five companies received comprehensive business reviews to identify opportunities and constraints to growth and development and to implement growth strategies. Commencing the medical and assistive technologies road map through the University of Adelaide and the German Fraunhofer institute, the road map will identify short, medium and long-term market opportunities, new and emerging technologies and industry capability requirements. It can be used by businesses to plan/implement strategies, to enter into new growth markets and by government and the research community to guide activities and policy development.

The state government sought a $330 million commitment from the Australian federal government to support initiatives through Our Jobs Plan package; however, sadly, the commonwealth government rejected this proposal. In April 2014, in response to the closure of the car manufacturing industry in Australia, the commonwealth government announced the establishment of a $155 million growth fund, which is made up of the following contributions: the Australian government, $101 million; the South Australian and Victorian governments, $12 million each; GM Holden, $15 million; and Toyota, $15 million.

The growth fund comprises:

a skills and training initiative—a $30 million program to assist automotive employees to have their skills recognised and provide training for new jobs while they are still being employed;

the Automotive Structural Adjustment Programme—a $15 million program to boost the current automotive industry structural adjustment program to provide career advice and assist automotive employees to secure new jobs;

the automotive distribution program—a $20 million program to assist automotive supply chain firms to diversify and enter new markets;

the Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme—a $60 million program to accelerate private sector investment in high value, non-automotive manufacturing sectors in South Australia and Victoria; and

the Regional Infrastructure Programme—a $30 million program to support investment in non-manufacturing opportunities in affected regions.

The South Australian government will continue to work with the commonwealth government regarding details of the Jobs Growth Fund and its implementation to ensure maximum benefit for South Australian industry and the community.

The South Australian government has established the Automotive Transformation Taskforce to enable targeted and focused implementation of specific elements of Our Jobs Plan and the relevant components of the commonwealth government's $155 million growth fund. The task force operates as an autonomous business unit of the Department of State Development and reports to the Automotive Transformation Taskforce board. The task force board is chaired by the Hon. Greg Combet AM, who is directly accountable to the Minister for Automotive Transformation.

The task force brings together resources from across agencies to provide focus, urgency and a central point for South Australian government activities in the transformation of the automotive sector and its workforce. The task force has a number of important functions, including:

working closely with the automotive component manufacturing companies to support them in accessing, diversification and transition initiatives so that they have a more sustainable future and are able to retain their workforce;

managing the design and delivery of programs and services for displaced workers affected by the closure of the national automotive industry;

liaising with the commonwealth and Victorian governments in the final design, implementation and rollout of the growth fund to the automotive sector;

working with GM Holden on options for the future use of its Elizabeth manufacturing site;

participating in government-wide strategies to attract investment and jobs to the state of South Australia; and

providing a central point for partnership development and communications.

The task force has also established a $7.3 million Automotive Workers in Transition Program to assist automotive workers with transitioning to new employment. The AWITP was launched by the former minister for automotive transformation in December 2014. The AWITP supports the workforce of automotive component manufacturers' supply chain companies with significant revenue exposure to the automotive sector. The AWITP supports packages comprising the following elements:

information sessions where task force officers deliver a presentation to affected workers at their work sites and provide workers with an AWITP information pack;

career and transition services (CATS) provide individualised professional career development assistance to each worker, which includes values mapping; psychological and personality testing; development of a career plan, including identifying a worker's top five jobs as aligned to the testing analysis of current and future jobs markets; résumé and interview preparation; training availability; and training provider identification;

skills recognition response enables workers to have their current skills competencies recognised and mapped against national standards;

quality training delivery: through CATS and the skills recognition response, workers will identify the essential training needed to increase their employability. Training can be accessed through 15 preapproved registered training organisations (RTOs) that have been identified by a comprehensive selection process; and

business start-ups provide support to workers starting up their own businesses. Workers will be assisted to identify their own proposed business strengths and weaknesses and also offered information and support via the Polaris Centre in the north and Business SA in the south.

The support package has been designed in line with the response from the South Australian and Victorian governments, Toyota, Ford and GM Holden to ensure that the first and last workers accessing support receive a similar level of assistance and that those workers in the supply chain receive a similar level of support to the vehicle manufacturers' employees. GM Holden and Toyota workforces will receive similar support and funding for skills and training through the company's $15 million contributions to the commonwealth government's Growth Fund Skills and Training Initiative.

The Career and Workforce Development Centre has been established at Warradale by the South Australian government to deliver five elements of the Automotive Transformation Taskforce's Automotive Workers in Transition Program support package. The Minister for Automotive Transformation officially opened the centre for automotive workers to access services on 5 March this year.

The Automotive Supplier Diversification Program is an $11.65 million initiative to assist automotive supply chain manufacturers impacted by the closure of GM Holden Ltd in 2017. Funding from 2013 to 2018 will be provided to support eligible companies with diversifying and securing alternative revenue streams for a more sustainable future.

A number of supply chain firms have limited capacity to absorb new knowledge about alternative markets and will require support to diversify. The program has been specifically designed to provide a unique package of support to firms operating in the automotive supply chain to ensure they are provided with timely and relevant assistance based on their specific circumstances.

Features include: flexibility in the assistance package based on the individual circumstances of each firm; and support for a wide range of activities related to the diversification and securing of alternative revenue streams including (but not limited to) diversification strategy development and associated business model development, mentoring, business development, capability development, management and workforce upskilling and retooling, and ongoing targeted support for firms including mentoring rather than one-off transition intervention.

The program includes two interrelated and complementary elements: the Automotive Supplier Capability and Competitiveness—a $7 million program that funds services and mentoring provided by contracted specialists related to business improvement, capability development, business development, and research services providers; and Retooling for Diversification—a $4.65 million merit-based program that provides direct funding support to assist companies to retool to implement their diversification strategies. The program is delivered by the Automotive Transformation Taskforce and is designed to dovetail with the commonwealth government's Automotive Diversification Program.

Four South Australian companies have been successful in obtaining funding by the Automotive Supplier Diversification Program. They are:

Numetric Manufacturing Pty Ltd, $97,250;

ZF Lemforder Australia Pty Ltd, $29,000;

Quality Plastics and Tooling Pty Ltd, $495,000; and

Adelaide Tooling Pty Ltd, $168,000.

The South Australian government is seeking to work with Holden to develop a framework to identify and investigate a range of options, both automotive and non-automotive for the Elizabeth site and the associated supply chain. A memorandum of understanding has been signed between GM Holden and the South Australian government committing the parties to working cooperatively together on the future uses of the site.

The Automotive Transformation Scheme is a commonwealth government program that aims to encourage competitive investment and innovation in the Australian manufacturing industry. Participants are entitled to receive assistance in the form of quarterly cash payments, and all participants are able to claim assistance for 50 per cent of the value of eligible investment in research and development and 15 per cent of the value of eligible investment in plant and equipment. The ATS has been a significant contributor for the automotive manufacturing supply chain enterprises, being able to expand their capacity and capability and build manufacturing businesses underpinned by design excellence and innovation.

The other matter I said I would cover today is the issue of the state government's initiatives in the area of regional development. South Australia's regions make a vital contribution to the economic strength and social fabric of the state and are an integral part of the state's identify. Our regions contribute to 27 per cent of gross domestic product and produce around half of our merchandised exports while being home to 29 per cent of the state's population. The government of South Australia recognises the need for regional communities that build on their economic foundations and generate social vitality and preserve their environmental assets.

The success of industries such as agriculture, food and wine production, aquaculture, fishing, mining and mineral processing, manufacturing, tourism and energy production are vital to our way of life. Government support is needed to create the conditions for regional communities to grow and prosper. The government has made a substantial commitment to building stronger regions through the delivery of a series of agreements between the Premier and the Independent member for Frome, the Hon. Geoff Brock, reached in March 2014.

These agreements detail a number of commitments to regional South Australia and include additional support for communities, projects and programs. This includes a $39 million package of initiatives for regional development in 2014-15. Of this package, $15 million is available annually to regional communities to access directly through the Regional Development Fund (RDF) Grants Program. The RDF funding is available for a number of projects that drive economic growth and productivity by improving regional infrastructure and creating jobs and new opportunities.

In 2014-15, RDF funding was awarded to 43 separate projects across South Australia's regions which will lead to the creation of up to 685 new jobs and generate a total project investment of more than $340 million. These projects will stimulate growth and create a positive lasting flow-on effect to their communities. Examples of RDF grants for 2014-15 are the Bowmans Intermodal Pty Ltd, Australia's largest indoor regional port, receiving $840,000 to fast-track the duplication of an existing rail line at the Bowmans facility inland from Port Wakefield as part of a $3.8 million project to increase the capacity and value-adding activities of the site. The project will double the capacity of Bowmans' road and rail operations, including better infrastructure facilities and services to the local mining and agricultural industries.

The Gather Great Ocean Group received $360,000 to help establish an innovative new industry in the Limestone Coast. The group is a high technology seaweed processing business, headquartered in China, exporting to over 30 countries and servicing the printing, food and pharmaceutical industries. The group will establish a seaweed harvesting site at Beachport and a processing plant near Millicent, generating significant regional employment opportunities. Pikes Wines received $184,477 towards the opening a new microbrewery in Clare. This will enable Pikes Wines to increase production of craft beers, resulting in increased national distribution and sales to overseas markets. The Clare Valley will benefit from this new tourist attraction, a high-quality integrated cellar door experience which will bring further revenue to the region.

Examples of the transformational projects that the RDF grants in 2014 provided were Sundrop Farms which received $6 million towards the expansion of the greenhouse business at Port Augusta. In addition to state government funding, a 10-year contract from Coles for the purchase of truss tomatoes and investment of more than $150 million, including from the global investment giant KKR, will allow the project to proceed and create 300 jobs. The project demonstrates South Australia's strong position as a producer of premium foods grown in a clean environment. Thomas Foods International received $2.5 million towards a new state-of-the-art beef-boning facility at Murray Bridge. The project will significantly increase the output of Australia's largest species abattoir and create 200 new jobs. The Thomas Foods International group is South Australia's largest regional private employer, and the upgrade will be a huge boost to regional employment.

The Regional Development Australia associations (RDAs) will receive an increase in funding of $3 million per annum. This means that the state government is now the major funding partner of South Australia's RDAs when compared to federal and local governments. The funding is allocated under a three-year funding arrangement that provides for a new and renewed emphasis on regional economic development. The funding will enable regional communities to have their local RDAs undertake a broad range of activities to drive economic growth and make a real and lasting difference in regional communities on behalf of the state government.

That said, the state government's commitment to regional development goes beyond simply grant funding. We recognise that regional communities themselves are best placed to understand the unique challenges and opportunities that the regions present and therefore to develop effective strategies to meet those challenges and realise those opportunities. Our Charter for Stronger Regional Policy includes numerous opportunities for regional communities to interact with government and have a real and meaningful input into government decision-making.

The charter was successfully implemented in 2014-15 through, for example, the introduction of three country cabinet meetings in regions each year, at least one minister spending a day each week in regional areas, at least three senior management council meetings being held in regions, and an increased focus on regions in government decision-making through the establishment of the Regional South Australia Cabinet Committee.

The Regional South Australia Cabinet Committee held its inaugural meeting on 26 May 2014 and will continue to meet through 2015-16. Its objectives include increasing government focus on regions and improved coordination of government program funding for regions. Chaired by the Minister for Regional Development, the Hon. Geoff Brock, the cabinet committee brings together ministers whose portfolios are vitally important for the health and vitality of our regions, including: the Treasurer and Minister for State Development, the Hon. Tom Koutsantonis; the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Tourism and Forests; the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure; and the Minister for Employment.

In 2014-15 the cabinet committee reviewed and updated the Regional Impact Assessment Statement policy and guidelines, developed and implemented programs under the $10 million Jobs Accelerator Fund, and awarded a number of substantial grants for transformational projects under the Regional Development Fund.

Some of the details of the $10 million Jobs Accelerator Fund are, first, that the package includes a $15 million regional development fund which was divided into five separate funding programs in 2014-15. Two of the programs—the Small Grants Program and the Major Projects Program—were both heavily oversubscribed. For this reason it was decided to use $2.6 million from the Jobs Accelerator Fund to partially meet the oversubscription in the RDF. This will help fast-track jobs growth and investment opportunities for regional South Australia.

Secondly, a $4 million regional loan scheme has also been established through the Jobs Accelerator Fund to complement the RDF program. The loan scheme was established to cater for circumstances where a loan or a combination of a loan and a grant may better suit a project. Applications seeking to access the loan scheme are available to apply for a loan ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.

The third aspect of the Jobs Accelerator Fund is that $1.4 million will be provided for Indigenous economic development in the north-west pastoral region. Indigenous landowners currently hold up to three million hectares of pastoral land in the region and there is an opportunity to return some of these properties to primary production to develop viable and sustainable grazing operations. The Indigenous Land Corporation will be contracted to manage funding for the Indigenous employment on behalf of the Kokatha Pastoral Development Project and the APY Pastoral Enterprise.

The remaining $2 million allocation in the Jobs Accelerator Fund will be applied to emerging regional initiatives and/or opportunities as they arise. The Regional South Australia Cabinet Committee will have a full works program for the forthcoming year in anticipation of continuing opportunities and issues in the region and I am confident they will continue to achieve great results for regional South Australia.

In conclusion, South Australia faces significant challenges with the imminent closure of the Australian automotive industry, particularly the closure of GM Holden's manufacturing plant at Elizabeth in 2017. The South Australian government is working with industry, suppliers, employers, unions, employees and the community to deal with this challenge. I commend this Supply Bill to the council as it will ensure the ongoing operation of government whilst the Appropriation Bill 2015-16 is dealt with by this parliament.

The Hon. J.S.L. DAWKINS (16:52): I rise today to support the second reading of this bill which provides, I understand, some $3.291 billion to ensure the payment of public servants and the continuation of state government services from 1 July until the Appropriation Bill passes both houses. As we know, the Supply Bill gives parliamentary authority to the government of the day to continue delivering services via public expenditure, and the government is entitled to continue delivering these services in accordance with general approved priorities; that is, the priorities of the last 12 months until the Appropriation Bill is passed. Before making some comments on one area in particular, I note that the use of the money is for the work of public servants to service the constituents and residents of South Australia.

I wish to direct my remarks today to the government's Suicide Prevention Strategy. In doing so, I want to initially commend the government for the effort it has put into that strategy, which was developed following some motions that both myself and the member for Adelaide put through the parliament in 2011. The strategy was developed in 2012 after an extensive consultation around the state, and that strategy is due to conclude next year. I do commend the efforts, on limited resources, that have been done by the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist and other members of the mental health unit within SA Health.

An example of the good work was on show last week when I was at Truro for a meeting held by the Mid Murray Suicide Prevention Network, very much augmented or organised by the Mid Murray Council. Those members who know the Mid Murray Council would know that it includes a number of wideranging communities. In fact, it goes from an area south of Mannum right up the river and around the corner at Morgan, and includes Cadell. It has a number of communities that really do not have a great deal in common.

I do congratulate those who were at the meeting at Truro last Thursday evening, because I think the commitment is there to make this network work, despite the sparseness of the population and the size of the geographical area of that council and, of course, the fact that probably the majority of the population lives in Mannum, which is almost at the southern extremity of the council. Certainly, efforts have already happened, with other meetings at Sedan and one planned for Morgan, and I think there is also one to be held later this week in Mannum.

Also, I am pleased that last year a very successful network of networks was held here in Adelaide in September, I think it was. As a result of that, some regional networks of suicide prevention networks meetings will be held this year, and I will be attending the first one of those at Mount Gambier on the 15th of this month. I think that a number of networks that are in the South-East and probably as far north as Murray Bridge will be represented at that conference.

Also, it is relevant to mention that there has been good support from the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist for the groups working in the areas beyond suicide, that is, those working with bereaved families, such as Silent Ripples, which held its annual memorial day in Murray Bridge on Sunday. I was privileged to once again attend what is an excellent way in which families can not only commemorate the loss of family members to suicide but also enjoy the circumstances there adjacent the Roundhouse at Murray Bridge, where a once barren area of land has been made into a very attractive garden that commemorates the lives of those people who have been lost. Sadly, at this year's ceremony, four names of males from that community were added to those commemorated in that garden.

I do want to indicate some concern, however, about the delays that have occurred over the last 12 months in relation to the suicide prevention strategy and, initially, the delay in the appointment of a new additional officer to help roll out the networks across South Australia. On 18 July last year, in Estimates Committee A, the member for Morphett asked some questions of the Minister for Health on my behalf in relation to the appointment of an additional person to assist with the rollout of the State Suicide Prevention Strategy.

The Hon. Mr Snelling did confirm, and I quote, 'that one FTE is actually an additional position on top of what we have got currently'. In essence, that meant that there was at last going to be additional assistance to the one person establishing those networks around South Australia. Unfortunately, after some six months I became aware that there was still no person in that position, and it seemed that there were no efforts being made towards putting a person in that position.

So, on 2 February this year I wrote to minister Snelling pointing out that it was six months since the estimates committee process and his commitment to that position, and I sought clarification of when the position would be filled. Unfortunately, that letter received no response—no acknowledgement and no response—so on 2 April I wrote again in similar terms. On 15 April, I received a letter from the member for Taylor, Lisa Vlahos, in her role as parliamentary secretary to the Minister for Health Assisting in Mental Health and Substance Abuse, and I quote:

Thank you for your letter of 2 February, 2015, to the Hon. Jack Snelling, M.P., Minister for Health and Substance Abuse, about the appointment of an additional 1.0 FTE position to assist with the rollout of the South Australian Suicide Prevention Strategy 2012-2016: Every Life is Worth Living (the Strategy). I am responding to you as Parliamentary Secretary with responsibility in Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

The establishment and recruitment of this position is underway for commencement in July, 2015. The position is essential for the implementation of the Government's new suicide prevention network and suicide prevention community grants programs.

The parliamentary secretary goes on to talk about the government's commitment to the strategy in reducing the effects of suicide on our community. I thank her for the response, but it is just a pity that it took some 2½ months and that the minister was not able to do it himself.

As a result of the delay in the appointment of that position, and the fact that there were a lot of people around South Australia who were aware that the appointment had been confirmed in the estimates process, community concern evolved into an article in the Stock Journal on 7 May this year—a very good article by Alisha Fogden—and I quote initially from it. Under the heading, 'Suicide strategy slowed by govt hiring process', she writes:

Questions surround the state government's urgency to tackle suicide prevention, with program funding under utilised.

In July last year, Mental Health Minister Jack Snelling confirmed budget assistance for a second full-time employee to help roll-out programs as part of the government's SA Suicide Prevention Strategy.

A little further on in the article, she states:

Almost 10 months since that confirmation during an Estimates Committee process, the position remains unfilled.

In preparing the article, I understand that Ms Fogden and a colleague made contact with SA Health and attempted to make contact with the minister's office but received a statement from SA Health, so I will further quote from the article in the Stock Journal:

SA Health statement said a large amount of scoping and planning work was required before an additional suicide prevention officer could be recruited, 'to determine the objectives for the role and how they would be achieved'.

'This included planning for the expansion of the suicide prevention networks across the state and a new community grants scheme, as well as looking at the next phase of the SA Suicide Prevention Strategy, beyond 2016,' it said.

'This planning has now been completed and the new suicide prevention officer is expected to start work in July.'

I was quoted in the article as saying that the 12-month lag was unfortunate. I think I was being a bit moderate there in my tone. The reference in this SA Health statement, that 'a large amount of scoping and planning work was required before an additional suicide prevention officer could be recruited', in my view is a lot of nonsense and just an absolute excuse for not coming up with the money to find that officer months earlier. To say that scoping and planning work was required is just ridiculous, because the work is being done by one person and that person needs assistance to continue that very good work. I found that response remarkable and, as I said, ridiculous.

On 12 November last year, the member for Morphett received further written responses to other estimates questions he asked of the Hon. Jack Snelling, questions the member for Morphett had asked on behalf of the Liberal Party and particularly myself as the party's spokesman on suicide prevention. In that answer on notice provided in the House of Assembly on 12 November were a couple of things I want to note at this point. First, it was indicated there that $150,000 would be allocated for a suicide prevention officer to work in the establishment of suicide prevention networks. That is the position I have just been mentioning, which has taken nearly 12 months to scope.

Also, there was a reference to $125,000 in small grants for local suicide prevention and postvention initiatives and activities. I say initially that I give the government great credit for allocating that money. When I heard of that first last year I was very pleased; however, I have a great concern about the delay in making this money available. I am greatly concerned that the opening of applications for these grants only happened relatively recently, and then closed last Friday 29 May, so that the very small number of people in the Office of the Chief Psychiatrist and the mental health unit then have to allocate this money so that it gets out to groups before 30 June.

I lay no fault for that at the feet of people who are implementing the suicide prevention strategy, but somewhere in the system the bean counters have kept this money behind. It is a bit like the 12-month delay in appointing this officer. If we are trying to work properly as a community to prevent suicide, this sort of delay in relatively modest amounts of money is unacceptable. Those two areas I am talking about, the appointment of the officer and the bringing forward of the invitation for applications for the small grants, in total amount to $275,000, so for the sake of $275,000 we have seen, basically, a 12-month delay in both those programs, and I think that is pretty ordinary.

In conclusion, I should say, however, that I absolutely support all the work that is done as part of the government's suicide prevention strategy. I am very hopeful that, as part of the national strategy, there may be some reappraisal of some of the commonwealth funding of mental health and suicide prevention. There is terrific work done by a lot of the groups funded by government, including beyondblue, but there are many other groups that operate, if not entirely, nearly entirely on what I call the smell of an oily rag. They operate, as does the MOSH group based in the western suburbs, on the proceeds of op shops and they do fabulous work, very similar to what Silent Ripples does.

They should not have to operate in such a sense. They should not have to operate on the basis of total volunteers and selling goods in an op shop. That should not be the case, and I have made that clear to both the previous federal minister for health, the Hon. Peter Dutton, and also in some conversations I had with the Hon. Sussan Ley, the new Minister for Health. I also say to the state government, in the reappraisal of the strategy, that we need to do more to assist those groups and more to assist them with recurrent funding rather than a 12-month grant.

I look forward to the appointment of the additional officer to work in the rollout of the suicide prevention strategy. As I have done previously, I will work closely with anybody who is developing those groups around South Australia, whether it be in Mount Gambier, Port Augusta, the northern suburbs or wherever. Wherever I need to go, I will go to assist them, but I say to the government that I will be on the watch for when this appointment is made. The answer I received from the member for Taylor said that an appointment would be made after 1 July. I hope it is very soon after 1 July.

With those remarks, I am very pleased to support this bill. I again indicate its importance because it provides that $3.291 billion that enables the work of public servants in their service to South Australians to continue until the Appropriation Bill passes both houses, and I am pleased to support the bill.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. J.M. Gazzola.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS
MEMBERS
GET INVOLVED
ABOUT PARLIAMENT
VISIT
LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY
CONTACT