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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-02 Daily Xml
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Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 1 June 2022.)

The Hon. T.T. NGO (11:40): I rise to speak in reply to the speech of Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, at the opening of the First Session of the Fifty-Fifth Parliament. I congratulate the Governor on her appointment as South Australia's 36th Governor and thank her for her opening address. I do enjoy the parliament's opening, where we as a society acknowledge a very important part of our parliamentary process and democracy by inviting our Chief Justice and other judges here, members being sworn in and the election of the President.

Mr President, I acknowledge your promotion to the chair of this place and I know that you will conduct yourself in an impartial and professional manner. I would also like to acknowledge our new members to this place: the Hon. Reggie Martin, the Hon. Sarah Game and the Hon. Laura Curran. Thank you all for your first speeches and for sharing your personal stories and what you hope to achieve in this place in the next few years. I have known the Hon. Reggie Martin, former secretary of the ALP, for many years and in my personal opinion he has one of the smartest and sharpest political minds.

At the conclusion of the last parliament, we lost three outstanding contributors to this place and to the people of South Australia: the Hon. Rob Lucas, the Hon. John Darley and the Hon. John Dawkins. I had the pleasure of getting to know the three of them over the last eight years and I wish them all good health in their retirement.

During the Governor's opening address, she outlined key priorities that this Malinauskas Labor government plans to implement over the next four years. I would like to take this opportunity to speak about a couple of these. At the March 2022 election, the fundamental issue that resonated with people from all parts of South Australia was health. After living under shifting COVID restrictions for the past two years, it is easy to understand why health became the number one priority and why it is a critical area of focus for this Malinauskas government.

The ambulance ramping crisis plagued the former Liberal government for more than two years. It is why Labor spoke out against the former Liberal government's plan to spend $662 million on a basketball stadium. A government that gives priority to a $662 million basketball stadium over fixing our health care is a government that has lost the plot. The Malinauskas government has reflected, through the Governor's speech, that fixing our state health care will involve making genuine structural change.

This Malinauskas government is determined to fix the ramping crisis. We can look forward to the newly elected federal Labor government working with the Malinauskas government to deliver a $400 million expansion of the Flinders Medical Centre and upgrade of the Repat. This joint investment is part of the Malinauskas government's plan to improve health care for South Australians and includes investing $77 million in the Bragg Comprehensive Cancer Centre in South Australia, delivering a new mental health and wellbeing centre in Bedford Park and $13.7 million to improve and expand access to vital suicide prevention services in Adelaide.

I acknowledge that previous governments, both Liberal and Labor, have often neglected communities in the outer suburbs and regional areas, instead focusing on places with larger populations. This Labor government listened to the people living outside the city. These are people who have been crying out for help for a long time, asking for more services to meet the needs of their neglected communities and feeling frustrated that their voices have not been heard.

This government has responded and committed $220 million to build a new hospital in Mount Barker with 120 beds—68 more beds than the current facility provides. The new hospital will also include a mental health unit, as well as rehabilitation, obstetrics and palliative services. There is also funding of more than $50 million for health in Mount Gambier, including a $24 million upgrade to the Mount Gambier hospital. The upgrade for this regional hospital will comprise of an $8 million emergency department redevelopment, $11.4 million on six new mental health unit beds and $4.6 million for two drug and alcohol detox beds.

These health commitments were made possible by Labor's pledge not to waste millions of dollars on a basketball stadium in our CBD and instead respond to the voices and healthcare needs of the people living outside the city and in regional areas.

It was highlighted by the Governor that another significant priority of this Labor government is climate change. Labor acknowledges the truth about the seriousness of the world's climate crisis. A vital project will be our world-leading hydrogen power station to be built and operated by the government to power green manufacturing right here in South Australia. Our Premier has identified billionaire mining magnate Andrew Forrest and his Fortescue Future Industries as a potential partner in the planned state-owned $593 million hydrogen power station.

We can look forward to a greater degree of collaboration around hydrogen in South Australia as our state unlocks more investment in renewable technologies. I am proud to be a member of a government that will act to address the gravity of the climate crisis and has a plan to turn South Australia into a green hydrogen giant.

The Malinauskas government has reflected through the Governor's speech that fresh vision and a long-term focus will assist in implementing its mandate to deliver improved opportunity for the next generations. With our future generations in mind, it is hard to comprehend the extent of the former Liberal government's cuts to training programs, which affected our youth. Labor plans to invest $175 million and build five new technical schools, with a further $30 million in operating costs being provided over three years. Labor's technical colleges will facilitate more pathways for students to complete school and help greater numbers of our youth reach their fullest potential.

In her opening address, the Governor highlighted the significance of the $6 million investment in the Hutt Street Centre, Catherine House and Vinnies. The Liberal government's decision to slash funding to these three critical organisations had a devastating effect on services for our homeless and most vulnerable. Unlike the former government, this Labor government understands the huge importance of these services and the relationships that the specialist staff employed by these organisations build with clients.

The Liberal cuts to this funding resulted in many of these specialist staff finding themselves unemployed. This Malinauskas government knows the only way we are going to properly address the problem of homelessness is to put resources into organisations with experienced staff that are actually on the ground working with and helping people every day.

I would like to reiterate the words of our Governor: preserving and supporting our cultural institutions and celebrating our internationally recognised arts community must be an integral part of any future plan for South Australia. Our vibrant multicultural communities, the arts and our many festivals are the heart of this wonderful city, and we must not lose sight of that.

This Malinauskas government plans to implement a set of comprehensive policies to ensure we revitalise the creative industries post-COVID. Our many creative industries are, as Her Excellency described them, 'the soul of our state'.

I am proud to be a member of a political party that has firm, progressive Aboriginal affairs policies and is committed to a state-based implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. It is exciting that South Australia's Fifty-Fifth Parliament will be the parliament that fulfils the promise of a meaningful treaty with the First Australians and guide the establishment of an Aboriginal Voice to Parliament, the restarting of a Treaty process and the retelling of a Truth.

Finally, I want to express thanks to all our retail and hospitality employees, healthcare workers and volunteers, and our hospital and emergency care workers and volunteers for their steadfast service during the past two years of COVID. To repeat the words of Her Excellency, 'All of our South Australian communities owe a debt of gratitude to each and every one of them.'

The Hon. J.S. LEE (11:51): It is a great privilege to rise today to support the adoption of the Address in Reply. Sincere thanks to Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, for opening the Fifty-Fifth Parliament of South Australia. Her Excellency reminded us in her speech that we were the first place where women successfully campaigned for the right to vote and stand for parliament—in 1894. This changed the status of women in our society forever.

As honourable members know, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson is a proud sixth-generation South Australian. Her mother, the Hon. Jennifer Cashmore AM, was a South Australian parliamentarian. The Hon. Ms Cashmore was a Liberal Party member of the South Australian House of Assembly between 1977 and 1993, representing the eastern suburbs seat of Coles, known as Morialta since 2002. Her Excellency's mother was the third woman to be elected to the House of Assembly.

We were deeply honoured to have Her Excellency open the Fifty-Fifth Parliament in this place where her mother was once a valuable member of this parliament. Her Excellency is an inspiration to us all, and what a great asset to our state to have her return to South Australia to take on this important role as our Governor after her trailblazing role on the world stage. We are incredibly fortunate to have the Hon. Frances Adamson as our Governor and I thank Her Excellency sincerely for her speech and her commitment to serve the people of South Australia.

Mr President, please accept my congratulations on your return to the esteemed office of President of the Legislative Council. I know you will serve the role with distinction and fairness and maintain the highest order and dignity of this chamber.

While the 2022 March election result was very disappointing for the Liberal Party, congratulations to the Malinauskas Labor government. Congratulations also to all members who have been re-elected, and I welcome new members who were successfully elected for the first time. From this side of the chamber, I would like to congratulate the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the Hon. Dennis Hood and the Hon. Nicola Centofanti for being re-elected and extend my warmest welcome to the newest Liberal member of the Legislative Council team, the Hon. Laura Curran.

I believe the Hon. Laura Curran is currently the youngest member of the Legislative Council. She brings a fresh approach and energy to this place and we congratulate her for immediately stepping up to the important role of Opposition Whip, as well as shadow assistant minister. I join all honourable members in congratulating the members who have been re-elected to this chamber and the newly elected members of the Legislative Council: the Hon. Sarah Game, the Hon. Robert Simms and the Hon. Reggie Martin.

This council seems a bit strange without the familiar face that was here for over 39 years, and I think honourable members know exactly who I mean. I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank the Hon. Rob Lucas, the former Treasurer, who retired at the last election after serving for more than 14,000 days in the South Australian parliament. He certainly had a long and distinguished parliamentary career. The Hon. Rob Lucas will be remembered for his thoughtful and fearless debate, his significant contributions and the profound impact that he made in this place and for the South Australian community. I wish all members who have retired from this council a very happy retirement.

Sadly, at every election some sitting members fight really hard but face the devastation of not being returned. I wish to take a moment to acknowledge and thank the members of the parliamentary Liberal team whom we will miss following the 2022 state election. These members are: the former member for Stuart, Dan van Holst Pellekaan; the former member for Gibson, Corey Wingard; the former member for Adelaide, Rachel Sanderson; the former member for Elder, Carolyn Power; the former member for King, Paula Luethen; the former member for Newland, Richard Harvey; and the former member for Davenport, Steve Murray. Two Liberal members in the other place did not contest the 2022 election: the former member for Schubert, Stephan Knoll, and the former member for Flinders, Peter Treloar.

Everyone came into this parliament to make a difference, and these members have utilised their skills, experience and capabilities to do everything they can to serve their respective electorates and communities. I wish to thank each and every one of them, the former members of parliament, for their contributions to the Marshall Liberal government and for their tireless work as outstanding local members of parliament.

I thank these colleagues for their significant contributions to the Liberal Party and for their wonderful friendship. They will all be sadly missed by our parliamentary team and those they served. I wish them and their families well in their future endeavours. No doubt they will still be out there serving our communities with the same passion and vitality, just in different capacities.

Turning my attention back to the Legislative Council, it is very rewarding for the Liberal Party to have four women from the upper house on the front bench holding shadow minister positions. This is quite a contrast to the Labor Party. I recall that in 2011, the Hon. Gail Gago was recognised in the media as the most powerful Labor woman in the state when she became government leader in the upper house, and the only minister in the upper house at the time.

As sole minister, the Hon. Gail Gago had to remain in the chamber at all times and had to handle every piece of legislation that went before the upper house. Currently, the Labor government only has two ministers in this house. Perhaps they should think about promoting the Hon. Emily Bourke to cabinet. It is a bit odd that she is Assistant Minister to the Premier but without any portfolio duties. Of course, that is a matter for the Labor Party to work through.

In contrast, on our side of the chamber we have four Liberal woman who have been appointed to shadow minister positions. What I am incredibly proud of is that the Liberal Party recognises talent, diversity and wideranging experience in the upper house. I congratulate and acknowledge the Hon. Nicola Centofanti on her elevation to the new Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. She is passionate about the regions in South Australia and has proven to be an inclusive and dynamic leader. I believe the Hon. Nicola Centofanti is the first woman on our side to be elected to the position of leader in this council. It is a marvellous achievement for the honourable member personally and for our Liberal Party.

Living in a state where diversity is celebrated across our communities, I would also like to thank my colleagues for their trust and confidence to elect me as the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council. It is truly a great honour to be a first-generation Australian with Asian heritage to be elected in this position. I am deeply humbled and grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside the Hon. Nicola Centofanti in the new leadership team. We will work diligently to support our new Liberal Party leader, the Hon. David Speirs MP, the deputy leader, the Hon. John Gardner, and the whole shadow cabinet and the Liberal team to ensure that we hold the Labor government to account and ensure that South Australians get the best services and outcomes they deserve.

The South Australian community has responded well to our united, dynamic and fresh Liberal Party team. We will continue to work hard to focus on matters that are important to the people of our state. We will harness ideas from our community to present new options and alternative vision for South Australia.

It is probably true that winners are usually grinners. I would like to caution the new Labor government and Labor members not to be too arrogant about their election win. For the record, about a third of South Australians voted Labor, but also about a third of South Australia's population voted for the Liberal Party. The Labor Party has the Greens to thank for their electoral success, based on the strong flow of preferences they received from the Greens. Just a gentle reminder to the Labor government that they must not be too boastful about their election win.

At this point, I would like to express my thanks to all the Liberal Party members, volunteers and people who voted for us, because these people recognised and appreciated that the Marshall Liberal government managed to save lives and livelihoods during the global pandemic that we have never seen before. It would be an understatement if I said that the Liberal Party came into government in unprecedented times. As we know it, our world was crumbling with infectious disease and, like everywhere else in the world, our state was facing a global health and economic crisis. No other Premier before the Hon. Steven Marshall in this state had ever had to deal with challenges like the coronavirus pandemic.

When we came into government in 2018, not only did we inherit the mess from the previous 16 years of Labor government, we were impacted by the drought, bushfires, followed by coronavirus in our first term of the Liberal government. I want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Hon. Steven Marshall, the member for Dunstan, for his incredible leadership throughout the COVID pandemic. He worked relentlessly, diligently as Premier during the most difficult and darkest time for our state. I also would like to thank the Hon. Stephen Wade for his hard work and empathy as the minister for health, ageing and wellbeing.

It has been an honour to have served in the Marshall Liberal government. Often we say that leadership in crisis allows us to truly judge the strength of character of a leader. Premier Marshall did not back away from the hard stuff, and it is important we acknowledge the difficult position he was in during the pandemic and pay tribute to his leadership, resilience and commitment to serve the people of South Australia.

It was an honour to serve as Assistant Minister to the Premier and to be a part of the Marshall Liberal government, which achieved so much and delivered record funding in infrastructure, hospitals, schools and roads for our state despite a once-in-a-lifetime challenge presented by the pandemic. When the Liberal leader, the Hon. David Speirs, announced his shadow cabinet, I was deeply humbled to be appointed as the shadow minister for multicultural affairs and shadow minister for communities and shadow minister for tourism and hospitality. I was a little bit surprised that in the speech prepared for Her Excellency by the new Labor government there was not one mention about multiculturalism or interculturalism in that speech. Perhaps it was an oversight.

While we are all eagerly anticipating the release of new census data this year, we know that the 2016 census showed that nearly 25 per cent, almost one-quarter, of the South Australian population are migrants or children of migrants from a non-English-speaking background. South Australians proudly come from about 200 countries and it was surprising that there was no acknowledgement of our diverse and harmonious multicultural community in this year's opening address in parliament. I think this is quite a stark contrast to the Marshall Liberal government's proud commitment to acknowledging the contributions of our multicultural communities.

I am also very proud that the Marshall Liberal government undertook the first major review of South Australian landmark multicultural legislation in 30 years, delivering the South Australian Multicultural Act 2021, which introduces the concept of interculturalism as a way of strengthening multiculturalism and recognises the valuable contributions to our state made by South Australians from diverse backgrounds.

I hope the omission from the opening address is not a reflection of the Malinauskas Labor government's commitment, or lack thereof, to supporting our multicultural community members. I fully intend to dedicate myself to ensure that one-quarter of South Australia's population are not forgotten or neglected by the new government.

As I take on portfolios as new shadow minister for tourism and hospitality, I cannot help but reflect on Steven Marshall's passion and dedication to the South Australian tourism industry. Latest figures from the South Australian Tourism Commission reveal that six of South Australia's 11 tourism regions have exceeded their visitor spending targets four years ahead of schedule.

I was pleased that the Malinauskas Labor government recognised the important policy settings of the former Liberal government by highlighting that the South Australian Regional Visitor Strategy 2025 is helping drive outcomes for tourism success. This strategy, the Regional Visitor Strategy, was released in 2021 under the former Liberal government after extensive consultation with stakeholders.

I was delighted to see that, despite the severe disruption of the global COVID-19 pandemic, regional tourism performance has bounced back. Regional tourism now makes up 60 per cent of South Australia's total visitor expenditure, up from 44 per cent at the end of 2019. While Labor can try to piggyback on these achievements, it is thanks to the former Liberal government's initiatives to support our tourism operators that we are seeing such great outcomes across our state.

The Regional Visitor Strategy has provided a road map for navigating the challenges of the past two years, and initiatives brought in under the former Liberal government, such as the hugely successful Great State Vouchers, have helped drive the tourism boom. Six of the state's 11 tourism regions have surpassed the 2025 visitor expenditure target, helping drive total visitor expenditure in regional South Australia to $3.6 billion in 2021, just $400 million shy of its December 2025 target of $4 billion.

Just a few weeks ago, I visited Monarto Safari Park with my parliamentary colleagues and was delighted to speak with Mr Peter Clark, Director of Monarto Safari Park. He could not speak highly enough of Steven Marshall's commitment to our state tourism industry and the incredible investment that the Marshall Liberal government delivered as part of a major zoos package for South Australia. This is just one of many examples of what we have achieved under the Marshall Liberal government.

I am delighted to have been appointed as the shadow minister for communities. I want to particularly thank the Hon. Michelle Lensink, the former Minister for Human Services, for her work for the communities. I am committed to ensuring that our vulnerable young people and families receive the support and services they need to flourish and achieve their aspirations in South Australia.

As the new shadow minister for communities, I am focusing on keeping the Labor government held to account and ensuring that the strategies, programs and services that were put together by the Hon. Michelle Lensink as the former minister will help to drive wellbeing and ensure that individuals, families and communities across South Australia are maintained and continued.

I will continue to be passionate about advocating for people from all walks of life and working together with people from diverse backgrounds and industries to build a harmonious and inclusive South Australia. This is a great place for our local community and visitors to South Australia from around the world. They can really enjoy living, playing and visiting here. I am proud to take on the new portfolios, as I mentioned before, and I will continue to work closely with all members of parliament to advance the interests and welfare of all South Australians.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (12:10): I am going to begin, as others have, by acknowledging that we meet today on stolen Kaurna land and that the sovereignty of the Kaurna people was never ceded. I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging, and I acknowledge their continuing spiritual connection to their lands and their waters. For emphasis, if you like, this is stolen land. It is and always was and always will be their land.

In acknowledging those truths, it is important that I also pay my respects to my leader in this place, the Hon. Kyam Maher, who is our first Aboriginal Attorney-General. Kyam's appointment to this role is a pretty large moment of historical significance that should not be lost on any of us. The privilege that we all have that no other government has ever had is actually quite remarkable and deserves our respect. Once again, I congratulate you, Mr President, on your elevation to the role. I am sure you will continue to perform in that role as you did last year.

I also wish to extend my congratulations to some others in this place. Somewhat unusually, there have been quite a few so it might take some time and, fortunately, we have it. I would like to start with those who are no longer in this place and in doing so I acknowledge the Hon. Mr Lucas, the Hon. Mr Dawkins and also the Hon. Mr Darley. I was only here for, I think, the final five years of their varied tenures but in each case for these gentlemen I can say that there were unique things they brought to this place that will not be easily replaced.

I know that at least one government department should be quite relieved that the level of scrutiny brought by the Hon. Mr Darley may be slightly lowered by his absence—I am not sure. We will see how the opposition goes. I also wish to thank the Hon. Mr Dawkins for his service, not only to this place but also, quite sincerely, for his service to the north-east of Adelaide where he was so well known. I think he will be greatly missed.

I wish to congratulate the returning members to this place and in doing so I think it is worth noting that for a chamber that is often alleged by some to be a very left-leaning place, that shrugs its shoulders and just lets legislation through, the diversity of the legislative capability of returning members, on any objective analysis, is actually quite impressive, even to someone who might not be sure what it is exactly that we do here.

The Hon. Mr Ngo and Hon. Mr Maher returned, bringing their meaningful diversity of culture and history to this place, which mirrors what we see outside this place. I appreciate it and I look forward to what it shall undoubtedly bring once again. The Hon. Mr Hunter and the Hon. Mr Simms, in addition to their wealth of other skills, return a pretty important sort of diversity, especially as we reflect on the recent memorial of Mr Duncan's death. I think it sends a pretty crucial message of representation and inclusivity to our community.

I congratulate the Hon. Ms Lensink and the Hon. Ms Centofanti. They are welcomed back. In doing so, I note that they occupy prominent frontbench roles. While there can only be one leader, it did not escape my notice that there was more than one female candidate in the Liberal Party for the role. I hope that is a healthy sign of things to come for your party—not too healthy.

The Hon. J.M.A. Lensink: We will always ask your advice, Justin.

The Hon. J.E. HANSON: I welcome that interjection, and I will hold you to that, the Hon. Ms Lensink. The Hon. Mr Hood will also continue to bring a perspective that reflects the values of so many outside this place, and I am certain that he will continue to do so with the comportment of the gentleman that he is.

This of course only leaves one returning member: the Hon. Mr Wortley—I leave the best to last, or the last to best, obviously. The guy just blatantly refuses to accept the logic of Meatloaf, who said that two out of three ain't bad. Mr Wortley is taking his third spin here and who knows when it will end? We might see the Hon. Mr Lucas's record fall. I am not really sure; it is clearly in his sights. All humour aside for the Hon. Mr Wortley, I welcome him back to this place and in doing so I gladly welcome the wealth of experience he brings, both in the union movement and the multicultural community.

This brings me to our new members. I welcome the Hon. Mr Martin, with whom I am very familiar. Not to be rude to any other party secretaries who may occupy the Labor government benches here, but in my view Mr Martin remains the most successful secretary this state has seen in living memory. It was quite clear in the most recent federal election that our federal colleagues have been listening to him too. I welcome him.

I am less familiar with the Hon. Ms Curran and the Hon. Ms Game, a healthy mix, undoubtedly, of youth and experience. But from my brief interaction so far, I feel that there is quite a deal of common ground to be found between us, a quality that is so very important and needed for what we do in this place and for it to operate effectively for the people of our state. Welcome to you both.

In short, the gauntlet has been thrown by this chamber to the other: diversity of all kinds is the order of the day and this chamber is delivering. I live in hope that, as our society moves forward and further towards equity and opportunity for everyone, the other place will one day reflect the same kind of diversity that we see in this place.

At this election, Labor celebrates so many new faces in the other place. It would be remiss of me not to celebrate that seven of them are women. All seven of them are newly elected in seats gained from the Liberal Party, a fact which brings our lower house vote, our lower house Labor team, to a majority of female members. Not so long ago, such a thing would have been thought as impossible. In recognising the achieved goal that we have, today it gives me great pleasure not only to congratulate our new female members but, more particularly, to honour the trail blazed by all those who came before them.

I also extend my personal congratulations to my great and long-time friend, the new member for Playford, John Fulbrook. The wealth of his varied experience is only mirrored, in my opinion, by the depth of his character and understanding. The people of the north are truly lucky to have him. I am certain it will not be long before, like me, many of them shall also have him as their friend.

I would like to thank all those who put up their hand to represent their community in the most recent election but did not get the votes required. I think it is pretty plain that events elsewhere in the world have shown that a free and fair election is not something to be taken for granted. The value of our election is not just in the results we achieve here but in what other nations may take from seeing such a process take place.

I honour the efforts of all those deserving candidates who ran and lost, but extend a special mention to my other good mate, Ryan Harrison, who was the Labor candidate for Unley. A harder worker I guarantee to you all you shall not find. In a personal message to you, mate: they almost chose the salad—almost.

Finally, I extend my thanks to Her Excellency the Governor on her opening of the Fifty-Fifth South Australian Parliament. I think in doing so, I find myself picturing what it must be like for those who were elected recently or who ran in the election or, for that matter, those who just voted for change.

When I first came to this place five years ago, I had this idea in my head of what I wanted to achieve, but I did not really know how to do it. Labor had been in government for 15 years and there were a lot of strong personalities who had brought so much already to the Rann and the Weatherill governments. After just 12 months in this place, I got involved, where I could, in the election of 2018 against, frankly, an incredibly popular Steven Marshall and a resurgent Liberal Party, which was promising change. And, of course, Labor lost.

Like so many in the Labor Party, after the loss I took some time to assess our values and take seriously the election result delivered by the South Australian people. A loss will teach you all sorts of things. It taught me that we needed to go out and start speaking to those who we had lost the confidence of, so I did.

I went local and I went regional to begin those conversations. When I went out to do it, I remember thinking that the purpose of this was to change minds—to make people see what we had achieved in those 16 years. But what it taught me was that, in fact, we had failings, not least in the areas of health, cost-of-living pressures and in services. It was a pretty humbling experience.

I also found out that I was not doing it alone. I recall very specifically that our new Premier, who at the time was the new Leader of the Opposition, told us to accept the loss and to learn from it. He told us to go out to speak to people to find out what went wrong—to take the hits. Of course, it was then, without realising it, that we started forming what it was that would bring us to where we are now.

What I did not expect out of all that process was that it would change me more than I ever changed the minds of those people I spoke to. People I spoke to did not talk about the achievements of this place. Lot Fourteen never got mentioned, I can assure you. No-one spoke in terms of how much infrastructure or the difference between state and federal expenditure and there was never any talk about a change of minister from one to another. I can assure everyone from the other place that, although it will disappoint them greatly, no-one cared if I was from the upper house or the lower house and they definitely did not care which party I was from, but of course all that only made it more educational.

The process taught me of the hopes and the aspirations of people. It taught me that, despite the huge geographical spread of our state, South Australians have a shared experienced, a shared desire, across the state to look to the future in so many respects. It taught me that people did not really care so much about which party was in government; it taught me that all they cared about was that it was a good government.

It taught me that people wanted decent jobs that gave dignity in equal measure to the wages they earned. It taught me that people were worried about jobs and climate change equally and that the problem to them was not one of choice and that good climate policy will make the change to good economic policy when both those things are on equal footing.

It taught me that, for many people, health, long before the pandemic, was often about the person next to them. People did not want their mum or their dad or their child to have to go to an emergency room to stay healthy, but if they did they wanted to be secure in the knowledge that an ambulance would arrive.

When I started working on the election for the government we have now, what surprised me was how many other people were already there and how ready they were, too, because it turned out that quite a few people had been feeling this way and they were preparing in their own ways for the election.

The candidates who put themselves forward to form part of this Labor government in so many ways were more prepared for the problems facing them than I ever was when I came to this place. It was not a matter of me seeing myself in these people or not; it is just that they were so much better than I was from where I started five years ago, and as successful as it may have been, no-one was looking to recreate either of the previous Labor governments.

The candidates were better in so many ways: they are smarter, more organised and more effective in policy development and in communicating our messages to the community. In saying that, it is clear they were so successful in how they communicated their messages as we had community wins before we even reached government. The transport and Service SA cuts were reversed and SA Pathology was saved from privatisation.

Even as the pandemic stalled the politics of the day, I was astounded to see that it did not stall their resolve and determination in any way whatsoever. While ramping surged, billion-dollar defence projects were cancelled and the very culture of what we share in this state and our way of life was altered by the pandemic, I watched as more people volunteered more of their time, not less.

The pandemic did not make us timid. It made us even more certain, and we looked to build on these bold policies that we had. Bringing back our trains and trams, ending privatisations, is bold stuff. We looked to create future jobs by establishing hydrogen power in this state—to revolutionise that manufacturing industry that we all want to go back to. We looked to make a once-in-a-generation change to education, with five more technical colleges, preschool from the age of three and an aim of bringing our universities back into the top 100.

We proudly said that culture in our state cannot just be about the many festivals that we are so proud of, that we would build a new aquatic centre and that we would bring back the Adelaide 500. We said that we would cancel a stadium that did not make any sense, not just for the sake of it but rather with a promise that we would invest that money in a health system so pressured by the twin problems of the cuts and a pandemic.

There is no doubt, in saying all this, that these are big promises. People will be watching to make sure we deliver on them. But the power of these promises is in the fact that they are big ones, that they are all about genuine structural change to address the genuine structural problems facing our state.

So when I watched these candidates we had working in these seats, these volunteers we had on the doors, on the phones and putting up corflutes and even just the people who said that we had their vote, I realised that we did not actually have to change people's minds. We merely had to communicate to them that we had a vision for a better future and the community was ready to embark on that journey with us.

We have heard several new members in the other place say a couple of weeks ago—and I can personally attest on the basis of my campaigning in Unley—that many South Australians voted Labor in this last election for the very first time in their lives. We and the community were working together for something that we all knew would make the change that was needed for the future of South Australia and its people after all the challenges we had faced. We understood together those challenges that were before us, and we understood that the path forward was one of complexity and demanded great shared ambitions and, above all else, great leadership.

I guess that is why, before the resounding election results came in on the night, I felt like we had achieved the essence of what this place is actually all about, because in the policies that we had developed, because in the candidates we had chosen, because in the connections we had already made in communicating with people and because in the belief we had found in each other that we could face and surmount the challenges that faced our state, in all these things we were looking forward together, not just at the next four years but well beyond that, and the community was looking forward with us.

That makes it all possible, does it not? I think that is really what people are looking for in not just this government but any government: one that offers a vision that aligns with their hopes and their aspirations, one that brings them along on a journey that is going to deliver on that vision. More specifically, I guess, for me, for us, when we formed government, it was not about beating the last (Marshall) government anymore, it was about forging a new direction. It was about seizing opportunities to create a future that all South Australians deserve. It was about realising what we can achieve as a team and as a community in the years and years to come.

The policies we have promised are going to be delivered, and I know that because our new and returning members in the other place will not disappoint me, because they get it. They get what it means to deliver good government. South Australian Labor gets what it means to deliver good government. I want to thank the South Australian people for so resoundingly at the last election giving us the opportunity to do that once again.

When you are in opposition seeking to be re-elected, it is pretty important, obviously, to present that kind of vision, to look forward, to look at the future. I am enormously proud to be part of this government, one that I know will do tremendous things for this state and for its people, particularly those who are in dire need of the support of a good government.

Our workforce, particularly our health workforce, will get the opportunities, the conditions and the respect they deserve. The members of our community experiencing homelessness and crisis will be seen, will be heard and will be supported by this government, as will the people in our regions whose health care and economic outcomes lag behind their metropolitan peers. Our young people, so many young South Australians, will be getting a better education and have a greater future opportunity as a result of the reforms that we are going to achieve. Our environment, our flora, our fauna have suffered so much neglect and deliberate disregard and degradation over the past four years.

This is the vision that people were looking for, exactly the sort of vision that could inspire someone to vote Labor for the first time in their life. That is what makes good government and that is why I am proud to be delivering it. The future that our community will enjoy thanks to the policies that this government delivers over the coming years will be one of hope and will be one of promise and the realisation of their ambitions.

The next four years put us on a path to just about the brightest future I can imagine for our wonderful little jurisdiction tucked away at the bottom of the world. We have done this together, our candidates, our caucus, our party membership, our unions and, very importantly, our community. I hope and I wish for a better era for South Australian history that will change this state forever. I hope to see it. I hope we are going to change it very much for the better. I think we can, and I think that the South Australian people think we can too.

The PRESIDENT: I call the Hon. Ms Lensink.

The Hon. J.M.A. LENSINK (12:31): Thank you, Mr President, for the opportunity to make some remarks in relation to the Address in Reply. I will not be as comprehensive as some previous speakers, so those whom I do not acknowledge through this process, please forgive me. At the outset, I would also like to thank our Governor, the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, and her husband, Mr Rod Bunten. We are so well served by her experience, graciousness, intellect and integrity.

I would like to thank her for her Kaurna welcomes, which she has consistently given at every opportunity when she speaks. It is very impressive, and I am sure all people of Aboriginal heritage appreciate that she has taken the time to learn the Kaurna language. I would also like to acknowledge her support of women in her previous roles, which is well known, through her consular service and in her role as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She is a wonderful appointment for us and we are very proud of her.

I would like to congratulate returning members of this place as well, but in particular our new members, including, of course, the Hon. Laura Curran MLC, who was a member of a nearly all-female Legislative Council line-up and is our youngest member. We originally had seven on our ticket: myself; the Hon. Dennis Hood as the sole male; Dr Nicola Centofanti; the Hon. Laura Curran; the Hon. Heidi Girolamo, who came into this place when the Hon. David Ridgway, of blessed living memory, retired; Kathleen Bourne; and Tania Stock. We are extremely proud that the Liberal Party, without quotas, chose women and has done so in the House of Assembly as well in what could be regarded as two fairly safe seats: Schubert and Frome.

I would also like to congratulate the Hon. Reggie Martin MLC, the former Labor state secretary—I welcome him to this place—and Dr Sarah Game as the first elected representative of One Nation in South Australia. I also congratulate our leadership team in this place: Dr Nicola Centofanti and the Hon. Jing Lee. It is pleasing to see that in our party we continue to have women in leadership roles, including greater diversity. Our leadership team across the board, including in the other place, has a wealth of experience that will serve this parliament and our community well.

I would like to congratulate the Australian Labor Party on their election victory and, in this place, the return to the ministry of the leader, the Hon. Kyam Maher, and the Hon. Clare Scriven. We look forward to keeping them to account in their new roles. I would also like to congratulate all of the new members of the House of Assembly. I could not be happier to see women join the ranks of this parliament in numbers never seen before, and I would like to congratulate all of the new members on their first speeches, which I have been reading with interest. As I think has been said, there is much common ground that we can find in our life experiences.

I am hopeful that with more women in parliament the culture of this and other parliaments will continue to change and become more in line with our community's values. While it has traditionally fallen to women to try to call out poor behaviour, it is now well recognised that we need our male allies to also play their part.

I am hopeful there will be a change in the culture within the current party of government. In my time in parliament, there has been some pretty despicable behaviour that we have all been witness to. In the last four years, even though the Labor Party had more women on its front bench than in my party, it was plainly obvious to anyone that the boys were calling the shots, and I fear that this continues. We can look no further than who was asking the questions in the House of Assembly during question time. The tally shows that, of all the questions the Labor Party asked in the last term of parliament, a staggering 2,572 were asked by men and 678 were asked by women.

We also had the pretty lame performance, particularly during late-night debates, of what I call the pointless boys' debating club, who certainly liked to ask questions of our Deputy Premier, the Hon. Vickie Chapman, which she, with her usual grace and dignity and perhaps a touch of sarcasm, was able to bat away like mosquitoes.

We have also seen, through a leaked report about EMILY's List, that there continues to be the culture in the Labor Party that women face standover tactics, threat and intimidation when they seek office against factionally-backed male candidates. We also saw the treatment of the Deputy Premier, whom the boys' club tried to take down. She should be commended as a fearless first law officer who has implemented so many significant changes in just one term. She has set an example that should be emulated. So I do hope that Labor does not use its female members as a human shield.

I would also like to congratulate Labor on its election more broadly. It has proved to be very good at winning elections in this state. I think in the last 30 years it won the popular vote twice—obviously on 19 March this year and also in 2006. I would disagree with the Hon. Justin Hanson: I think it has proved much less capable of being a good government when it has been elected, broken many promises, caused a lot of anger, drove the state into the ground and turned it into a rust bucket.

It has been elected with a very ambitious spending agenda. Given how familiar some of us on this side are with the state of the budget—I cannot recall how many times I referred to our former Treasurer, the Hon. Rob Lucas, as benevolent and generous, which I am sure made his inner bean counter squirm—the new government is going to have to make some unpalatable choices in order to fund all of those commitments, and some of those we have started to see already.

As other speakers have commented on, COVID has had an impact on everyone, whether it is young people who have wanted to socialise, people with compromised health who have been more reluctant to leave their homes, our elderly in aged care who have endured lockdowns, people who work in the live arts industry, events management or businesses that have had cancellations or had to cancel things because of staff shortages—the list is quite endless.

In that, I would like to sincerely acknowledge and thank our former Premier, Steven Marshall, and the former health minister, the Hon. Stephen Wade, for their leadership throughout the pandemic and their willingness to respect the expert advice of our Chief Public Health Officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, and also acknowledge the role of police commissioner Grant Stevens as State Coordinator. We should all be grateful for that leadership throughout what was a very difficult time.

COVID continues to be a disruptive force in our lives, whether it is through contracting the illness or cancelling things that have taken months to set up. I would also like to acknowledge the workforce that has carried the greatest load of all throughout this period: the domestic and family violence counsellors, personal support workers, community workers and of course the nurses, doctors, ambulance officers and our wonderful police.

I think it does bear reflecting that, in spite of the challenges of the last four years, whether it has been two years of the pandemic, the fires or other things that have faced our state, Steven Marshall was still able to deliver record employment and bring some business confidence back to our state, reduce the cost of doing business, and reduce the costs for South Australian households and families. Of that, I am extremely proud.

The Hon. S.G. WADE (12:40): I thank the Governor for opening the Fifty-Fifth Parliament. I join her in acknowledging the traditional owners. The land on which this parliament meets and the land on which South Australians live and work is the traditional lands of Aboriginal people. I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

The Governor welcomed 14 new members to the parliament and 55 of us who have returned to the parliament. She gave the following sage advice:

…the necessarily adversarial nature of Parliament should not overshadow the far greater qualities that unite you all, most significantly your desire to make a meaningful difference in the lives of South Australians as evidenced by your embrace of Parliamentary service.

The aspiration to make a meaningful difference has been affirmed in a number of maiden speeches. For my part, I am no maiden; I am marking 17 years of service in this place. It is, however, timely to reflect on the meaningful difference being made by myself and the Liberal Party group, of which I am proud to be part.

For the last eight years, I have been my party's spokesperson for health and wellbeing. It is a privilege to serve in the health portfolio, a portfolio that I asked for. It is a privilege to serve as a minister. It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve as health minister during a global pandemic. Health has been a high priority for the Marshall Liberal team, from undoing the damage of Labor's failed Transforming Health policy to delivering the long-term solutions required to ensure all South Australians can access the health care they need closer to home.

That commitment was reflected in strong resourcing for health. The Marshall Liberal government invested a record $7.85 billion in our health system in 2021-22, $1.35 billion more than in the last year of the former Labor government. The Marshall government health capital program of $3 billion included provision for a new purpose-built Women's and Children's Hospital. We employed more doctors, nurses and ambulance officers than ever before in the state's history. In fact, in 2022 total health staffing was 2,500 FTE higher than mid-2018 levels.

I took the ministerial reins in health following four years of turbulence. Under the Transforming Health experiment, Labor had closed one hospital and downgraded three others. Much of the capital investment in hospitals in Labor's term was to build assets to provide accommodation for services relocated as a result of the closure of other facilities. In contrast, the Marshall Liberal government invested in expanding facilities and services in hospitals throughout the state to deliver better health care for South Australians.

Perhaps the hospital worst affected by Transforming Health was Modbury Hospital. The Marshall government invested in a $98 million upgrade of Modbury Hospital to deliver a range of facilities: a four-bed high dependency unit, an eight-bed extended emergency care unit, a new and expanded surgical ward, a new outpatients department, a new purpose-built 20-bed palliative care unit, and a 26-bed short stay medical unit. Last year's budget committed a further $48 million for a new older persons mental health facility at Modbury. Reportedly, at one stage Modbury was slated for closure by Labor; it now has a bright future.

At the nearby Lyell McEwin Hospital, the Marshall government's expansion is almost doubling the size of its emergency department and adding a new eight-bed mental health short stay unit. This $58 million expansion will see an additional 1,900 square metres of space come online in the emergency department, 32 new treatment spaces, additional resuscitation and triage capacity, and dedicated paediatric areas.

The Marshall government's flagship investment was the new Women's and Children's Hospital. Labor originally promised to build a new Women's and Children's Hospital alongside the new RAH and then broke that promise, proposing instead to build two hospitals, one for women by 2024 and another one for children at some future point in time at an undisclosed site and for an undisclosed cost. Labor's plan obviated two key benefits of co-location: providing access to aeromedical retrieval for children and providing access to ICU services for women. We scrapped Labor's plan to build two separate hospitals, which would have compromised the health care of both women and children in our state.

We were planning and designing a new $1.95 billion Women's and Children's Hospital with construction expected to begin in late 2022. The new hospital included 500 treatment spaces and an emergency department nearly double the size of the current one. As we planned for the new hospital, we invested in the current Women's and Children's Hospital with an upgraded neonatal intensive care unit, theatres, paediatric emergency department and mental health ward.

The Marshall Liberal government was delivering a huge $314 million redevelopment of The Queen Elizabeth Hospital to ensure residents in Adelaide's western suburbs could access quality health care closer to home. Construction is underway on a new intensive care unit, operating theatres and a much larger emergency department. We are also adding a 52-bed rehabilitation unit and additional areas for medical imaging, pathology and more. An upgrade to The QEH was promised by Labor more than a decade ago but never delivered. Instead, Labor cut services as part of their failed Transforming Health experiment. We restored 24/7 cardiac services at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital within months of being elected.

In the south, we undertook an $86 million expansion of hospitals and health services right across southern Adelaide. We almost doubled the size of the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department, making it the biggest in the state with an extra 30 treatment spaces. We delivered a 12-bed acute medical ward at Noarlunga Hospital, which means that more patients can be treated locally, estimated to reduce ambulance transfers by about 1,000 a year and easing pressure on the Flinders Medical Centre emergency department.

We saved the Repat. The Marshall Liberal government tore up Labor's contract to sell the Repat and reactivated it as a thriving health precinct. In partnership with the federal government, we committed $125 million to reactivate the Repat as a thriving health precinct and a vital part of our current and future health system. Dementia services, older persons mental health, specialised brain and spinal rehabilitation and surgery are just some of the services that will be offered at the revitalised precinct. The new Repat's Veteran Wellbeing Centre and a neurobehavioural unit have opened their doors and we are establishing a Statewide Eating Disorder Service on the site.

The Marshall government invested in the SA Ambulance Service. We increased the SAAS budget by over $28 million since Labor's last budget. Our spending per capita on ambulance services is the second highest in the nation. In the last year, we announced the recruitment of another 125 paramedics, 50 of whom are already on the ground. We doubled the number of paramedic interns to 96 and employed 20 extra 000 call takers. We have delivered 65 new or upgraded stations across the state over the past four years.

A range of initiatives across the health system saw ramping levels in South Australia reduce by almost 50 per cent in the last four months of the Marshall government. Within hospitals the Marshall government worked closely with our teams to improve the delivery of elective surgery. We provided additional funding to reduce waits for both elective surgery and colonoscopies. The maximum wait time for outpatient service was reduced and regular updates on the waits were provided for the first time. Prior to the Omicron wave, all of our local health networks, with the exception of CALHN, were on track to slash overdue elective surgery numbers to fewer than 300 across the public health system.

The Marshall Liberal government appreciated that key to delivering better health care for South Australians is to provide more of that care earlier and more of it beyond the hospital environment. In that context, we established one Adelaide Hills and four suburban GP-led priority care centres, staffed by general practitioners and emergency care nurses.

The centres provide critical care in the community for emergency department arrivals or ambulance patients who need urgent but not emergency care. These centres see around 60 to 80 patients a day, all of whom would otherwise be at the emergency department. We established My Home Hospital, which has provided hospital-level care to thousands of South Australians in the comfort and security of their own home. We have made more palliative care outreach services available 24/7. We have introduced 24 hours, seven days a week nursing staff at five key police custodial facilities.

I think one of the most significant achievements of the Marshall government is the development of virtual health services. The Virtual Care Service based at Tonsley Park connects emergency department doctors and nurses to ambulance officers through telehealth so that ambulance teams have the support they need to treat a patient at home if it is safe to do so, or to link the patient with other care pathways.

The Women's and Children's Hospital Child and Adolescent Virtual Urgent Care Service connects parents with a virtual team of highly skilled emergency doctors and nurses who can assess and provide medical advice for patients aged six months to 17 years. I am particularly excited that this service is for the first time providing emergency care expertise at the Women's and Children Hospital to children and young people throughout the state, including our regional areas.

At the Repat, SALHN now provides the CARE program, which supports the very elderly, often in nursing homes, where geriatricians and nurses are able to reach out to the home rather than sending the patient to the ED. During the pandemic, the COVID response community teams were monitoring over 30,000 South Australians remotely at home. The use of heart, oxygen and respiratory monitors to detect if patients were deteriorating was key to our COVID response.

A persistent problem has been the need to find more suitable accommodation for dozens of long-term patients who have collectively been in hospital for many thousands of days—some individuals for more than a year—despite them being clinically ready for discharge. Whilst we made positive progress working with the federal government, particularly during the pandemic, sustained reform in the NDIS and aged care is needed. The commonwealth and states need to work collaboratively to better drive better pathways.

The Marshall government took a holistic view of health, embracing the mental health and wellbeing aspects of health as well as the physical aspects. When we were elected, there was no strategy in mental health—there had not been for years. Working closely with clinicians, patients and families, the Chief Psychiatrist developed a well-grounded, internationally referenced Mental Health Services Plan for South Australia.

In the 2021-22 budget, the Marshall government invested $163.5 million in mental health and the rollout of the plan. This included a significant investment to ensure South Australians can access the services they need in an appropriate setting, which is often community based, rather than in an emergency department. For example, the Marshall government opened Australia's first 24-hour Urgent Mental Health Care Centre in March 2021. The $14 million centre in central Adelaide aims to provide care to people who need urgent mental health care but who do not need to be admitted to hospital.

A recent mental health agreement with the commonwealth secured funding for four more adult mental healthcare centres: one in the northern suburbs, one in Mount Barker and two in other locations. Planning is underway and funds committed to establish a 16-bed crisis stabilisation centre for mental health patients in Adelaide's northern suburbs. Mental health specialists now ride with paramedics in some ambulances to provide treatment in the community or to link patients to more suitable options, where appropriate.

In the shadow of Labor's Oakden legacy, older persons' mental health has been a particular focus of the Marshall Liberal government. We opened a neurobehavioural unit at the Repat to provide care for people with the most severe behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia. We established a specialised advanced dementia unit at the Repat for people with dementia needing medical care. We partnered with HammondCare, a world-leading provider of dementia services, to deliver an innovative dementia care village. We funded a 20-bed, older persons' acute mental health facility at Modbury.

In mental health services more generally, we increased funding for child and adolescent mental health services and community and forensic mental health services. We delivered a new child and adolescent inpatient mental health facility at the Women's and Children's Hospital. We established the Borderline Personality Disorder Collaborative. Psychiatric intensive care bed capacity has been increased. We provided funding for mental health support in the context of bushfires and COVID.

We established a paediatric eating disorder service and the Mental Health Commission has been strengthened with an increased focus on lived experience. The Marshall Liberal government delivered Australia's first Suicide Prevention Act, expanded the Suicide Prevention Networks to 42, and was well advanced in the development of a suicide prevention plan 2022-25.

The Marshall Liberal government recognised that the best time to deal with a health challenge is to prevent it. We pursued a holistic, preventive, early intervention approach. This is one of the reasons the Premier appointed me as South Australia's first Minister for Wellbeing. The government established Wellbeing SA as a preventive health agency, which applies an evidence-based approach in multiple preventive care programs to try to support the health and wellbeing of South Australians by implementing better pathways of care, leading community-wide action on the determinants and risk factors of good health and wellbeing and supporting South Australians' mental wellbeing.

Regional communities have engaged in the SA Healthy Towns Challenge to foster the wellbeing of their communities. Last year, more than 4,000 South Australians were involved in the Billion Steps Challenge. A statewide walking strategy was launched. Wellbeing SA provided around 50 consultation and screening opportunities, including an Aboriginal one-stop screening shop and Well Women's Screening, and Wellbeing SA delivered a compression garment subsidy scheme.

After 16 years of Labor, in the Marshall Liberal government South Australians in regional communities finally had a government that listened and took action to deliver health care closer to home. The government delivered a fivefold increase in investment in country health capital works. We committed more than $200 million to country health and actually spent $70 million. We upgraded facilities and expanded services at regional hospitals, including Murray Bridge, Victor Harbor and Yorketown.

We started construction of a new emergency department at Mount Barker hospital, undertook a massive expansion of the Gawler hospital emergency department, secured land for an expansion on Kangaroo Island and progressed a new Barossa hospital.

We acted to tackle the maintenance backlog at country hospitals. There are now double the number of complex country chemotherapy units, with new units in Victor Harbor, the Riverland and Port Lincoln. We expanded renal dialysis services at Mount Gambier and Ceduna hospitals. Through six country local health network boards, we acted to decentralise decision-making to country people, so that more decisions are made locally.

One of the greatest challenges in rural health care is securing the workforce needed to deliver quality care. Through our $20 million Rural Health Workforce Strategy, we developed a series of plans and initiatives that foster the recruitment, training and retention of rural health professionals. Consistent with the Rural Medical Workforce Plan, the government established a rural generalist pathway to provide a training framework for GPs with the advanced skills needed by country hospitals.

The Marshall Liberal government invested an estimated $188 million over two years to attract and retain country doctors through the Rural GP Agreement. This represents more than a 20 per cent increase in funding, which is the most significant investment in rural GPs in a generation. Key benefits of the agreement include a sign-up bonus of up to $50,000 for a doctor to work in remote areas and more flexibilities for country doctors in how they work and charge. We supported the safety and retention of rural health professionals through enacting Gayle's Law, providing for a second officer to accompany health workers to oversee their safety. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.

Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:16.

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