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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-09-16 Daily Xml
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Gawler Show

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (15:24): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister provide the chamber with an update on her recent visit to the 2025 Gawler Show?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:24): I thank the honourable member for his question. On 22 August, I was delighted to attend the 2025 Gawler Show, one of the many regional agricultural shows that I attend each year. The Gawler Show is a great example of the camaraderie, cooperation and community spirit that is deeply embedded into agricultural communities across South Australia.

Attracting around 25,000 visitors every year, the annual show is the largest of its kind in regional South Australia and a major tourism drawcard for Gawler. I would also like to acknowledge everyone who has contributed to the show over the years for it to become the successful and much-loved event it is today. It was wonderful to see the best of agriculture from across the Adelaide Plains, and the Mid North in particular, on display.

It was also great to catch up with Braden Turner, President of the Gawler Show Society, and several rural and young rural ambassadors, including Kayla Starkey, the 2024 South Australian Rural Ambassador, and Gawler Show's 2025 Rural and Young Rural Ambassadors Isaiah Tesselaar and Lily Daw, as well as George Seppelt, who has since been announced as the South Australian Rural Ambassador of 2025.

I was also very pleased to catch up with James Agness, the Labor candidate for Light, and Matt Burnell MP, member for Spence, at the show, supporting their local community, as they so often do. Agricultural shows, such as the Gawler Show, are a special celebration of farming and agriculture. They play an important role in celebrating tradition and innovation and engaging people in the exciting opportunities that agriculture provides.

Country shows bring people together, strengthening local pride and community bonds and provide a forum for sharing knowledge and expertise, which is of course especially needed in challenging times. They provide an opportunity to step away from the farm or from work to reflect on the creativity, talent and experience that our volunteers and our people have in abundance. They are also good reminders about the significance of agriculture in our story and in our communities, and that our collective agricultural efforts result in the safe, high-quality food and fibre that we are so lucky to enjoy and for which South Australia is renowned.

South Australia's primary industries are a vital part of the state's economy. Across grains, livestock, horticulture, wine, seafood, dairy, forestry, fibre, they are all significant contributors to the state's exports and employment. The Adelaide Plains is home to intensive horticulture and primary production and, alongside traditional crops, the region excels in greenhouse and hydroponic farming.

Farming in the Mid North features wheat, grains, sheep and grapevines, and, combined, the two regions support our state's reputation for premium quality produce. I would also like to acknowledge the challenges faced in agriculture in these regions and recognise the effort and persistence by the community in finding solutions in innovation and in supporting each other.

The Malinauskas government is committed to addressing regional challenges and will continue to support our primary producers and regional communities. It was heartening to see that part of the cost of the show ticket went to supporting the Lions Club project Need for Feed for drought-affected families. It is community-minded efforts such as these that our regional and agricultural communities are known for. They are paving the way for young people to continue growing and evolving in the sector, such is the importance of agricultural shows. I congratulate everyone who worked so hard behind the scenes on putting together the 2025 Gawler Show, which was enjoyed by tens of thousands of South Australians.

I want to also particularly mention the indoor exhibits. Going back some years ago, my children were frequent entrants in the Gawler Show indoor exhibits. Of course, now they have all grown up and sadly are no longer participating. The amount of work that goes into those, into organising the different categories, similarly of course to some of the people that I spoke to in some of the outdoor exhibits, the poultry exhibits in particular—I had some really good conversations there—really does go to show how much work is involved in putting on something such as an agricultural show. How encouraging it is to see both those who have been involved for many years and those who have more recently contributed to the shows. It shows that they are in good hands for the future.

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