Supply Bill 2023 – Second Reading Speech
Thursday 4 May 2023
S.E. ANDREWS (Gibson) (16:30): I rise to indicate my support for the Supply Bill presently before the house, this bill to allow the continued provision of our public services in South Australia, including the salaries of public servants, while the state budget process is underway. I would like to start by acknowledging what a historic few months it has been for our state so far this year—most importantly, our first Aboriginal Voice to any Australian parliament occurring here in South Australia on a Sunday in front of thousands of South Australians. I must say in my time in parliament to date that I have never felt prouder than to vote in support of that piece of legislation. I acknowledge we stand here on stolen Kaurna land and sovereignty was never ceded.
In addition, we have seen the hugely successful AFL Gather Round, with the mighty Power winning. I must say the impact of that event has not receded. You did not need to go to one of those many football matches in order to feel the impact on our state. People right across Gibson are still talking about it. They feel proud about South Australia, and it is a feeling that has swept over our state. People are really feeling good about this government. I must say all kinds of people are still talking about it. I was lucky enough to have the Premier attend a street-corner meeting in Brighton last Saturday. People came along just to say thank you. I think that says a lot—because it was raining heavily.
Of note also, we had the always wonderful WOMADelaide. It was fabulous to have it back in its full capacity with international acts returning to Adelaide. The venue was absolutely pumping. Florence and the Machine drew the most extraordinary crowds. I could not even walk 10 metres to get closer with my nephew. It was fabulous to have Youssou N'Dour, who is a regular at WOMAD, back to close the event.
We also had record crowds at the Fringe and Adelaide Festival. As a lover of the arts, it was just an amazing opportunity to have our eyes opened, think about the world in another way, have our ideas challenged and just have a great sense of fun. Of course, when we attended those events we took the opportunity to meet with friends at bars, go out for dinner, spend in our local community and feel good about what South Australia can offer.
This is back on the return last year of the Adelaide 500, an event this government fought really hard to return to our state. We did in record time and, gosh, we pulled it off in a really professional manner. I must say I am really proud to have that back on the calendar as well. It has been a great time to be in South Australia. Our city has been pumping and the Malinauskas Labor government is delivering for all South Australians.
Last year, I stood here and spoke about our election commitments to the people of South Australia. They were bold and ambitious and could only be delivered by the members on this side of the house. Have we broken our promises, as the opposition claim as they debate fringe issues, embrace the far right and as the member for Black continues to be ignored by his party? Absolutely not. We have delivered more than half of our commitments already and, like a Kyle Chalmers 50-metre freestyle, we are delivering in record time.
In health, we are supporting our nurses and doctors at Flinders Medical Centre and the Repat General Hospital by delivering long-overdue salary increases, discounted hospital car parking, free access to public transport and doubling the nurse graduate recruitment, from 600 to 1,200, plus much more. Our healthcare professionals are valued and not subject to cruel cuts like those made by those opposite.
Twenty-six new beds have already been delivered at Flinders Medical Centre and have provided much-needed capacity to the hospital system. This is not the end, with more new beds coming to Flinders and also to Noarlunga Hospital, which will take further pressure off Flinders. Thirty-two new paramedics have hit the streets of the inner south, including 16 at Marion and another 16 in neighbouring Edwardstown. These are just some of the more than 120 extra paramedics delivered so far, a commitment that will get an ambulance to you when you really need it.
We are also allowing pharmacies to deliver 10 more vaccines in South Australia, which makes South Australia's pharmacist-administered vaccination scheme the most extensive in the nation and will help alleviate pressure on our GPs. We know how tough it is to access a GP appointment, as the former federal government damaged our Medicare system.
As a state government, we are delivering road upgrades all around our southern suburbs in partnership with the Albanese Labor government. We have the Majors Road on/off ramps, the resurfacing of a significant section of South Road before the Torrens to Darlington works commence and the removal of the Marion Road and Cross Road tram level crossing. The Majors Road on/off ramps will have a significant impact on my community, one that has been called for for many years now. It will reduce the congestion on Brighton Road as traffic will instead choose to travel along the north-south corridor.
The member for Black, who loved or hated the Majors Road upgrade—I do not know—was quick in opposition to scaremonger about the environmental impact on Glenthorne National Park. In fact, the Labor plan will see no impact on this national park. On South Road, we now have a workable plan for the north-south corridor in consultation with the community, unlike the Liberals who tried to keep their plan secret.
I would like to acknowledge the member for Badcoe, who has been advocating for the removal of the Marion Road and Cross Road tram level crossing since 2017. She is a hard worker. It is a project that the Liberals did not value and another example of them not listening to their community. This new tram overpass will lift the tram above the roads and allow smooth passage for all, finally eliminating the extraordinary amount of time you can sit in a car, waiting to cross that intersection.
Locally, in partnership with my community, I have been able to deliver two Keep Clear areas at the Seacombe Road-Diagonal Road and Diagonal Road-Pemberton Street intersections, with new line markings at the intersection of Sturt Road and Diagonal Road and at Brighton Road and Addison Road. These are all commitments that have been delivered by me through consultation with the community. They are ideas that come to me when I am out doorknocking and having street-corner meetings, ideas that we can deliver on for the people of Gibson.
I have also advocated for road safety improvements that will be delivered by the City of Holdfast Bay and the City of Marion. All these projects are delivered because I am listening to my community. Speaking of the City of Marion, I am pleased to report that the new self-cleaning toilet block at Ballara Park Reserve has arrived. The toilet, which was one of my election commitments, will be very welcomed by the high number of young families who use the park, particularly because it is adjacent to a kindergarten. Those of you who have cared for young children know that it is always convenient to have a toilet close by, particularly a clean and safe toilet. This is a good win for the community, particularly for the people of Warradale.
More good news for Warradale is that, after total inaction by the previous government and the member for Morialta, I was delighted earlier this year to announce that, following my advocacy for Warradale Primary School, the Minister for Education agreed to allocate additional funding to allow the Warradale Primary School capital works project to finally be completed.
Brighton Secondary School also recently benefited from my advocacy when their volleyball teams were having administrative issues in attending the Volleyball Schools Cup on the Gold Coast. After speaking with multiple parents, I was more than happy to speak on their behalf to the minister to resolve the situation and have them fly up to the Gold Coast for the competition.
I know that parents and also many grandparents across Gibson are really excited by the Malinauskas Labor government's mobile phone ban in high schools—a long-overdue decision that will have an impact on reducing school violence and bullying and, importantly, improve student interaction and the quality of learning.
Already we can see, particularly in school breaks at recess and lunch, children not being on their phones and actually interacting face to face. They are actually benefiting themselves and enjoying each other's company and interacting again. I was really proud to stand with the minister, the Hon. Blair Boyer, when he made the announcement at Seaview High School, and I have received so much positive feedback from the community and teachers.
Housing and rental affordability are at an all-time low with the number of families experiencing mortgage stress and unable to find a property to rent at very high levels. I mentioned in detail earlier this week in relation to the residential tenancies bill that the Labor government is making changes to assist renters. I know from the constituents contacting my office that the housing situation is critical in our state with the number of people seeking assistance due to the financial pressures increasing—people who are working but who cannot find a suitable rental property, people whose children are having to sleep on the floor, and the increasing number of people living rough.
I know, as do my colleagues, that this cannot continue, which is why we have provided practical assistance to South Australians, having refunded services that assist those who are homeless, or victims of domestic and family violence, which were cruelly cut by those opposite, such as at Catherine House and the Hutt St Centre. Additionally, our government, rather than selling public housing to investors, is investing in new public housing and releasing land to increase the supply of residential properties to put downward pressure on home prices and rents.
The Malinauskas Labor government has released the A Better Housing Future plan, which included stopping the sale of 580 public housing properties. Stopping the sell-off proposed by the Liberal Party is essential and the right thing to do. Only the member for Black and his colleagues would want to sell off public housing in a housing crisis. The retention of these properties alongside construction of 564 new homes will mean 1,144 additional public homes in South Australia than would otherwise be the case.
The South Australian Housing Authority is also undertaking major renovations to 350 homes to make them livable again and updating 3,000 more as part of a maintenance blitz, further delivering on key election commitments—Labor delivering for South Australia. I would like to note particularly the new affordable homes that are coming in Seacombe Gardens and more public housing coming in Brighton.
We know that South Australians are struggling due to not only housing at the moment but also due to the ever-increasing cost of living. To assist those in need, we have doubled the Cost of Living Concession. To assist seniors, we have delivered free public transport all day every day of the year and, to assist families, we have reduced the school materials fee for all public school students by $100.
My constituents and I are waiting with anticipation for the release of the planning review by Minister Champion. My community is concerned about the increase and loss of our urban canopy as infill development sees the loss of trees across my electorate. We know that this has led to temperature increases and habitat loss, of course contributing to climate change. You can feel it when you are doorknocking. Where there are high levels of urban infill, you can literally feel the temperature change in the streets.
This Labor government has already made commitments to ensure that future developments provide a minimum of one off-street car park for every dwelling and two car parks for dwellings with two or more bedrooms. The pressure of urban infill impacts our streets and our neighbourhoods, making urban infill synonymous with congestion and inconvenience. We need urban infill to meet the demands of our growing populations, but development must not compete with community: it must serve our community.
We also need to make sure that developments are appropriate. Not every site is the right place for intensive residential development—a petrol station, a big box retail development or a motor vehicle showroom—particularly if such developments may see the loss of significant trees, damage our biodiversity or harm our natural water supply.
Another review that my community is following and interested in is the changes to the Local Nuisance and Litter Control Act, particularly in relation to shopping trolleys and dumping. This is particularly of note given Marion shopping centre sits firmly in the middle of my electorate, and multiple shops there have trolleys available for customers. On an average day, I can locate up to 40 dumped trolleys within 50 metres of my office. It is an absolute eyesore and something that needs to be removed from our parks, rivers and pathways.
The state government has stopped paid parking at Tea Tree Plaza after a fabulous campaign and made parking free at Westfield West Lakes. Sadly, Westfield did not get the message and are now trying once again to impose paid parking at Marion shopping centre. This is something that has absolutely lit up my community. The communication I am receiving against the introduction of paid parking has just been remarkable. My community are angry about this, with hundreds signing petitions, joining me in campaigning against the proposed change and writing and calling my office.
This will be bad for retail workers, bad for shoppers and bad for the small and large businesses that occupy the Marion shopping centre. Shoppers will vote with their feet and their wallets. Whilst other local centres may benefit, the retail and hospitality workers from my electorate will lose their jobs as shops close. I call on Westfield to put workers, shoppers and businesses first and drop this proposal.
In addition, our government has repealed the electric vehicle tax introduced by the environmental vandals opposite, including the member for Black, who capitulated to the Eastern States with regard to our environmental water allocation in the River Murray—water that has still not been delivered.
There are many in my community who are really happy with the reversal of the tax for electric vehicles. It was something that was discussed with me at length during the campaign whilst I was doorknocking. Furthermore, our government is currently consulting the community on appropriate legislation for e-scooters and other personal mobility devices, which is of great interest to a number of others in my community. If community members are interested, please go to the YourSAy website.
Another exciting development in relation to transport in my electorate is in relation to our trains and trams. Soon, as promised, the trains stopping at Brighton, Hove, Warradale, Oaklands and Marion will come back into public hands, where they belong. I remember campaigning against this privatisation because, like most South Australians, I knew that this was a bad decision, an expensive decision and one that reduced the quality of services to our community.
During that campaign, I stood on the steps of Parliament House when the member for Croydon, now our Premier, declared that this government would return them to public hands. That is once again another election commitment that we are delivering on and one that is still raised with me in my community that they are very pleased to see progressing.
I congratulate the Minister for Transport, the member for West Torrens, who has been making this a priority for delivery and, importantly, with no financial cost to the taxpayer, despite dire predictions from those opposite. It is another example where the Malinauskas Labor government is delivering for South Australians, while the Liberal Party battle internally over, and I quote from one of their potential candidates, 'niche cultural wars'.
Before I finish, I would like to take the opportunity to thank our surf lifesavers for their work this past summer. It is always great to visit my local clubs at Brighton and Somerton Park and just say hello when I am along the beach. They sacrifice their weekends with their families to protect our community, and we are all grateful for that. Whether it is patrolling the beaches, performing rescues or administering first aid, they are always there between the flags. The Malinauskas Labor government granted every lifesaving club $5,000 to assist with this work. Whilst I am speaking about the sea, I must mention the Malinauskas Labor government is reviewing the speed limits on beaches, which I know is a concern for many in southern Adelaide.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the workers at our Service SA centres. With my office just above the one at Marion, I can see how constantly busy they are. In order to relieve some of that pressure and provide a better service to our community, I am really happy to say that from this Saturday 6 May our Service SA centre at Marion will be open nine to five every Saturday. It is really difficult for some people to get to a Service SA office Monday to Friday with work and family commitments, so this is another opportunity to provide a service to our community and one I am very happy this government is delivering on.
Additionally, I would like to thank all the residents I have met at my mobile offices, my community forums, my community catch-ups with ministers and out doorknocking. They have provided me with the ideas and the suggestions to improve our community, and I am proud to work alongside them to deliver for Gibson.
