Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:31 ): I support the motion:

That this house—

(a) recognises International Nurses Day celebrated annually on 12 May;

(b) Acknowledges this year's theme, 'Nurses: a force for change: improving health systems' resilience ‘; and

(c) Congratulates South Australian nurses for their dedication and professionalism and the pivotal role they play in the advancement of all South Australians' health.

Nurses impact all our lives. They impact our lives when we come into this world and they certainly impact our lives when something happens to us or we need to have a hospital admission. When you start having children yourself they are out there front and centre, and at the other end of the scale, whether in hospital or in rest homes, they see you off. They are very pivotal in our lives; if we did not have them, society would be so much poorer because they do play such a significant role in our lives.

Thinking about what I was going to say today, I thought about country sport, country football and netball. As Saturdays roll around at this time of the year, places like Sportsmed gear up on Saturdays, local hospitals gear up, because they know that the injuries will flow in. I want to note that at Murrayville, which is part of the Mallee league, I have to go over to the Murrayville cricket ground (the MCG) with my club at Peake to play footy occasionally. We did that almost two weeks ago and there just happened to be at least four people who needed a parent or caregiver—including my older son, who got concussion playing in senior Colts—to travel through to Lameroo to be looked after by the excellent health care given by the local nurses and the locum doctor (and we were very fortunate to have him on board that day).

I bring up the fact that all these people were coming from Murrayville and they got to Lameroo under their own steam (because there was no doctor at Pinnaroo that day) because of part of the recent discussion about the SA Ambulance Service not covering interstate travel. Here is a perfect example of where it affects communities right on the border, and those even further in, such as Coomandook, where we are, with my boys playing at the Peake football club.

I know of four people who needed attention; my son had concussion, and there were a couple of breaks, broken wrists, and one or two other injuries that I understand happened that day—and those are only the ones they knew about. One of our A-graders did not realise that he had broken his arm until the end of the day; he also had a broken wrist but played on—they make them tough at Peake.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Tough in the country.

Mr PEDERICK: Absolutely.

Members interjecting:

Mr PEDERICK: Actually, Peake won that day; so, yes, it reminds you of one of those Monty Python sketches.

An honourable member interjecting:

Mr PEDERICK: Okay; no worries. That just shows the need for appropriate health care to be put in place. I have had to attend Lameroo twice in the space of about three years, with both sons with concussion. I must commend the nurses who were there on a Saturday, who did great work checking their vital signs, especially when Angus was there a few years ago and had direct contact with the doctor from Loxton. It was excellent service from the staff on board in monitoring them after they had taken a heavy head knock.

Certainly, as I indicated, we have dealt with nurses when we have had to go to hospital for operations. I have had a hip replacement. They gave great service both at the Griffith Rehabilitation Hospital and Flinders Private. They are just fantastic people who help you when you need painkillers. Obviously, they are very strict with the meting out of Endone and morphine, which is certainly needed with surgery like that.

Nurses are to be commended for everything they do. They always do their utmost, and they are really caring people, especially when you need them at whatever stage it affects your family's life. I would like to commend our nursing community for everything they have done, for contributing to the wellbeing of all of us, and certainly the wellbeing of my constituents and my own family. I would like to acknowledge that they have also enhanced my social life at times. I commend the motion and commend nurses for everything they do.