With the support and assistance of Member for Hammond, Adrian Pederick, the River Murray Boating and Recreational Advisory Group (RMBRAG) has been successful in receiving an additional grant of $30,000 from the Department of Planning, Transport & Infrastructure (DPTI).

RMBRAG were first successful in receiving a $20,000 grant in October 2015, which saw the development of their river safety campaign #MurrayRiverLife.

Member for Hammond, Adrian Pederick, is extremely pleased with the recommendation of Deputy State Coroner Anthony Schapel, who supports the establishment of Leila’s Lifeline.

“Miss Leila Baartse-Harkin tragically passed away after several trips to different hospitals failed to identify an internal injury she sustained as a result of a playground accident,” said Mr Pederick.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:02): My question is to the Minister for Health. Can the minister inform the house how he is addressing the $150 million backlog in regional health infrastructure maintenance?

Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 31 May 2017.)

Mr PEDERICK: Thank you, Madam Independent Deputy Speaker. I rise to support the Industry Advocate Bill 2017. The bill establishes the role of the Industry Advocate as a statutory position and strengthens its powers to hold contractors to the commitments they make to utilise South Australian workers and materials. It seeks to capitalise on increasing community and industry stakeholder support for a 'buy South Australian' type policy, and this noise from the industry and community has come over recent years.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Energy. Given the minister asked ESCOSA to do an investigation into a 10 per cent increase in electricity prices last year, will he now ask ESCOSA to do an investigation into a further 18 per cent increase in electricity prices this year?

Ahead of the March 2018 Election, the State Liberals have launched a key health policy, ‘Better Prevention – A Healthy South Australia’ to strengthen and support community-wide health and prevention services.

The policy identifies activities that will help reduce the burden of disease, improve health outcomes, and get better value for health expenditure, and will play a vital role in Hammond and across regional South Australia.

Member for Hammond, Adrian Pederick, met with over 60 concerned residents of Milang and surrounding communities, after being informed of the imminent closure of the Milang Medical Clinic.

“Milang and surrounding regions have had the opportunity to seek medical assistance within their own community for some 80 years, consequently the closure of the Milang Medical Clinic has caused a great amount of concern for the community,” said Mr Pederick.

Mr PEDERICK ( Hammond ) ( 11:53 ): Thank you, Madam Independent Deputy Speaker, and I thank you in advance for your protection. I rise to support the motion by the member for Chaffey:

That this house—

(a) notes the ongoing exodus of South Australia's population interstate;

(b) calls on the state government to address the concerning population drain to ensure our skilled workers are not continually moving away to seek work, career and lifestyle opportunities;

(c) notes the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that South Australia had 27,467 people move interstate resulting in a net loss of 5,887 people in the 12 months to March 2016; and

(d) acknowledges South Australia's net population loss interstate is almost double the 10-year average of 3,480 people.

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (15:28): I rise to speak on the Cittaslow International General Assembly. Between 9 and 12 May 2017, Goolwa hosted the 10th Cittaslow International General Assembly. The assembly is held each year hosted by one of the 230 Cittaslow-accredited towns across 30 nations. The purpose of the assembly is to discuss issues related to the principles of Cittaslow and projects that enhance the philosophy of local identity, sustainable practices, social programs, heritage preservation, infrastructure development and developing a strong relationship between the council, the community and businesses.

 Second Reading

Adjourned debate on second reading.

(Continued from 1 March 2017.)

Mr PEDERICK (Hammond) (12:01): I want to acknowledge that I am not the lead speaker from this side of the house, but I want to make a contribution in regard to the Statutes Amendment (Heavy Vehicles Registration Fees) Bill 2017. This bill amends the Highways Act 1926 and the Motor Vehicles Act 1959, with amendments to assist South Australia to meet its agreed obligations as a participating jurisdiction under the February 2014 Heavy Vehicle National Law (South Australia) Act 2013 which contains the national law as a schedule.