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Note to students

I receive a lot of surveys and questions from Year 11 and 12 students, which I am always happy to answer. However, recently there have been two incidents where questions were "sent in the mail" and this office did not receive them. Please ensure that if you are a student (or parent) sending questions that the questions are ALSO sent in electronic form to : bright@parliament.sa.gov.au I cannot be held responsible, nor can my staff, for failing to answer surveys and questions that we have never received!! Thank you very much for your understanding.

Community Road Safety Groups are again being invited to apply for grants under the State Government’s Community Road Safety Grants Scheme.

Around $100,000 has been allocated this financial year (2007/08) and Road Safety Minister Carmel Zollo said she looked forward to receiving applications from the State’s 31 Community Road Safety Groups.

“We are extremely fortunate to have these groups throughout South Australia,” said Minister Zollo.

“Their commitment to road safety in their regions is fantastic and this grants program recognises their dedication and enthusiasm.

“We are making gains in the area of road safety with a decline in the road toll and the work that these groups do - the local knowledge they put to use - is impressive and invaluable."

Last year initiatives that successfully received funding covered a wide range of issues such as drink driving, lights on during daylight hours, driver behaviour and awareness, with a strong focus on younger drivers.

The fund is being administered by the Motor Accident Commission (MAC) and guidelines and application forms can be downloaded from their website.  (www.mac.sa.gov.au/goto/sponsorship).

Applicants can also call MAC on (08) 8221 6377 and ask for these materials to be posted.

RECENT EVENTS ATTENDED: July 9 - July 16

Last week (July 2 to July 8) was cold but busy. As well as attending parliament for a normal sitting, and estimates as well, I also:

# met with the Mayor of Marion City Council about some issues in Hallett Cove

# saw and visited constituents

# attending community meetings

# visited the Hallett Cove and Marino Parks ,

and was privileged to attend two major functions - the Hallett Cove/Kingston Park Rotary Handover Dinner, and the Miss Polonia Ball.

The folks at Rotary are doing a marvellous job, donating huge amounts of time and energy to often unsung volunteer work. Last Friday we gathered together to celebrate the end of Mr Jan Vade's presidency, and hand over to Mr Ric Wilson. The event was at the House of Jade in Sheidow Park, and was extremely entertaining. Along with many other guests I was given an extraordinary pair of cardboard underpants - who would have thought that Rotary could be so racy? The Mayor of Marion, Mrs Felicty-Ann Lewis was particularly entertaining, even though she had to get up early to take a plane. Harry Barnham's outrageously amusing cardboard underpants were the hit of the evening: each new or honorary member, or a member who was being acknowledged, was given one of these momentos. Apparently every year there is a similar awards ceremony, but with a different theme. We spent about five hours in fellowship celebrating the "new" Rotary year and it was a great opportunity to catch up with old and new friends alike.

The next night I attended the Miss Polonia Ball, which is the Polonia Adelaide Sports Club annual event. It was a very long but enjoyable evening, which began at 7pm at the Dom Polski Centre and ended just before 1am... I was representing the Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Mr Michael Atkinson who couldn't go as he was at a conference interstate. I know that Mick was very sorry not to be there, because he adores Polish food. As well as eating the remarkable cuisine, I was also asked to give a speech on behalf of the Minister. Sadly, people were palpably bored by my speech. I realised this when they started talking loudly during the speech. So I did the right thing. I stopped the speech and said grumpily into the microphone, "you're not listening to me, are you?" and they all cheered happily. So then I put the speech down, said a few brief words and got off the stage sharpish. This seemed to make me instantly more popular. After that I met a lot of great people, and was one of the judges of the beauty contest. It's a strange job - ALL the girls who were Miss Polonia candidates were lovely, elegant people with diverse personalities. It was difficult to really rank them. For the first time in my life I found myself putting tiaras on peoples' heads and giving them sashes! What a night. Thanks to everyone who organised the evening - it was memorable.

Today (July 9) I spent most of the morning in the Hallett Cove Conservation Park. This was not because I was avoiding phonecalls or loafing around: I am the Chair of the Hallett Cove and Marino Conservation Parks Management Plan Community Reference Group, which will be meeting for the first time this Friday nnight. (Friday the 13th....). These two parks are extraordinary areas which are well worth a visit. Today I was looking at some of the infrastructure and talking about some of the issues which may emerge in the meeting on Friday. The idea of the Reference Group is to provide advice to the Dept. for Environment and Heritage in the development of a new management plan.Today was ideal weather for visiting the park: it is cold but sunny and the park is at its best. There were no particularly vicious seagulls, which was a relief. They can be pesky creatures. We did see a nice heron though.Or perhaps it was an ibis.

July 11: On Tuesday July 10 I attended an industrial relations forum at the South Adelaide Football Club. Well over a hundred people attended to hear the Federal Labor candidate and the Greens candidate discuss a wide range of issues which affect those living in the south. Sadly, at the last minute the sitting Liberal member decided not to attend as he was at a council meeting. This was regrettable as the audience was diverse and they really wanted to hear a Federal government point of view on these new laws. As it was, the debate was lively and interesting anyway. Thanks to all those who managed to come out on such a cold evening to a vital community forum.

This afternoon (July 11) I spent some time in the streets of Brighton, cleaning graffiti with a kit provided free of charge by the Holdfast Bay Council. It's frustrating to see that once again, the school holidays have coincided with spate of graffiti in Adelaide's suburbs. Cleaning off graffiti is extremely tiresome and boring, and I'd like to acknowledge those volunteers across the southern suburbs who get out there to clean it off, day after day. Graffiti is a scourge, in my opinion. The best way of dealing with graffiti is to get it off as soon as possible, and to encourage your friends and neighbours to keep an eagle eye for the so-called artists who inflict it upon us.

July 12: Last night I volunteered with a group from St Vincent de Paul in Christies Beach, to help hand out food from a "Fred'sVan" to dozens of people in need. For those of you who may not be aware of the Fred's Vans, there are four of these vans which visit homeless people, delivering food and drinks to people on Adelaide's streets every night. It was the first time I had volunteered with this group, and it was an important eye-opener for me. Last night it was 4'C, and I can imagine that it was a chilly and uncomfortable night for many of Adelaide's homeless people.

July 13: It's that time of year again - Youth Parliament is on! In fact it has been on all week. I had the opportunity to observe proceedings today, and as per normal the chamber saw some pretty fierce debating. If these young people are anything to go by, the future of political debate is alive and well in South Australia. Initiated by Mr Bob Such MP in the mid-nineties, Youth Parliament offers young people the chance to express their views, network and develop legislation in a safe environment. Participants work in teams of up to eight people to develop a Youth Parliament bill, which participants then debate along with many other youth bills during three days of debating in the chambers of Parliament House. Events during the week include a full recreation program, Opening and Closing ceremonies of Youth Parliament and a reception at Government House.If you are aged in between 12 - 25 and are interested in participating next year, check out the website: http://www.ypsa.org.au/index.html

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Friday night was an interesting affair - I chaired the Hallett Cove and Marino Conservation Parks Management Plan Community Reference Group which is a round table discussion of all key stakeholders in the two parks. The meeting was held at Marion City Council chambers, and it was a revealing debate on the nature and purpose of parks' management plans. It's an unusual way to spend a Friday evening, but I heard a frank exchange of views, and was also offered some excellent cream biscuits. We will be having a public meeting in September to hear some more input about the plan from interested locals, and then we will take a look at the draft. Thanks to all those who came along.

July 14: This is of course French National Day (Bastille Day) and as a former French teacher and member of the Alliance Française committee, I was delighted to attend the celebrations hosted by the Alliance and the French Consul, Mme Christine Rothauser at St Peter's Town Hall. It was a very enjoyable evening despite the fact that it was about 5'C outside, and a frisky 6'C inside. That hall needs a heater! There was a great deal of chatting followed by dancing, and it was a pleasure to meet so many people who support the French community in Adelaide in different ways. It was also a useful insight into how some people treat bar staff, because at about 9.15pm I volunteered to work on the bar until just after 11pm. Most people were fine, but one or two were patronizing and rude - and they didn't know I was a politician, so I don't think that's why they were so rude! I think it would be a very good idea if politicians were forced to do other people's jobs for a day so they could see what it is like to be a cleaner, a waiter, sub-editor,etc.

July 16: A thought - if a council can consider spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a pair of giant dolphins to create a gateway to a street, surely they can spend some money on upgrading a bridge?

GREEN OPTION FOR HOSPITAL SITE: June 12

Restoring much of the Royal Adelaide Hospital site to the Botanic Gardens after the Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Hospital opens is being investigated by the State Government.

Health Minister John Hill says the clearing of the RAH site, revegetating the land and opening it up to the Botanic Gardens next door is a strong option.

“We are building Australia’s most advanced hospital at the other end of North Terrace, leaving the RAH site with a host of empty, ageing buildings,’’ he said.

“Some of the buildings are historic, heritage-listed icons that must be retained. However many of the buildings are ugly and past their use-by date.

“Restoring much of the site to the Botanic Gardens is a strong option we are doing some work on.
“This option is about giving the land back to all South Australians to enjoy.”

Under this option as many as nine buildings would be removed, freeing up 3.5 hectares of land in the RAH site to go into the Botanic Gardens.Minister Hill said that the Botanic Gardens lost a portion of land to the RAH site in the 1950s for the expansion of the hospital.

“So this option might seem like a fair move given that history,’’ Minister Hill said.
“The Botanic Gardens is one of Adelaide’s most visited attractions.
“More than 1.3 million people visit the gardens every year. Through this option the gardens could be expanded.”