Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

May I start off by congratulating you, Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, on your re-election to your esteemed position. I certainly look forward to working with you and taking direction from you over the coming parliamentary term. I also congratulate all the new members of parliament and the re-elected members. I think we have seen quite a change in this parliament, and it is, I think, a change for the better, not just because there are more coalition members but for the fact that we have the first Aboriginal member of the House of Representatives and also our first Muslim inducted into this parliament. That is good because it shows that this parliament is here for all Australians.

I rise to speak today about the important issues facing my constituency in Barker. I have to say that I was very pleased with the result I received from the electors of Barker. The swing against the coalition in our state was actually negative by about one per cent, but I was very pleased to have a swing towards me of somewhere between 3.5 and four per cent. So I am very pleased indeed that people saw me as working for the constituents, and I will continue to do that. That is my job and it is a job I am very pleased to do.

Some of the issues are very important to me. I found this to be particularly so in the contribution from the member for Blair, who talked about the NBN and how important it is to rural areas. The first point I would like to make is that, at the cost that the government is suggesting, which is $43 billion—I have no doubt it will be a lot more than that—it will cost of $2,000 for every man, woman and child in Australia. That is the cost whether you use it or not. Even going by the Labor government’s own figures, where they are suggesting that 93 per cent of people will be covered—I do not think that will be the case—guess where the seven per cent who are not covered come from? They come from seats like mine and your seat, Mr Deputy Speaker, which will not benefit from it but will still be paying for it. They will still be paying the $2,000 for every man, woman and child whether they use it or not. Already, people in Australia are choosing to go wireless for the flexibility. Five to one are using wireless versus a fixed line. So I think we are creating a huge costly white elephant that will probably be overridden and by-passed by technology before it is even built.

The Murray River is in my electorate and I have the honour of representing all of the Murray River area in South Australia and half of the lower lakes—half of Lake Alexandrina and all of Lake Albert—which are very important parts of my electorate. During the campaign I was often asked what the most important issue in my electorate was. I said that the three most important issues are water, water and water—a huge issue in South Australia. In the last couple of weeks the Murray in South Australia is certainly looking a lot better than it was. I do not think any politician can lay claim for that; it is a fact that we have had good rains in the southern Murray-Darling Basin and good inflows. As a result, areas that had dropped by a metre below Lock 1 have now risen back to their normal levels. We have now got water flowing over the barrages and that is going to help some inflows into the Coorong, which again is very important. But we still have a long way to go until I feel comfortable saying that the river has returned to health and basin communities are having their needs met without restrictions.

Those that rely on the river will be quick to tell you that it does not just take a couple of good rains to fix everything; it takes ongoing management and proper infrastructure. The coalition went to the election with a Murray-Darling Basin policy based very much on the original Howard $10 billion plan, which was to ensure that the basin and the communities that rely on it have water security now and in the future. The Labor government did not really have a policy or a plan and I am disappointed at their lack of care for something so huge and so important to Australia. If Labor continues to neglect the basin, the long-term effects will be devastating. The government needs to act now to put measures in place like re-plumbing and re-engineering the Medindie Lakes. South Australia is already using great technology, which means they use less water. The rest of the system needs to follow. Labor have assigned the water portfolio to Tony Burke. I have heard the minister speak about ensuring that there is consultation into the impacts of water reform on basin communities, and I hope that is correct. I hope the Labor government understand the effects on these communities. I also hope they understand why infrastructure is so important and that they direct more funding and effort towards it.

I now want to speak about an issue facing the Murray River that I do not believe has ever been raised in this parliament before. It is potentially very dangerous for river users and detrimental to the health of the river. I am talking about Canadian pondweed and hydrilla, both of which are river weeds that are choking up the river. Hydrilla is a native species but it is the main culprit at the moment. The Canadian pondweed is also causing a lot of concern, but it is mainly the hydrilla that is in abundance.

These weeds sweep across the river surface and tangle down under the water like a net, catching unsuspecting victims by wrapping around and around them until they are caught. I recently travelled down the river from Waikerie in a boat to see firsthand the problems this weed can cause and the expansive area that it is covering. I saw a river that was covered from bank to bank in some places with weed that tangles down below the surface, making it nearly impossible for boats and houseboats to weave their way through. The boat I was travelling in had to stop several times so we could untangle the weeds from the propellers, which was quite some process.

I also saw dead animals caught up in the weed. The problem with this weed is that the more you thrash about and fight it, the more it wraps around you and drags you under. For water sport participants, this could prove deadly. If a skier comes off their skis or a child on a kneeboard falls off, they might become entangled in the large areas of weed and drown. It is really quite a scary thought, especially when you see firsthand a full-size kangaroo wrapped up in the weed in the middle of the river that obviously drowned trying to fight its way out of the weeds.

The state government is aware of these weeds, but because some are native and some are introduced species they actually have different departments handling them. There are a few options on how to deal with the problem, including using large harvesting machines or ‘munchers’, which although costly can turn the weed into a mulch that can be distributed on the banks of the river or perhaps even sold. There are other options such as introducing the Chinese grass fish, which apparently does very well at controlling it, but I know Australia would be very wary about introducing species. We all remember the cane toad. There are chemical ways of doing it, but because the river supplies water for many communities and for the capital city, Adelaide, that would have to be looked at very carefully.

The recent increased flows have been a bit successful in breaking some of the weed up, which is great, but there is certainly still a lot of weed out there that needs dealing with. It is important to note that the warmer water in summer will spread its growth again. If you compare what it was like in August this year with August last year, there is definitely a lot more of that weed around. This is a problem that needs the cooperation of the state and federal governments to make sure these weeds do not claim victims with the warm weather approaching.

I would now like to speak about an issue that I have been inundated with at my office—that is, the failings of the Labor government’s BER program. For example, Meningie is a small township located on the Lower Lakes that has been plagued with its own set of problems due to the lack of water, but recently the town was hit with another huge problem—another BER disaster. The school in Meningie was granted BER money and was to have some work done on its hall. However, halfway through the works, which I must add were delayed to the point where students were practising their debutante dances out on the oval in the rain, the school was told that $500,000 more was needed to finish the hall. Why didn’t they get this right in the first place? This township was already devastated by the lack of water. How were they expected to raise the extra money? Meanwhile the students had no sports hall, no music room and very compromised canteen facilities. In fact, because it is a small township, this hall was the main hall of the Meningie community and it had been unusable for six months. I was outraged by this and after much media coverage the government and builders were embarrassed into covering the extra cost. Where was the minister though when this school was in its hour of need? Where was the minister responsible for the failed BER program? The minister was missing in action.

I now have another school that has very serious concerns about their BER project. Soil left lying around contains dangerous asbestos and arsenic, exposing the students and residents living nearby to the poison. Builders walked off the job in June—and we are now near the end of September—leaving the soil out in the wind. They made no attempt to cover the toxic soil, which could potentially blow on students and contaminate them. The site is not even adequately fenced off from the kindergarten and primary school students. I have had many calls from concerned parents, residents and school council members who want this problem fixed. I have brought this serious problem to the attention of the minister. The Labor government must take action for the sake of Tintinara students and staff, and the residents of the local community. The mismanagement of the BER program is astounding. The Labor government must act now. I am calling on the government to admit their program is a complete failure in many areas and to fix the serious problems it is leaving behind.

Another matter I would like to raise in the House are the issues with services in the township of Keith, which I might add is my home town. Keith has been in the spotlight a bit of late as they have lost their childcare facilities. Now the hospital has been told its state government funding will be cut by 60 per cent. I want to start with the childcare centre though. Keith has been really struggling without any childcare facilities for five months now. I have raised this issue with the media and I spoke about it quite a lot before the election. I have called on the minister, Kate Ellis, several times to take action and there was some talk that funding might be available. I stand here today to ask the minister again because no action has been taken. So I am asking the minister to make sure action is taken in Keith and to make sure they do not go without child care.

The other huge issue now facing the township is that the state government has said it will cut the funding for the hospital by 60 per cent. It is almost as if Labor has it in for the township of Keith. All of us in this place can understand that when you need to get to hospital you want to get there as quickly as you can to get treatment. If a family member or friend is in the hospital you want to be able to support them, visit them and be close to them. If this funding cut goes ahead, the hospital will last only for nine months as the situation is unsustainable. It will close its doors, meaning local residents will travel 50 kilometres or more for treatment. Having to travel as many as 100 kilometres, for example, to the nearest hospital will be a real burden on the Keith community. Also, it could be a matter of life or death—one that residents do not want to be considering as they already have a perfectly good hospital in the township.

The federal government has invested quite heavily in this local community hospital. Both the Howard government and, recently, the Labor government have given funding totalling about $1.3 million for capital works—and it has been a great job. If this hospital were to close it doors, not only would that funding be wasted but it would be absolutely devastating for the local township. That is especially as federal governments of both persuasions have seen the need for investing in its infrastructure.

I heard the minister for health speak yesterday in the House about how important health services are. I believe that regional health services are equally as important and that having services in rural and regional Australia is imperative. Residents should not have to travel to the city to receive all their treatment. Frankly, the Labor state government is ripping out regional Australia’s basic services while the federal Labor government are trying to go the other way because of the promise they have made to the Independents to look after regional Australia.

I am calling on the Labor government to look at the situation in Keith and make a responsible decision about the hospital, one that is best for the residents, best for the workers and best for regional Australia. If this hospital closes that will cost taxpayers more. At the moment it is considered to be a private hospital. It is the state government minister’s argument that ‘it is only a private hospital and why should we be funding a private hospital?’ But it is not a private hospital in that way. It is actually a local community hospital that refused 30 years ago to be stuck in the state government health system, and as a result it is dealing with a real problem now. I think it is really interesting that there is another so-called private hospital in South Australia that is getting funding of more than three times that of Keith hospital’s. Why? Because it is in a Labor marginal seat. It is getting the funding but Keith hospital is not because it is not in a Labor seat.

Whilst on the subject of regional Australia, I also want to speak about the suggestion made by the Productivity Commission late last week to cut agriculture R&D funding. I was very disappointed to hear this, especially as I have a lot of time for the Productivity Commission and as I worked hard to increase R&D funding and was very pleased when the coalition included more funding in their election policy. The Labor government must not cut more funding to this important area. As we all know, food security is threatened in Australia and I do not want—and I am sure no-one else wants—to be forced to buy food from overseas. That is what will happen if we do not look after agriculture and water security and ensure we have sustainable food security into the future. A huge cut to R&D slicing away at Australia’s food security would certainly be a bad move. I do not want to see this and I certainly believe regional and rural Australia does not too.

Another issue which is of great importance to me is roads, and I note that during the election the minister for transport went on one of the local programs in my area and suggested that we were not committing to funding for the Dukes Highway. The Dukes Highway is the main highway from Adelaide to Melbourne. It is the busiest highway in South Australia. I have been able to get funding in the past for passing lanes and for rumble strips on the side. But the area really is in need of a dual-lane highway from Tailem Bend to the state border with Victoria as the road is that important. We have too many deaths on that road and we need to ensure that we have a busy but safe thoroughfare in the Dukes Highway. I know that you cannot just snap your fingers and say, ‘You’re going to get funding for the Dukes Highway tomorrow.’ I know that Australian road funding is fully committed to the end of 2014. But what I and the coalition are saying is that, if you want this road funded for completion of dual lanes by 2020, you have got to start the work now. You have got to make the commitment to go out there and do the engineering and planning studies so that it can be put on the list for AusLink III.

I know that. The Labor government know that but they have not made any commitment to that, whereas the coalition have made a commitment to do that very necessary engineering and planning studies so that it can be put into AusLink III and so that at least in 10 years time we will have a completed dual-lane highway. I cannot do that while in opposition. I know that this federal government have refused to do it and that if you do not start now a 2020 completion date is not going to be possible under the existing circumstances. We need more funding, especially road funding, for the Greater Green Triangle. We have an important forestry industry there for both blue gums and pines that will need that extra funding. Our people went to see the minister and he said, ‘Come back in 2014.’ It is a pretty sorry state of affairs for a minister to say that. (Time expired)

See this speech in context