Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate the South Australian Jockey Club for a fantastic day on Adelaide Cup Day 2006. I was fortunate to have been in attendance at Morphettville racecourse and, blessed with near perfect weather, the running of the Adelaide Cup proved to be a resounding success. As members may or may not be aware, the Adelaide Cup was always run in the month of May, but due to inclement weather over the past few years the SAJC, together with the state government, decided to shift cup day to the earlier date in March. Judging by the bumper crowd of just over 32,000, this proved to be a masterly move.

The SAJC headquarters are situated at Morphettville, within the electorate of Hindmarsh. They do a great job in providing employment for 70 full-time ground and catering staff. The staffing figure was in excess of 600 on Adelaide Cup Day, with extra casual and part-time staff being employed on South Australia’s premier race day.

I also congratulate the connections of Adelaide Cup winner Exalted Time, a locally bred gelding, raced by two South Australians and trained by another, and winning jockey Clare Lindop, who became the first Australian female jockey to win at racing’s elite level. In all, Adelaide Cup Day was a showcase for South Australian racing, and I look forward to next year, when the Adelaide Cup will once again be run and won.

I also take this opportunity to mention a project which is unique within the electorate of Hindmarsh. The South Australian Jockey Club, the Patawalonga Catchment Board and the South Australian government have each contributed approximately half a million dollars to the development of a system of wetlands at the Morphettville racecourse, drawing stormwater from a nearby drain, cleaning it and pumping it underground into the local aquifer. They will eventually pump approximately 500 megalitres of water into the aquifer per year and draw 120 megalitres or so for racetrack maintenance and the like. This is, as I have said, the only project of its kind within the western suburbs, and I think it is absolutely fantastic.

I have heard that the City of Marion may be developing a wetland adjacent to Oaklands Park Army Barracks to trap some water from the Sturt River. Perhaps this will be similar to that of the River Torrens adjacent to Henley Beach Road. But neither of these match the contribution to the area of the South Australian Jockey Club, whose situation, vision and determination have led to an increasing supply of water available for use within the western suburbs and decreasing the amount allowed to be lost out to sea. I hope organisations throughout the Adelaide Plains are able to benefit from their example. Once again, I congratulate the SAJC.