Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Manufacturing and Science) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Electoral Commission has renamed my seat from Wakefield to Spence, and it's caused me to reflect on the 11 years I've spent representing what has been a unique seat by South Australian standards. It is not unique in the history of the Federation, of course—there are many seats that have country, regional and urban or peri-urban areas in the Commonwealth—but for South Australia it has been quite a unique experience. I thought I might just reflect on that fact and what an honour it has been for the last 11 years to represent the seat of Wakefield.

Wakefield was, of course, a rural seat when I grew up in Kapunda. I went to high school there. Wakefield was one of the safest Liberal seats in the country, certainly in South Australia. It stretched from Gawler up through the Yorke Peninsula and the Riverland. In 2004, it was changed fundamentally because of the abolition of Bonython and really created the seat that I've represented, which stretched from the Brahma Lodge Hotel to the Clare and Gilbert valleys, across to the Barossa Valley and the coast, up to Port Wakefield. It's been a unique experience to represent that seat through pretty harrowing experiences like the Pinery fire or the floods at Stockport.

There are a number of people I've got to thank for their support over those years: Mayor Bill O'Brien, the Light Regional Council; Mayor Tony Flaherty, the Adelaide Plains Council; Marcus Strudwicke, who has also been a mayor of the Adelaide Plains Council; Joe and Jasmin Danielle; Margaret Williams of Williamstown; Midge Wallace; the late John Fitzgerald; Susan Cunningham and Simon Pringle; Peter Anderson from Clare; Tony Bell of Hamley Bridge; Mark Nappa of Hamley Bridge; Guy Ballantyne, who was in Clare and now is in the city; Lindsay Simmons, who is up in the Clare and Gilbert valleys; Rita Roy and Doug Handley; Sue and Ron Wurst, who are great citizens of the Clare Valley; David Newsome of Balaklava; Louise Drummond; Pat Thompson, who is a great historian from the town of Dublin; Caroline Cordon, who is a wonderful poet; Ross Voigt from my home town of Kapunda; and of course, my neighbours at Greenock until recently, Tim and Kylie, and the Kalleske family—I thank them for being very good neighbours in the country, which is an important thing. I'd like to thank Andrew and Les of the Plains Producer; Tony Robinson from The Leader; the crew at the Northern Argus; and of course the crew at the Barossa Herald.

All these individuals and the rural communities and rural towns they represent have been a big part of my life for the last 11 years. I don't think I'll miss the long drives in the country between appointments or between functions. They do give you time to reflect, which can be a dangerous thing for a politician! I do think though that I will get back to the Clare Valley, I do think I will get back to the Adelaide Plains and I do think I'll get back to the Barossa, despite them being removed from my electorate, because they are truly wonderful communities; they're truly wonderful country towns. I can hear my colleague the shadow Treasurer talking about the Barossa Valley. I'm sure he'll visit the Barossa Valley. I'm sure members of this House will have cause to go there. I will miss the Barossa Valley, particularly the little town of Grennock. It is a truly lovely place, a truly beautiful place, particularly in the winter, and in the summer. It is just one of those beautiful parts of South Australia. It's been a wonderful opportunity to represent those people.

The seat of Spence is a different seat. It's an urban seat. It has its own challenges and, of course, it will have its own unique character. I look forward, if I'm so privileged to be elected as the member for Spence, to serving those communities. But I will miss the country areas and I will miss the Barossa Valley. I will miss the truly unique experience that it was to be the member for Wakefield.