Speech: Vale, Eric Freeman
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD: It was with great sadness that we learned that talented South
Australian sportsman Eric Freeman recently passed away on Monday 14 December after a heart
attack. Eric will forever be remembered as one of the greatest athletes South Australia has ever
produced.
Affectionately known as Fritzy, Eric Freeman was born in Semaphore, Adelaide, and
excelled at both cricket and football. As a cricketer, Freeman was presented with baggy green cap
No. 244 when he toured with Australian teams to New Zealand in 1966-67, England in 1968 and
India and South Africa in 1969-70.
Speech: Official opening of Brighton oval clubrooms
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:21): I rise to speak on the official opening of the redeveloped Brighton Oval in Hove. On Tuesday 15 September, I stood with a crowd of people in one of Brighton's new clubrooms, enthralled by what we had just seen on a tour and excited for the future of this big community space.
As the Mayor of Holdfast Bay Amanda Wilson, the local federal member Nicolle Flint, my colleague the member for Black (Minister for Environment) and I unveiled a plaque together to commemorate the official opening, it was clear that this was a special moment. It was a special moment for the hundreds of players, volunteers, life members and local residents who love using these grounds.
Read moreSpeech: Improving public transport accessibility
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:27): It is with great pleasure that I rise today to speak about a silent success my team and I have been able to achieve in our local community. On both sides of the chamber I believe we work very hard in our local communities and a lot of the work we do goes unnoticed. They are probably things that only a fellow local member would appreciate. But every now and then we do have some great successes that I think have a positive impact on our community.
One such example was the work we did to help out a young man in our community, Declan Lorenzin. Declan suffers from vision impairment, he uses a cane and he is a very active member of our community. I want to paint this picture for you, Mr Speaker. Imagine catching public transport without the use of your eyes. Catching a train in total darkness, you do not know where the door is going to stop on the platform, where the doors are going to open. It is quite a daunting thing to consider. But Declan is a remarkable young man who lives in Warradale and, despite his vision impairment, he lives a very independent life and catches public transport on the Seaford line to his parents' house.
Read moreSpeech: July Grievance Debate
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:15): It is with great pleasure I rise today to speak about some recent activities in my electorate. June has been a wonderful month. It has been great to be back out again as some of the restrictions have eased. That is very much to the credit of the people of South Australia, who have done an outstanding job. Of course, the officials from SA Health and the police commissioner have done a wonderful job in giving the directions as they have. I think the Premier and all the team have done an outstanding job to make sure we are doing everything we can to keep South Australians as safe as possible.
Read moreSpeech: Single-use and other plastics products Bill
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (16:11): I rise today to speak on the Single-use and Other Plastic Products (Waste Avoidance) Bill 2020. This bill represents the next logical step to achieving a cleaner and more sustainable state. It is the result of careful planning and close consultation with the community over the last few years. I commend the Minister for the Environment Mr David Speirs, a friend and colleague, for championing this cause and the great work he has done.
South Australians can be proud of how we have managed waste. We were one of the first states to introduce the container scheme in 1977. In 2017-18, we recovered almost 603 million containers to be recycled. In 2009, we became the first state to ban lightweight plastic bags from supermarket check-outs. With this bill, we have the opportunity to keep being leaders in environmental sustainability.
On commencement, the bill would ban single-use plastic straws, cutlery and drink stirrers from sale, supply and distribution. Twelve months from commencement date, the distribution of expanded polystyrene cups, bowls, plates, clamshell containers and oxo-degradable plastic products would then be prohibited. This is a great opportunity before us, and we look forward to getting on with this job.
Read moreSpeech: Community Outreach Program
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:18): I rise to speak about my community outreach program and how residents in my electorate have responded to the pandemic that we are facing. We know that everyone has felt the impact of COVID-19 in some way, great or small. We know that many upcoming and thriving businesses were forced to close and may still be closed. We know that people have lost their jobs overnight and we know that many residents in our community have been living a completely unfamiliar life.
To deal with self-isolation and social distancing and to shirk away from physical contact goes against human nature. We all crave social interaction. With that in mind, the team in my office has been doing an outstanding job diligently phoning residents in the community as part of our community outreach program over the past few months. This was a fantastic way to look out for residents and check on their welfare in the community, especially the welfare of the elderly and vulnerable.
Read moreSpeech: Chief Superintendent Joanne Shanahan and Tania McNeill
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:07): I rise to join the statement of condolence at the passing of Detective Chief Superintendent Jo Shanahan and Tania McNeill.
Tragically, this ANZAC Day just past, Joanne's life was suddenly taken in a horrific crash at the intersection of Cross and Fullarton roads. Another woman, Tania McNeill, a mother aged 53, was also a victim of this accident and leaves behind grieving loved ones, including her husband, Cary, son, Bailey, parents and a sister. Detective Chief Superintendent Jo Shanahan leaves behind her husband, Peter, a former detective and now SA Police General Counsel, and two children, Nicholas and Eleni.
The shock felt by all is immense. For those members of her family, her husband and children, her friends and many colleagues at SAPOL, the pain must be overwhelming. The life of a woman who served her community with distinction as a proud member of the South Australian police was taken all too soon. A wonderful woman, wife, mother, friend and colleague, tributes have been flowing and flowers now lie at the site of the awful accident.
Read moreSpeech: Surf Life Saving South Australia
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (12:15): I rise as well to speak on this motion brought to us by the member for Finniss, acknowledging the great work that our surf lifesaving clubs do here in South Australia, and I thank him for this very important motion. It is hard to imagine our beaches without the red and yellow flags of our surf clubs. The flags are such a recognisable sight to all Australians right across the country from Bondi in Sydney to Scarborough in Perth, and, of course, across the 22 clubs at our South Australian beaches from Robe in the South-East to Whyalla we have some wonderful volunteers who do great work at our surf lifesaving clubs.
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Speech: Address in Reply
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (16:18): It is my pleasure to rise today in support of the member for Kavel's motion in reply to His Excellency the Governor's address to both houses of parliament on 5 February 2020. South Australians are very fortunate to have His Excellency, the Hon. Hieu Van Le, Companion of the Order of Australia, as our Governor—a wonderful man, a wonderful family and a great contributor to our society. His Excellency has served tirelessly as the South Australian Governor since 2014 and through his hard work and dedication continues to make our state a better place for all South Australians.
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Speech: Prisoner Support
Mrs POWER: Can the minister explain to the house why reducing recidivism in the state's prison system will deliver better services and lower costs for the community?
The Hon. C.L. WINGARD (Gibson—Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (14:49): I thank the member for Elder for her question and her dedication to and support for helping reduce recidivism, as this government is very focused on, and also her support for women offenders in the community. Getting people back into and contributing to society is a very important part of our corrections system. We know people in the corrections system and recidivist offenders put a burden on the cost to our community.
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