Tony's Blog

Local MP Tony Piccolo with local firefighters, (from left to right) Joe Steiner, Jarrod Sandery, Brett Schumacher and Matt Simusen.

The Marshall Liberal Government’s refusal to provide funds for basic safety equipment is placing the lives of local firefighters at unreasonable risk.

The United Firefighters Union (South Australia Branch) has launched a campaign to make the community aware of the added danger firefighters are facing when doing their jobs due to the Marshall Liberal Government’s apparent lack of plan for providing basic fire appliance upgrades to improve safety.

Local Member of Parliament Tony Piccolo said fire appliances still do not have burn over protection to increase the safety of firefighters when they are assisting with bushfires.

“Many Metropolitan Fire Services (MFS) in peri-urban areas often back up their Country Fire Service (CFS) colleagues in fighting bushfires which requires them to travel through areas while fires are raging,” Mr Piccolo said.

“Gawler is a classic example of an MFS Unit required to support CFS and SES units in nearby rural areas.

“The lack of burn over equipment on these fore trucks puts firefighters at an unreasonable risk.

“Firefighters are not seeking pay increases but rather greater resources for firefighting facilities.”

Mr Piccolo said what is of greatest concern is that the Marshall Liberal Government do not appear to have a plan to upgrade facilities and firefighting equipment.

“With the bushfire season getting longer and more serious, we need a well-resourced emergency service to ensure both fire fighters and the community are being kept safe,” he explained.

“If the Marshall Liberal Government has a plan, they should make it public, as it would provide firefighters and the community with some clarity and confidence that the matter is being addressed.”

 

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Local Member of Parliament Mr Tony Piccolo with (from left) student Renee Chamberlain, teacher Tunya Greenhalgh, and student Alex Prior.  

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Mr Piccolo standing in the Gawler South Character area 

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The bus services that the community and I fought so hard for in 2010 are being severely slashed in an appalling act of vandalism by the Marshall Liberal Government that is determined to privatise public transport services at any cost.

This will mean more cars on the road and more traffic and car parking chaos at busy railway stations, shopping centres and schools.

The public is also in the dark about which bus stops will be axed. There are over 500 bus stops to be axed across the network and many of these will be in the Light Electorate.

For those living in Willaston, Hewett and Gawler East you will see your 491 and 492 bus services axed.

If you live in Munno Para there will be less services for a new $260m B-12 school at Angle Vale, where public consultation on public transport seems non-existent from the Education Department, which will create total traffic chaos for school drop-offs and pick-ups.

This cut will impact families, particularly those who only run one car or no car at all, increasing their cost of living and putting more pressure on household budgets already stretched by the COVID-19 pandemic.

These cuts go to the heart of the relationship between government and the community and show the different ways in which SA Labor and the Marshall Liberal Government prioritise community services.

The language used by the Minister for Transport in justifying these cuts is that of corporate management, not the language one would use to describe an essential community service.

The minister refers to increased efficiency, to provide lower cost services, but that is only achieved by drastically reducing these services.

So, it is efficiency versus effectiveness. I support effectiveness, because it considers need and not only cost.

Small businesses in the Light electorate will be affected by the bus cuts, as people will not be able to travel throughout the area to access these goods and services.

It is also clear that cuts do not address the needs of those living in our community with a disability. The minister says, 'Well, what's a few extra hundred metres if you have to walk to the bus stop?'

If you have a disability, are elderly or infirm, the 200 or 300 metres more to walk to a bus stop means the difference between accessing a public bus service and not.

That is the difference.

The minister then spoke about customers. Reducing the value of citizenship to simply paying customers. In other words, customers pay and you only deliver to those select people.

All citizens must be treated with dignity.

I believe that the services should be there for all people, according to need.

It is not about being treated as a customer. We need to look after the most vulnerable people in our community. Those who have paid taxes for fifty years and are now retired. What these cuts do, is undermine the basic needs of the people in our community.

We must put people’s basic needs first.

 

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Local MP Tony Piccolo with local Salvation Army Major, Darren Cox, from one of the local Churches who are trying to address the rough sleeper problem in Gawler and surrounding areas. They are near the river near Clonlea Park where some homeless people try to find a place to sleep.  

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With local MP Tony Piccolo are some of the initial CRC members (from left) Leah Blankendaal (Barossa RDA and Creative/Arts Industries), Caren Brougham (Executive Officer, Gawler Business Development Group) and Dr Naomi Rutten.  

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