This week is Anti-Poverty Week. The week is about highlighting the plight and experience of people living in poverty in our community. It is very important during this week to tackle the problem of poverty and its impact on both adults and children. Part of the week is to make sure that we understand what we can do, as a government, community or society to tackle poverty in this country.
As a former road safety minister, this is an issue that is obviously dear to my heart. When you see the data about road crashes and the deaths on our roads, as well as the pain caused to the families and friends of those people who die on our roads, and when you see some of the causes of those deaths—which were avoidable—it really does make you think about what we need to do to get the message across.
I would like to speak on this bill and in support of the bill and reaffirm this government's strong commitment to public transport, and particularly rail transport. Members may recall that we electrified the southern line when we were last in government. We initiated the electrification of the northern line to Gawler when we were in government. I was going to say that it was completed by the Liberal government but it actually was not. It was completed during the period of a Labor government again, because the Liberal government took so long to get their act together. I think it was delayed about 18 months and was over budget by hundreds of millions of dollars—but they did a pretty good job.
In June 2019, the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) submitted a new framework to the then Council of Australian Governments containing improved protections for consumers in embedded electricity networks across most of Australia. Despite wide national support for the proposed framework and a package of legislative reforms, COAG and its successor, the Energy National Cabinet Reform Committee, has not progressed the framework.
I would like to make a contribution to this debate, and I think what I would like to explore a bit further is some valuable insights that were provided on this topic by the member for Lee and the minister. The member for Lee was getting back to some really fundamental principles, which I think this debate about shop trading hours tends to cover.
The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:53): Today, I would like to touch upon an important issue in our communities, which is community consultation and the way governments go about community consultation, and not only governments but institutions as well. I think it is the difference between what is right and just doing things right. One is doing the right things—in other words, making sure we do the right things to engage—and the other is where you tick a box and just meet the requirements.
The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (16:44): I rise to speak in support of this bill. I will not repeat the excellent arguments for the bill which have been put by not only the minister in his opening speech but also the members for Newland, Wright, Playford, King and other speakers who have spoken to this bill already.
The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (15:00): Today, I wish to speak to this motion on behalf of the people of the electorate of Light, as the local member, and also in my role as the duty member for Schubert. The local community was shocked and saddened by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on Friday 9 September, using various social media platforms to express their grief and sense of loss. After all, Her Majesty had only commissioned a new Prime Minister for the UK two days earlier.
The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (12:23): I rise to speak against this motion, and I will explain why. It is not that I do not acknowledge—and I will acknowledge first-up—the importance of the regions to the state's economy and to society generally. I do acknowledge that. The reason I speak against the motion is that the motion implies that the Marshall Liberal government was the first one to find the regions and to notice that the regions were there and do something for them. That is just not true. The regions were supported by the previous Labor government in a whole range of ways. In fact, a number of the projects for which the Liberal Party did the ribbon cutting were previously funded by the Labor government, and I will go into some of those details.
The Hon. A. PICCOLO (Light) (11:31): I rise to speak in support of the motion and make it very clear that I oppose the amendment. I will speak to the amendment first before I get to the area where I want to support the motion, but I also raise an example of where some really bad practice by a local council is impeding our efforts to improve housing in this country, particularly in my community.