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November 1, 2017
I rise today to speak about Festa, the annual Croatian Food and Wine Festival. Festa is a
fantastic event held by the South Australian Croatian community on the grounds
of The Croatian Sports Centre at Gepps Cross. It is a showcase of culture from
the community, which has provided a substantial contribution to our quintessentially
South Australian way of life. It delivers a variety of aspects ...Click here for full story
Views: 518
November 1, 2017
I rise today
to speak on the Budget Measures Bill 2017. The Commonwealth Major Bank Levy
within this bill is nothing but a desperate attempt to stave off the collapse
of an ever-dwindling pool of revenue, by a government bereft of ideas. You
cannot and never will tax your way to prosperity. Taxation upon further
taxation does nothing, but stagnate growth and investment. You cannot rely on
co...Click here for full story
Views: 518
October 19, 2017
I rise to speak on the Appropriation
Bill 2017. When this budget was handed down by the Treasurer in the other place
it faced immediate scrutiny and justifiable criticism, ably articulated by our
leader, but equally vocal have been our constituents and South Australian
businesses. South Australians are rightfully doubtful about the ability of this
government to properly address the alarming e...Click here for full story
Views: 445
June 22, 2017
I rise today to speak briefly to the Supply Bill 2017, which seeks to appropriate $5.9 billion in order to patch over government spending between 1 July and the time at which the Appropriation Bill is given assent. Looking at supply bills in past years, this amount seems to be significantly larger than what we have become accustomed to, and I want to know if this is a factor of more unbudgeted spe...Click here for full story
Views: 649
June 21, 2017
I rise today to speak about the solemn work of an organisation called the Headstone Project. This organisation aims to find the final resting place of returned soldiers from the First World War who, for a variety of reasons, now lie in unmarked graves. The reasons may be that the soldier does not qualify for a commonwealth-funded war grave, the lease on their grave may have expired and often the s...Click here for full story
Views: 1097
June 20, 2017
I rise on behalf of the opposition to speak to the Statutes Amendment (Possession of Firearms and Prohibited Weapons) Bill currently before the council. The honourable Minister for Police introduced the bill on 1 June this year. The bill seeks to amend the new Firearms Act 2015 to widen the definition of 'possession'. The decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal in the matter of the R v Ioann...Click here for full story
Views: 543
May 30, 2017
I rise to speak to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Land Rights (Suspension of Executive Board) Amendment Bill, introduced and read for the first time on 10 May. From the outset I will say that the opposition supports the second reading of this bill. My understanding is that there will be a number of crossbench amendments which I will address at the appropriate time on behalf of the oppos...Click here for full story
Views: 458
May 16, 2017
I rise to speak to the ANZAC Day Commemoration (Veterans' Advisory Council) Amendment Bill currently before the council. On behalf of the opposition, I indicate that we will be supporting the bill.
The bill seeks to amend the ANZAC Day Commemoration Act 2005 to transfer the functions of the ANZAC Day Commemoration Council to the Veterans Advisory Council and the Minister for Veterans' Affa...Click here for full story
Views: 460
May 10, 2017
I rise to talk about the veterans community and some of the great work that is being done to support our veterans, both young and old. Since we last assembled in this place, I have attended a number of commemorations on behalf of the opposition. These events were the 66th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong held by 3RAR Association, the RSL ANZAC youth vigil, a dawn service at Payneham RSL, the u...Click here for full story
Views: 521
March 29, 2017
I rise to speak to the motion of the Hon. Mr Ngo. I do congratulate the AFL on this achievement. The league has been a great success and the AFL were extremely clever to schedule it just prior to the men's season, ensuring maximum attention from the media and spectators alike. This has been at the forefront of the women's format. It will survive as a viable competition, and to ensure that it does,...Click here for full story
Views: 469
March 1, 2017
I rise today to speak about an issue which is a continual source of frustration for me and those involved in the hospitality industry. I speak about the Licensing Enforcement Branch. I have a tremendous respect for the South Australian police force and what our men and women in blue do on a daily basis, often putting themselves in harm's way to keep us safe.
My gripe is not with the police, but ...Click here for full story
Views: 815
February 15, 2017
I rise to oppose the motion. I still and probably will always carry the traditional view that marriage is between a man and a woman. I have been reasonably consistent on this and I do not intend to change my views. The Hon. John Gazzola was kind enough to point out to the Hon. Gerry Kandelaars when he asked me if I would be prepared to pair him on this particular motion, that of course there are n...Click here for full story
Views: 515
December 6, 2016
I rise to speak to the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration (Gender Identity) Amendment Bill. This bill seeks to change the way personal biographical information is registered, stored and retrieved by the state and its citizens within South Australia. My understanding of the reasons for this bill is that transgender and intersex people may often have identity documents which are inconsistent ...Click here for full story
Views: 449
December 6, 2016
I rise to speak to the Adoption (Review) Amendment Bill. I indicate that I will be supporting the bulk of this bill as per the Liberal Party position. There are many aspects of this bill which have merit and should be welcomed. These include the sensible reforms in the areas of adult adoption, retention of the child's name and the discharging of adoption orders. The Hon. Mr Wade has carriage of th...Click here for full story
Views: 482
December 6, 2016
I rise to speak to the Relationships Register (No 1) Bill. This bill underpins the mechanics of further bills currently before this place which establish a new kind of qualifying relationship for parenting eligibility when it comes to adoption and surrogacy.
In the first instance, all of these measures were in one big, complex bill, which was very sensibly separated into a number of bills in the...Click here for full story
Views: 475