Last Thursday, Liverpool Football Club announced the expansion of its International Academy program to South Australia with the creation of a new partnership with Gawler Belt-based Xavier College in my electorate.
I rise to speak in support of this bill. My remarks will be mainly regarding the Donor Conception Register. Before I make some comments on why I think this is a good bill and why it should be supported, I would like to provide a bit of a timeline on the issue of donor conception in this state.
I will take the opportunity to speak on the third reading to provide some quick comments on things raised during the committee stage, which I think are very important in terms of this bill.
Like the member for Chaffey, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Australia Day award winners in my electorate of Light. At the outset, I would also like to thank the service clubs of Gawler, the Apex Club and other service clubs, that put on the Australia Day breakfast in Apex Park with the support of the town of Gawler. I would like to put on record my congratulations to the people who decided to become Australian citizens on that day, which is an important thing as well.
Today I would like to talk about a woman who has actually passed away. The reason I want to speak about her is that quite often as an MP you get to meet a lot of wonderful people in your community, and while time does not permit you to talk about all of them in this place, there are some who make an enormous contribution to the community without any fanfare. One such person is Winsome (Win) Nicolai.
Today, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate a whole range of community organisations which have had some successful events in my electorate. The first organisation I would like to thank is the Motivate Dance Studio. Recently, I had the pleasure of attending one of two concerts held by the studio. The studio, which only started in the past 18 months or so, has grown from strength to strength. It has members who are younger than those who attend school, to those in their 80s.
Last week I attended the official opening of the second stage of the Remembering Courageous Women Mosaic Mural in Gawler. Minister Hildyard was present to cut the ribbon. The mural has been supported by the Town of Gawler and Villawood Properties alongside a number of other donors to the project.
I would like to today bring to the house's attention four significant events which have occurred in my electorate over the last few days. These community events are important for a whole range of different reasons, but when you hear what I have to say you will understand why they have made a contribution to our community.
I would like to make a small contribution to this debate. I will not cover the area which has been covered by many of the previous speakers already, and I do not need to repeat what they have said. In terms of my observations on the estimates committee, I had the privilege of chairing one of the committees. I think what they are designed for is sometimes misunderstood.
Today, I would like to talk about some things that obviously are important to my electorate. At the outset, I would like to say that one of the most rewarding parts of being the local MP is the various people you meet in your work. You often meet people in a whole range of different areas, from people involved in sports to people involved in arts, business, community activities, etc. While you meet a lot of people from time to time, sometimes you do not get to know the full person until, sadly, you are invited to their funeral and you hear their life story, and their life story is much bigger than the story you know about them.