The Hon. J.S. LEE (11:51): It is a great privilege to rise today to support the adoption of the Address in Reply. Sincere thanks to Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson AC, Governor of South Australia, for opening the Fifty-Fifth Parliament of South Australia. Her Excellency reminded us in her speech that we were the first place where women successfully campaigned for the right to vote and stand for parliament—in 1894. This changed the status of women in our society forever.

As honourable members know, Her Excellency the Hon. Frances Adamson is a proud sixth-generation South Australian. Her mother, the Hon. Jennifer Cashmore AM, was a South Australian parliamentarian. The Hon. Ms Cashmore was a Liberal Party member of the South Australian House of Assembly between 1977 and 1993, representing the eastern suburbs seat of Coles, known as Morialta since 2002. Her Excellency's mother was the third woman to be elected to the House of Assembly.

We were deeply honoured to have Her Excellency open the Fifty-Fifth Parliament in this place where her mother was once a valuable member of this parliament. Her Excellency is an inspiration to us all, and what a great asset to our state to have her return to South Australia to take on this important role as our Governor after her trailblazing role on the world stage. We are incredibly fortunate to have the Hon. Frances Adamson as our Governor and I thank Her Excellency sincerely for her speech and her commitment to serve the people of South Australia.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (14:57): 

I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development a question regarding the Barossa region.

Leave granted.

The Hon. J.S. LEE: 

The Advertiser reported on 21 May that the funding for the Barossa Contemporary Festival was axed by the Labor Government just one year into its three-year contract and that funding, worth around seven figures, has been cut off effective immediately. The festival was a key plank of the SA Tourism Commission's Bloom events campaign and was designed to promote the Barossa region's food, wine and art with live performances, dining experiences and art installations across the towns of Seppeltsfield, Angaston, Nuriootpa and Tanunda. My questions to the minister are:

1. Has the minister been consulted by the Minister for Tourism that this regional event would be axed?

2. Has the Minister for Regional Development advocated for the reinstatement of the funding for this event, which was designed to promote visitation to the Barossa region?

3. How many other regional events will be terminated by the Labor Government?

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:19): I move:

That this council—

1. Notes that National Volunteer Week 2022 is being held from 16 to 22 May;

2. Recognises the valuable contribution that volunteers make to the economic and social wellbeing of local communities;

3. Commends the Marshall Liberal government for abolishing the screening fee for volunteers wishing to work with children and vulnerable people which has helped more than 135,000 volunteers; and

4. Commends the Marshall Liberal government for the release of the 2021-2027 Volunteering Strategy for South Australia to increase participation of young people, build the capacity of organisations to upskill, retain volunteers and help more people enjoy the rewarding experience of giving their time.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:53): I rise today to speak about the 47^th Black April commemoration.

The Vietnam War had changed the world forever. Known as Black April, the anniversary of the Fall of Saigon marks a dark time for South Vietnamese people, when the capital of the Republic of Vietnam was captured by North Vietnamese forces, marking the end of the Vietnam War. An estimated 2 million people initially sought refuge in refugee camps in South-East Asia and later resettling in Australia, the United States, France and Canada.

As honourable members know, Australia's military involvement in the Vietnam war was the longest in duration of any war in our country's history. It lasted from August 1962 until May 1975.

As the new shadow minister for multicultural South Australia and for communities, I sincerely thank the Vietnamese Community in Australia together with the Vietnamese Veterans Association of South Australia for the invitation and the privilege to join the community to commemorate the 47^th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon on Saturday 30 April 2022.

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (16:38): moved

That this council condemns the record of the former Labor government including:

1. Appalling financial mismanagement;

2. Economic growth below the national average growth;

3. Unacceptably high levels of unemployment;

4. More people leaving the state than coming to the state;

5. Increasing costs to households and businesses; and

6. Wholesale slashing of government services especially in areas of health and education.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (19:46): I rise to support the important motion moved by the Treasurer, the Hon. Rob Lucas, to condemn the terrible mismanagement of the former Labor government and echo the same sentiments expressed by my many Liberal colleagues.

This motion serves to remind South Australians that the Labor Party had the wrong priorities when they were in government, and how the people of South Australia have suffered and were completely let down by an incompetent Labor government.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:44): It is with great pleasure and privilege that I rise today to speak about the magnificent SA Multicultural Festival, which was held on Sunday 14 November in the heart of our beautiful city at Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga. This biennial flagship event was proudly presented by the Marshall Liberal government through Multicultural Affairs, the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, for all South Australians to come together to taste, experience and celebrate our state's cultural diversity.

Adjourned debate on motion of the Hon. F. Pangallo:

That this council—

1. Acknowledges the 70th anniversary of the South Australian Italian Association (SAIA);
2. Recognises the contributions made by the SAIA to the advancement of multiculturalism in South Australia through the preservation and promotion of Italian culture, heritage, services and experiences within the Italian community and the wider community of South Australia;
3. Acknowledges the enthusiastic work by the SAIA in fostering strong business and cultural ties between South Australia and Italy;
4. Congratulates Dr Daniela Cosmini and Professor Diana Glenn on the publication of their book La Seconda Casa (The Second Home) marking and documenting the important history of the SAIA;
5. Recognises South Australia's continuing strong business, trading, diplomatic and economic ties with Italy; and
6. Identifies that Italian is the largest non-English language spoken in South Australian homes, and calls on Flinders University to immediately reverse its decision to cut the teaching of Italian.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:35): I rise today to speak about the important announcement made yesterday, 26 October 2021, by the Premier of South Australia, the Hon. Steven Marshall MP, releasing South Australia's COVID-Ready Plan.

I would like to acknowledge and thank the Hon. Stephen Wade, Minister for Health, for his hard work and for his valuable information update about the COVID-Ready Plan during question time today.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:25): I rise today to speak about the government grants to support businesses and our multicultural community. We know that South Australian businesses and our community are facing many challenges caused by COVID. The Marshall Liberal government has been a responsible and responsive government since the beginning of the pandemic. We reached out to hardworking South Australians by providing government grants to ensure businesses and community centres stayed open and local jobs were protected.

I would like to highlight how the Marshall government is continuing to support the ongoing COVID recovery. As part of a sweeping joint federal-state government small business support package announced recently, I am pleased that hundreds of local tourism and hospitality businesses, including restaurants, cafes, pubs and travel and tour operators, have already started receiving the new $3,000 and $1,000 cash grants.

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:30): It is my privilege to rise today to support the South Australian Multicultural Bill and endorse the speech and contributions made by the Treasurer, the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council. I am also very grateful that the Hon. Rob Lucas, as the leader of the government, has the carriage of this bill in the Legislative Council because not only does he have a great passion and understanding of multicultural affairs, he comes from a multicultural background himself. He also has the historical context of SAMEAC and he has observed the changes of our South Australian multicultural landscape since 1982. He is one of the longest serving members of the Legislative Council in this place.

Probably currently the longest. I am delighted to speak on this bill as Assistant Minister to the Premier, working directly with the Premier in the portfolio of Multicultural Affairs. The South Australian Multicultural Bill is a significant piece of legislation introduced by the Marshall Liberal Government to modernise the South Australian Multicultural Ethnic Affairs Commission Act 1980, commonly known as the SAMEAC Act.