Appropriation Bill 2026

Mr FATCHEN (Mount Gambier) (17:01): I rise today to speak on the Appropriation Bill and provide my perspective on what this budget means to the people of Mount Gambier and the broader Limestone Coast. When I delivered my maiden speech to this parliament, I spoke about the enormous potential of our region. I spoke about the opportunities that exist if governments are prepared to invest in the infrastructure, services and facilities needed to support growth. I spoke about housing, health care and education. I spoke about the importance of ensuring that regional communities receive their fair share of investment. Those priorities remain unchanged today.

There are elements of this budget that I welcome and support. One of the most significant commitments for Mount Gambier remains the previously announced $25 million for the Finger Point Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrade. This is a critical piece of infrastructure that will help unlock future housing growth and development in our city. For some time now, developers, builders and community leaders have highlighted concerns around the capacity of essential infrastructure to support future growth. The Finger Point upgrade is an important step forward, and one that will help provide greater certainty for housing developments into the future.

I also welcome the funding for the new $13 million medical school training centre in Mount Gambier, doubling local medical students from 60 to 120 students. This is a positive investment in the future healthcare workforce of our region. We know that people who train in regional communities are more likely to stay and work in those communities. If we are serious about addressing workforce shortages, particularly in health care, then investments such as this are important.

The budget also contains funding for the expansion of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme. This is something that I know many people across regional South Australia have been advocating for. Increasing accommodation assistance to $110 per night, and $154 per night where an approved support person is required, is a welcome improvement. For many families travelling hundreds of kilometres for specialist treatment, it is not a choice: it is a necessity.

Any measure that eases the financial pressure on regional patients is welcome, but I will continue to push further improvements to the PAT Scheme, including covering the first night of accommodation. Many patients travel to Adelaide for a single appointment that requires just one overnight stay, yet that cost is not covered under the current system. I know of many 60 and 70 year olds who jump in the car at five or six in the morning to make it to Adelaide for a 12 o'clock appointment, to then just turn around and go home because they cannot afford their night's accommodation. It is a risk to those on the road.

It is another example of the disadvantage country patients face, and the reality is much of what was highlighted in the budget had already been announced prior to budget day. Many of these projects were already known to the community. For a region that contributes so significantly to the South Australian economy through forestry, agriculture, manufacturing, transport and tourism, I do not believe this budget goes far enough. The Limestone Coast continues to generate enormous economic value for our state, yet many of these issues our community continues to raise remain largely unresolved.

Health care remains one of the biggest concerns. Every week people contact my office seeking help navigating the health system. They are worried about access to GPs, they are worried about specialist wait times, they are worried about aged care, they are worried about palliative care services and they continue to ask about radiotherapy. The desire to see radiotherapy services established in Mount Gambier has not gone away. The community remains passionate about this issue, because they know the burden that cancer treatment places on local families. While I acknowledge the challenges identified in recent feasibility work, I also believe we must continue laying the foundation for future service delivery while improving support for those who are currently forced to travel. Healthcare investment must continue to be a priority.

I also want to speak about education. I welcome previous commitments made to projects such as Glenburnie Primary School and Mount Gambier High School. These investments are important. However, many schools across our electorate continue to face challenges associated with ageing infrastructure. Parents and teachers regularly raise concerns about maintenance backlogs, ageing facilities and the difficulties schools face in accessing timely upgrades.

What I am also hearing, and what is particularly troubling, is the cost of these upgrades and new buildings. How does a $6 million investment lose more than $1 million to consulting fees over two years before a shovel even hits the ground? How does a $6 million maintenance job suddenly become a $5,000 bill because the contractor has been sent from Adelaide to perform work that a local tradesperson could easily do? We need to take a hard look at why we are not getting value for money. The system is not working as it should and it needs fixing.

Our region also continues to require investment in roads and transport infrastructure. Improving regional roads remains essential for both community safety and economic growth. It is clear to everyone who uses our roads that the current maintenance contract for the Limestone Coast is not delivering the outcomes our region deserves.

Too many roads are continuing to deteriorate, and the maintenance work that is being carried out is often failing to stand the test of time with some repairs requiring further attention only months later. We need a new approach, one that delivers better value for taxpayers, and safer more reliable roads for regional communities.

I have watched with interest the work currently being carried out on the Southern Ports Highway—upgrades that are being carried out by the Wattle Range Council on behalf of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport. By all reports, it has been a successful project so far: local crews with local knowledge carrying out local maintenance. I am excited by this approach and I look forward to working with all levels of government, local councils and industry stakeholders to explore what the future of road maintenance in the region could look like.

I also note the budget includes $8 million over four years for the Primary Industries Future Forward Fund. Supporting research, innovation and sustainability across primary industries is important. However, when spread across the entire state and across multiple sectors, including grain, livestock, dairy, seafood, wine, horticulture and forestry, the reality is that this funding becomes relatively modest. For industries that contribute billions of dollars to the South Australian economy, we must ensure that investment matches the scale of their contribution and future potential.

That is particularly true for our seafood industry, a key economic driver of the Limestone Coast that supports jobs, businesses and regional growth. This is not only our well-known rock lobster industry but also that of our abalone fishers, who have experienced great hardship over the past few years since the discovery of the aggressive AVG virus. I recently met with an abalone fisher and they were desperate for further support to know the true impact of what the virus has done to abalone numbers. I look forward to discussions with the government and PIRSA on how we can achieve that.

At the same time, our coastline is enjoyed by thousands of recreational fishers, boaters, swimmers and visitors every year. As activity on our waters continues to grow, so too does the need for appropriate emergency response capability when incidents occur. The establishment of a volunteer SES Marine Rescue Unit supported by a dedicated rescue vessel is a practical and necessary investment in community safety. The South Australian SES has already acknowledged the need for such a service. The local council and previous member for Mount Gambier have been advocating for this service for well over a decade, and I intend to continue that advocacy until we see this important piece of emergency service infrastructure delivered.

My concern with this budget is not necessarily what it includes; my concern is what it does not include. It does not contain the level of investment many regional communities were hoping to see. It does not provide enough certainty around some of the key challenges facing our region. It does not fully recognise the enormous contribution that regional South Australia makes to the prosperity of this state.

As the member for Mount Gambier I will continue to work constructively with the government. Where investment benefits our community, I will support it. Where projects improve local services and create opportunities, I will welcome them. But I will also continue to advocate strongly for the priorities that matter to the people I represent. That means continuing to push for better health care, continuing to push for improved infrastructure, continuing to push for greater support for primary industries, continuing to push for investment in education, and continuing to push for the projects and services that will help our region grow and prosper into the future. The people of Mount Gambier and the Limestone Coast deserve nothing less.