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Friday June 02, 2023

HYDROGEN plants, housing, In Home Hospice Care and medicinal cannabis were among the main callouts from Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell leading up to this year's State budget.

Mr Bell spoke in Parliament this week calling on the State Government to include these topics into the up-and-coming budget.

Supporting a hydrogen plant in the Limestone Coast, Mr Bell said it could be done in the South East with the region having many of the key elements already.

"We have an abundance of water, an abundance of wind and wind generated power and when you put those two things together you get hydrogen," Mr Bell said.

He said with the key elements in the South East already, there were also major offtake users such as Kimberly Clark.

"There is also a great opportunity just over the border in Portland which would take every bit of electricity that could be generated in a plant based in South Australia," Mr Bell said.

"I am very supportive of the hydrogen project and I want to see future opportunities that might arise for our community around hydrogen because we have all the key elements to prove success going forward." He said there were "exciting opportunities" around mobile connectivity with a proposal being put forward that would require $5.6m from the State Government.

Mr Bell said the funding would be 20 per cent of the total cost which included 27 sites and would give complete coverage from the lower South East.

He said the Federal Government would provide 50 per cent, Telstra would provide five per cent and local governments would provide a further five per cent.

"To have the South East connected through this development of 27 sites would be game changing for primary industries and local communities and businesses," Mr Bell said.

He also mentioned tourism opportunities which could present themselves for the South East region in terms of jobs, revenue and in terms of improvement.

"How do we look at attracting all the Victorians who are travelling to Adelaide through Mount Gambier?" Mr Bell said.

"Why don't we talk to the State Government about doing Tasting Australian in the week before and after in Mount Gambier.I am talking about staying a few days then traveling up to Adelaide to watch the Gather Round or LIV Golf." Mr Bell also mentioned radiation therapy stating there needed to be some work done on what it would look like for the local community.

"I do thank the Health Minister for his very proactive engagement at this stage around that and certainly for funding the State Government business case," he said.

"It is a topic that has gathered over 16,000 signatures and is important to our community to get right.

"I am pleased to see a proactive first step on what the business case looks like as long as the business case doesn't get bogged down in bureaucracy and take away from the main focus." He also touched on regional TAFE in Mount Gambier/Berrin and his continued call for a regional board, stating he believed there would be a real opportunity with the educational precinct of having a board which coordinated the technical college, forestry, private providers and UniSA.

Mr Bell also called for funding to further support In Home Hospice Care service and acknowledged its positive contribution to the community.

He also called for better housing funding, noted the opportunities for clinical cannabis and Mount Gambier/Berrin's continued growth.

"It is clear we need more affordable public, community and professional housing options in Mount Gambier and across the State," Mr Bell said.

"When we have teachers and nurses living in caravan parks, the situation is dire.

"When we have people living on the streets of Mount Gambier because they cannot find secure housing, it is a crushing situation. housing underpins everything." He said additional housing options would allow Mount Gambier/Berrin to retain the "all-important skilled workers," as well as alleviating the pressure on the public housing waitlist and private rental market.

"Mount Gambier is a growing regional city, which is fantastic, however there must be the services to suit demand," he said.

"A state budget which can adapt and flex to suit our city's needs, as well as the state's, is essential."

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