Narungga April update

In recent weeks I’ve had the pleasure of officially opening a new automotive school learning centre at Kadina, an amazing natural play space at Point Turton, and a War Memorial upgrade project at Stansbury, and all have served as a reminder of the priceless hands-on role volunteers play in getting things done locally that improve our communities.

The 2019 South Australian Volunteers Award winners will be announced in early May, and I hope many deserving locals are in the mix to receive such due recognition.

I also advise the first of four funding streams under the 2019-20 Multicultural Grants Program opened on 5 April, with all four to be open by the end of May.  Guidelines can be downloaded at www.multicultural.sa.gov.au and are also available from my website, www.fraserellis.com.au

Information re the Community Heritage Grants round that is open until 6 May is also on my website and is worth a look.

It was a busy week in Parliament last week where I spoke about skills and training opportunities in the electorate; the introduction of the welcome new Landscape SA Bill; the detrimental impact of Bill Shorten and Federal Labor’s plans to abolish negative gearing and increase capital gains tax by 50%;  and in recognition of World Health Day on 7 April which provided an opportunity to highlight the commitment the Marshall Liberal Government has demonstrated in its first year in office to healthcare in regional South Australia. All speeches are available to view at www.fraserellis.com.au

In March I was pleased to host a visit from Minister for Skills and Training the Hon. David Pisoni MP for meetings with schools, training providers and local employers, and this week three more Cabinet members – including the Premier – are in the Narungga electorate, further demonstrating this government’s firm understanding that regions matter.   

Today (16 April), Premier the Hon. Steven Marshall is in Point Pearce and the Minister for Human Services the Hon. Michelle Lensink MLC is in Kadina, her itinerary including visits to SOS Copper Coast Youth Centre and the Salvation Army.

Yesterday (15 April), the Speaker of the House of Assembly the Hon. Vincent Tarzia MP and I visited Ardrossan to hear from volunteers about their commendable wins in the 2019 Keep Australia Beautiful Tidy Towns National Awards last week, and we also took a boat ride with the Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol crew at Port Victoria, circumnavigating Wardang Island.

Thank you to all locals who helped accommodate these important Ministerial visits.

The recent cooler weather was sparked interest in flu vaccinations, as has reports SA has had the highest number of cases for this time of year in more than 10 years. Minister for Health and Wellbeing the Hon. Stephen Wade MLC last week brought forward the distribution of free flu vaccines for children aged under 5 and other eligible groups.

Between now and the end of April, free flu vaccinations will be fully distributed and available for people aged 65 years and over, children under five years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older, pregnant women, and people with certain medical conditions. Please contact your GP or pharmacist for further information.