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PARLIAMENT OF TASMANIA LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REPORT OF DEBATES Tuesday 15 September 2020 REVISED EDITION Tuesday 15 September 2020 The President, Mr Farrell, took the Chair at 11.00 a.m., acknowledged the Traditional People and read Prayers. TASMANIAN CIVIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE TRIBUNAL BILL 2020 (No. 25) CAT MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT BILL 2019 (No. 55) First Reading Bills received from the House of Assembly and read the first time. PRESIDENT'S STATEMENT Return of the Member for Pembroke Appointment of New Staff Member Mr PRESIDENT - Honourable members will notice that not only do we have the pleasure of the company of the member for Pembroke with us today - and it is lovely to see you in the Chamber again - but we also have a new Legislative Council staff member, Morris Malone, sitting in the President's Reserve. Morris has been appointed as the electorate officer of the member for Huon, Dr Seidel. Morris holds a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Tasmania. He has extensive experience in the retail industry and in customer service and he has also worked in stakeholder engagement and events management. His previous work has provided him with people and organisational skills that will support the member for Huon in his role. Morris looks forward to joining the Legislative Council team and supporting the member in his new role representing the Huon, which comprises Blackmans Bay, the Channel, the Huon Valley and Bruny Island. We welcome Morris on board. I am sure all members will ensure he is made to feel welcome and that his time with the Legislative Council is rewarding. Members - Hear, hear. SPECIAL INTEREST MATTERS Wynyard Showground Industrial Hall Project [11.07 a.m.] Ms FORREST (Murchison) - Mr President, on 13 May 1885 the very first show was held at the historic Wynyard Showground in Jackson Street. The Wynyard Show continues to be held on the Saturday closest to 15 March each year. This show is one of Tasmania's oldest Tuesday 15 September 2020 1 remaining centenary shows and it still retains its classic country feel, welcoming over 4000 visitors each year. These are uncertain times for agricultural shows everywhere, but even more uncertain due to COVID-19. Next year's show is scheduled for 13 March 2021 and, all being well, it will be the 133rd show. Incidentally, the 2020 show was the last event I attended before the COVID-19 lockdown and even then it was apparent things were likely to change rapidly. At the Wynyard Showground, it is not all about agricultural shows. The showground is used throughout the year by a diverse and vibrant group of users who make up the Wynyard Showground community, ranging in age from toddlers to nonagenarians - quite a wide range of ages. The Wynyard Show Society was recently successful in securing federal funding under the Regional Agricultural Show Development Grants Program. These funds and additional financial support from the state Government and the Tasmanian Community Fund have enabled the show society to undertake a substantial makeover of this historic showground. The improvements include upgrades to the reception and display areas, to cabinetry, insulation and air conditioning and new improved all-abilities and unisex toilets. These upgrades will improve the comfort and enjoyment of the facilities for all users. A working group has been initiated by the Waratah-Wynyard Council to develop a strategic plan taking account of the wide variety of pursuits undertaken at the showground. The Wynyard Showgrounds Working Group, as it is called, was formed on 28 May 2019 and consists of two councillors - Celisa Edwards and Gary Bramich - the five showground user group representatives and the general manager, recreation officer and executive officer of the Waratah-Wynyard Council. The group is working to develop future strategic visions for the use of the showgrounds site and to determine options for the role council may or may not play in the vision. It is pleasing to see council working with the showground community in this way to ensure the facility is more fully used and supports a range of community groups while still maintaining its heritage and history. The complex covers 2.9 hectares, and the show community is made up of about 800 members. These organisations are run and supported by volunteers who contribute an enormous number of hours to our community. Furthermore, given that Wynyard's population is about 6000, this means that about 13 per cent of our local residents are part of this vibrant community through the following organisations - • Wynyard Agricultural and Pastoral Society, which holds the showground Crown lease until 2058. • Wynyard Cricket Club - the showgrounds are the home ground of the Wynyard Blues - currently has 180 players registered across 10 teams, with entry-level programs for children aged from 5 to 12 years. Five Hurricanes Inclusion Cup players, an initiative to provide cricket-playing opportunities for players with a physical or intellection impairment, are included among their people. There Tuesday 15 September 2020 2 is a new under-13 girls' program and it facilitates a four-team primary school competition involving about an additional 30 children. • Wynyard Gymnastics Club, which conducts classes and training most days in the industrial hall. The club also actively cooperates with St Giles Autism Specific Learning and Care programs. • University of the Third Age, or U3A, hosts over 4000 people annually attending its activities. • North West Bird Club Tasmania, which has grown from 19 members at its inception meeting in a private residence to 60 members, from Devonport through to Irish Town. Its current clubrooms were made possible by a $2500 grant awarded by the government through the late Tony Fletcher, and a loan of $2000 from the Wynyard Agricultural and Pastoral Society. The club is an integral part of the Wynyard community and its clubrooms are used for regular meetings, information days and hosting interstate bird club and bird shows; it is also available for hire for the community. Other friends of the Wynyard Showground include the Wynyard Axemen's Association and the North Western Poultry Society. I commend all those involved in these projects and in this rebuild project. It is exciting to watch this new building to house the facilities, including the industrial hall, change rooms and office space. I drove past when heading down here and it is nearly complete. It is amazing how quickly it has gone up. Many people have given voluntary time to achieve this, including the president, Robert Stokes; secretary, Chris Stunden; and Duncan Sadler, Chris Campbell and Rosalie Martin, who recently provided a site list for me. I want to particularly commend their work. It has been a huge undertaking and it will make such a difference to all the showground users who will actually have some decent public facilities. Learners' Road Rules Educational Project [11.13 a.m.] Mr VALENTINE (Hobart) - Mr President and honourable members, I do have a cold, so I am sure people will give me a wide berth, but I have been tested for COVID and it came back negative. Sorry to disappoint people! Ms Forrest - I hope you get tested again in four days and it is still negative. Mr PRESIDENT - You are in good hands. We have a doctor and nurse. Mr VALENTINE - I may spend a good deal of time out of the Chamber today for that very reason. Mr President, I wish to speak this morning about a great initiative with humble beginnings that now benefits the broader Tasmanian community - in particular, members of Tuesday 15 September 2020 3 our community who might otherwise have remained isolated and disadvantaged. It is the learners' road rules educational project. It began in 2010 with a roll of butcher's paper and some toy cars. By the early months of this year it had evolved into a statewide learning tool, with 204 learner licence assistance providers and over 700 candidates successful in gaining their L1 licence. Retired policeman, Mr Kim Smith, is a member of the Sullivans Cove Rotary Club, of which I have the privilege of being patron. Mr Smith was on the verge of retiring from his career in the force when he put up his hand to assist as a tutor to a large group of recently arrived refugees who were having major issues trying to learn and understand the road rules in order to pass the L1 theory test. Many of them had tried for up to six months without success. Some had taken the test 16 times. Candidates were memorising the answers and would keep going until they passed, still without a genuine understanding of the road rules. Many had literacy and learning issues and simply could not read the manual, let alone answer the questions online. You can appreciate the extent of their frustration when you understand some who continually failed the online test gave up in frustration, even choosing to drive unlicensed and disqualified, which is not a desirable outcome. Kim's professional background and work with young people through the Tasmanian Association of Police and Community Youth Clubs gave him a head start, but it was a struggle creating a path to educate folk whose first language was not English and who, in some instances, could not read and write well in their own language. There were other learning difficulties that simply compounded the challenges for students and teachers alike. However, Kim persisted with that trusty roll of butcher's paper and the toy cars as demonstration tools. He was able to develop and communicate an effective test of students' practical understanding and knowledge. All students from that first group passed the L1 test.

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