Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:28): I will continue my appropriation contribution with a little bit of a history lesson on the Murray-Darling Basin. It is of concern that we have a Labor government that is now going to contribute $2.1 million for a commissioner to do the work that the minister should be doing. I cannot understand, cannot believe, that a Labor government continues to avoid doing the hard work in the Murray Darling Basin Plan.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (11:53): I, too, rise to make a contribution to a very good motion by the member for Narungga. He obviously understands and recognises the shortcomings when providing a good medical service in the regions of South Australia. For far too long we have seen people of the regions having to travel extensive distances with the shortcoming of having those services in our local hospitals or in our local towns due to the shortage of medical practitioners.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:09): I would like to talk about a couple of great events that happened in Chaffey in recent weeks. Illuminate Adelaide, the In Depth series at Renmark, what a great showstopper it was. The In Depth lightshow is a multimedia event on the banks of the River Murray in Renmark. Through the collaboration of Illuminate Adelaide, the Tourism Commission and the former Liberal government, the lightshow transforms the river into a storytelling experience. I was joined by the cofounders, Rachael Azzopardi and Lee Cumberlidge, both very passionate, as well as the lead artist, Craig Walsh. Together with local artists and members of the community, it tells the story of the region's history, culture and unique environment.

The lack of support for the Riverland and Mallee in this week’s State Budget was disappointing but not surprising Member for Chaffey Tim Whetstone said today.

The Malinauskas Labor Government’s transparency track record has taken another hit with months’ worth of SAPOL crime statistics kept secret from South Australians.

Renmark has been recognised as South Australia’s Top Tourism Town for 2022.

The state’s highest security prison descended into chaos over the long weekend when prisoners violently revolted against a lockdown caused by chronic staff shortages, according to a media report.

An innovative pilot program will see seasonal workers in the Riverland employed by a Group Training Organisation to provide them with year-round work, learning valuable skills and addressing the workforce needs of the agriculture industry.

Sporting organisations in Chaffey will receive part of the Marshall Liberal Government’s $20.6 million Infrastructures Sports Grants, to improve facilities for grassroots sporting clubs.

Mr WHETSTONE (Chaffey) (15:51): I rise to speak on a couple of exciting issues that are happening not only within this place but up in the electorate of Chaffey. The Riverland floodplains are awash at the moment with high flows, and the nine year Riverine Recovery Project has released its final report. It is an $88.3 million project which has delivered across multiple phases of the floodplain system, particularly around the Riverland floodplain network. The report shows that the 7.24 gigalitres of water that have been returned to the environment are working.