Welcome to the first edition of my newsletter as your local Member of Parliament for Hallett Cove. It’s a great honour to have been given the opportunity to represent this area in state parliament and I am committed to working with you to make this community the best it can be.

On election day I was blown away by the huge surge of support I experienced in Hallett Cove. When the votes were tallied, the swing in Hallett Cove was fantastic, evidence that our community responded to being taken seriously, listened to and engaged with over the long term.

I am now committed to representing Hallett Cove to the best of my ability and to giving every resident a strong voice in our state parliament. No matter who you cast your vote for on election day, I will be here to advocate for you, to assist you in local and state matters and to work to build our community into a great place for you to call home. I will always have your back.

While the Liberal Party was not elected to government, I know I can be a very effective voice from opposition. Using my experience as your local councillor and deputy mayor on Marion Council, I will continue to be a champion for all things Hallett Cove.

My team and I have taken over the Bright electorate office at 7 Sturt Road, Brighton. We’ve given it a quick makeover and extended opening hours from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm. If we can be of any assistance, please get in touch via the contact details below.

I look forward to working with you in my exciting new role and I hope to see you soon.

David.

The Bright electorate office is now open for business! Please pop in if we can ever be of assistance.

Where: 7 Sturt Road, Brighton

Extended Opening Hours: 9.00 am – 5.00 pm, Monday – Friday

A Justice of the Peace service is available. Our JP is usually present, but please book on 8296 9833 to avoid disappointment.

People are cynical about politics and politicians. That’s a generalisation, but a fair one. As a new MP, and the second youngest in the House of Assembly, I’m determined to break the ‘same old-same old’ mould and do things differently. My new approach means:

• My community (that means you) comes first, second and third, it comes before party politics
   
• I will be continually present, I won’t just appear at election time touting for votes
   
• My office will provide the best customer service we possibly can, we’ve extended opening hours and the whole team is passionately committed to this community
   
• We will be activists, we’ll get out there and fight for causes, coming up for new ideas for this community and working hard to make them happen.
   
• We won’t over promise and under deliver, we’ll be realistic about what we can achieve for you, but we’ll also be visionary and push the boundaries where possible.
   
• We will serve every member of the community, no matter who you chose to vote for.
   
• We’ll try not to be too serious, making sure we have some fun along the way.

We can’t fulfil this approach alone. An MP and their office can’t change things without building strong partnerships with the individuals, groups and communities we represent. I look forward to nurturing great relationships with the people of Hallett Cove as we work together to make this community great.

On 6 May 2014 I was sworn in as the new Member for Bright and on 7 May 2014 I had the opportunity to deliver my maiden speech in parliament.

The maiden speech gave me the opportunity to talk about the electorate, my personal journey and my vision for my time in parliament. By convention other MPs who are present during the speech sit quietly and respectfully (a rare honour!).

Click here to watch on YouTube or read my maiden speech, click here.

Image: With the two most important women in my life (Hannah and Mum) at Parliament House. 

We got there! After much campaigning, I am pleased to say that the Transport Department has relented and agreed to reinstate services from Hallett Cove to Adelaide on the Seaford Line’s limited stop express service.

The draft timetable, which was recently put to public consultation on Adelaide Metro’s website, reinstates Hallett Cove Beach and Hallett Cove train stations as stops on the semi-express morning service from Seaford. Under the proposed timetable, express trains will leave from Hallett Cove Beach station at 7.25 am and 7.55 am and Hallett Cove station at 7.27 am and 7.57 am. These will only stop at Brighton and Oaklands stations before travelling express to Adelaide. This is an about turn from the previous timetable and recognises that Hallett Cove Beach and Hallett Cove are among the busiest suburban stations in metropolitan Adelaide.

As many local people would know, I am a regular train user and have been for many years, using the service to commute to work in the city. I will continue to use the service to travel to parliament. I believe that the great cities of the world have strong, reliable public transport systems and will always be a loud voice for public transport users.

Building on the sucess of our last seniors’ forum in March, we want these to be a regular service that our office provides. Our upcoming forum will explore the often difficult issue of Alzheimer’s disease and discuss how we can all work together to make our communities aware and responsive to the needs of sufferers, their families and carers.

Where: Lighthouse Community Church, Jetty Road, Brighton
Time: 2.00 pm - 4.00 pm on Tuesday 29 July 2014 (afternoon tea provided)

Expert guests: Phil Saunders and John Stewart from Alzheimer's Australia are coming to Brighton to listen to you. Whether you are a person with dementia, a carer, a family member, or an interested person, you are welcome to participate. We want to share our expertise with you and listen to your experiences and ideas for local action.

RSVP: Ruth van den Brink on (08) 8296 9833

During the election campaign, I pledged that if a Liberal Government was elected, we would offer Marion Council part-funding to transform Hallett Cove’s foreshore. This project was backed up by great designs that the council had put together, including a unique Anzac war memorial landscaped into the hillside at the foot of Grand Central Avenue; new picnic facilities, barbecues, shading, paths and play equipment; native gardens to link the foreshore to the nearby conservation park; and environmental protection and stormwater works. 

Unfortunately, although I was elected, the Liberal Party was just short of the majority needed to form government. This means that the project will not be fully funded by a state government contribution. 

I am still passionate about seeing this upgrade go ahead and have been heartened by the Hallett Cove community’s interest in the project. When it looked like it might fall over, locals pulled together a petition and lobbied the council to continue their efforts on the upgrade – Marion’s only foreshore location.

Led by the Lions Club of Hallett Cove, the community’s voice was loud and clear: this was a project they wanted to go ahead. Thankfully most councillors listened, overturning their decision to cancel the project and reinstating their commitment to it.

The project will now progress with a staged approach likely to be taken. Initial work will focus on developing the war memorial in time for the centenary of the Gallipoli landings in April 2015. 
I look forward to working the council and community as Hallett Cove’s foreshore is brought to life.

The Cove Civic Centre continues to rise from its foundations on the corner of Lonsdale Road and Ramrod Avenue. The steel structure is now largely in place and Ragamuffin Drive has been temporarily closed and will be turned into a pedestrianised paved thoroughfare, linking the Baptist and Lutheran churches with the Civic Centre and creating a broader community precinct.

The Civic Centre will include a new library, community rooms, enterprise centre (supporting local small businesses) and plaza area which can be used to host community events. 

During my three years on Marion Council, my proudest moment was the council’s decision to give the $13 million centre the go-ahead. It’s a great initiative which will reinvigorate our local community. 

The centre will be open in early 2014.

An issue which many of you have raised with me over the past few months is the disturbance caused by the exceptionally high pitch of the electric train horns.

I recently met with Transport Department officials to discuss this concern. I am pleased to inform you that all horns on electric trains will be replaced with a horn which has a more appropriate tone. This will be undertaken as new trains are phased into the network. 

I hope that these changes will go some way to improving the quality of life in our local community and ensure that the benefits from having a train in our community outweigh the negatives.

If you'd like to talk with me about any local or state issues, I'd love to catch up face-to-face.

On Saturday 12 July, Steven Marshall and I will be holding a listening post at Hallett Cove.  

Where: Hallett Cove Shopping Centre (outside Foodland)

Time: 12.00 am – 2.00 pm on Saturday 12 July 2014.