‘But you have to follow the party line.’

That’s a statement I regularly face when I’m talking to local people.     

They shrug their shoulders and say this almost apologetically. Yet this is not the case; the very essence of the Liberal Party is that I don’t have to do anything that my colleagues demand and there is no ‘party line’ that I am bound to follow. 

I joined the Liberal Party because its vision of free enterprise, freedom and smaller government is closer to my view of the world than that of any other party, but I don’t blindly agree with everything the Liberal Party says and I use my position to ensure that the interests of my community are dominant in my colleagues’ minds when decisions are being made.  

I hope that you have noticed a distinctive shift since my election last year in the sort of representation our community gets. I don’t just live in this community, I live this community. It’s my backyard as well as yours and I will always put you first. Sometimes that will mean me making a judgment on what I think is best and you may not always agree, but rest assured a lot of thought will go into every decision I make.

My focus on community representation is why, rather than being an epistle of political gripes, this newsletter aims to give you a snapshot of our local community, detailing what’s going on in your backyard and letting you know what I’m up to as your local representative.

I hope that after 18 months in the job, I am presenting the fresh alternative that so many people seem to desire from political representatives.

David.

It's been a generation in the making but the Cove Civic Centre opened its doors for the first time on 27 July 2015. A celebration day was held on 1 August 2015 and over 2,600 people attended, enjoying musical performances, tours of the centre and kids activities.

As you are probably aware, the Cove Civic Centre is located at 1 Ragamuffin Drive, Hallett Cove (beside the Baptist and Lutheran churches), and is home to a library, business hub and community spaces. The vision of the centre is to provide the community with a facility which is flexible and can support a diverse range of activities including providing meetings spaces for people to connect for learning and recreation pursuits and supporting local businesses in their endeavours.

Tribute has to be paid to long-serving Hallett Cove councillor, Cherylin Connor, for her tireless dedication to making our community centre a reality. There is no doubt that without her perseverance, it would never have happened!   

It has been a privilege to be part of this project and I think its completion is a great achievement for the Hallett Cove community. I look forward to seeing you at the Cove Civic Centre soon!

For more about the Cove Civic Centre, including how to book the centre’s facilities, visit http://www.marion.sa.gov.au/cove-civic-centre.

The surface of Lonsdale Road between Majors Road and Barramundi Drive, Hallett Cove has long been in poor condition with a history of subsidence causing the road surface to undulate significantly.

I have been campaigning alongside community members for this stretch of road to be improved since my election last year and I am pleased that its poor condition has now been addresed (to some extent) with resurfacing and patching works completed last month.

Another matter that is regularly raised with me, and one that I have also been making representations on, is the condition of Majors Road, which has been particularly bad since the Southern Expressway Duplication project. I am pleased that, in addition to resurfacing on Lonsdale Road, there was also resurfacing undertaken on Majors Road between Lonsdale Road and the Southern Expressway.

There is still much work to be done though and further resurfacing remains a major focus of mine going forward, particularly the northbound section of Brighton Road, from Sturt Road through to Arthur Street, which, bizarrely was not completed at the time the southbound section was resurfaced.

I will continue to make representations to the state government and local councils regarding our roads and, if you have any comments or suggestions, you can email me or, for comments specifically related to Brighton Road, you can visit my dedicated campaign website www.fixbrightonroad.com.au.

One of the pressing needs in our local community and one of my priorities is to support small business to grow and create jobs. 

Brighton Surf Life Saver, Billy Jackson, has been named South Australia's Surf Life Saver of the Year in the statewide awards which recognise those who go above and beyond in keeping our beaches safe. He also received significant recognition at this year's Brighton Surf Club presentation night, receiving the President's Award (for major contributions to the club) and the Most Valuable Member award.

In the past year Billy has performed more than 200 volunteer patrol hours, not only at Brighton, but also at Goolwa where he patrolled and shared his experience at the new club which is just getting off the ground there. Billy volunteered for patrol on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day, so other club members could spend time with their families. As a Patrol Captain, he supervised the rescue of three beachgoers who had been caught by surprise on sandbars as a result of rising tides and personally gave first aid treatment to a man who suffered a heart attack.

Billy will now represent South Australia at the upcoming national surf life saving awards, held in Sydney in October.

I know Billy personally as he was one of the trainers who trained me when I did my Bronze Medallion back in 2009. He's a great guy, a community-spirited bloke and a passionate surf life saver. He's also a fellow Scot, which surely makes him an even more worthy recipient! Congratulations Billy!

Cost of living pressures are one of the issues raised with me most frequently and the increasing burden of taxes, levies, fees and charges on household budgets is unsustainable. This year has already seen yet another hike in the Emergency Services Levy (ESL) and with many in our local area ‘asset rich/cash poor’, relief is urgently needed. Below is a quick update on some important cost of living matters.

We all love our coastline and I know I'm not alone when I say that our beautiful beaches are the reason I live here. I can’t imagine not being able to access the beach and finding it impossible to dip my toes in the water, have a paddle or a gentle swim. Yet this is the experience of many people I come across who share my love of the beach, but who don't have the physical health to reach the water's edge.

That's why I have approached Surf Life Saving SA and the City of Holdfast Bay to see if we can work together to create disability-friendly access paths across the beach. My vision is that these would be available when surf life saving patrols are in operation so they can be monitored.

Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference and I'm determined to push this idea forward.

I enjoyed attending the Hallett Cove R-12 School soccer program information night recently and finding out more about the specialist program this school will be running for year eight and nine students (male and female) in 2016.

This program offers both males and females an opportunity to pursue a comprehensive study of soccer which includes a theoretical component, technique and skills, fitness and game awareness.

Soccer has a strong following in Hallett Cove and I think this is an exciting step for the school and the Cove Football Club who have worked together to make this happen. 

To find out more about this program, contact Hallett Cove R-12 School on 8392 1020 or email info@hcs.sa.edu.au.

Pictured: with Cove Football Club Director of Football, Tom Ballantyne, Hallett Cove R-12 School Principal, Mary Asikas and Cove Football Club Chairman, Andy Fry

My electorate office has now become formally fair trade accredited, ensuring that we do our bit to support decent, dignified work practices and sustainable economic development in developing countries.

To find out more about my fair trade office, visit www.davidspeirs.com.au/fairtrade.