ADJOURNMENT
Mr BURNELL (Spence) (19:44): This evening I want to acknowledge the outstanding work of Regional Development Australia Barossa Gawler Light Adelaide Plains, an organisation that continues to drive economic growth, community collaboration and opportunity across our region. Just last week I had the privilege of joining RDABGLAP on a regional tour, a journey through our own towns and communities that showcased the projects, partnerships and people shaping the shared future of the region.
To the CEO, Jennifer Lynch: thank you so much for your warm welcome, along with Rolf Binder. At every stop, I saw firsthand the progress being made—small businesses developing, infrastructure being upgraded and communities working together with confidence and pride. It reminded me that regional development is not just a concept written in reports or captured in statistics; it's lived, it's local and it's led by people with vision and passion for their home.
While on the tour, I met with small-business owners taking their products to national and international markets, and I saw a university campus connecting students in these regions to organisations offering the highest levels of education in the country. What unites these stories is the guiding hand of RDA, connecting businesses and people to support, to funding and to opportunity.
Whether it's a family owned cafe expanding its workforce, a local manufacturer diversifying into exports or a tourism venture welcoming new visitors, RDA is there, helping each one navigate the path to success. They understand that economic development begins at the grassroots. It begins with local knowledge, local networks and local ambition.
Their work builds confidence, and with confidence come investment, jobs and a stronger future for the community they serve. Infrastructure is a central part of that story, including roads that connect workers to opportunity, digital networks that open doors to global markets and community facilities that strengthen the fabric of local life. These investments do more than improve access; they create fairness and ensure every family in every town has the same chance to thrive.
Another cornerstone of RDA's work is skills and workforce development. They partner with local employers, schools and training providers to equip people with the skills they need for the jobs of the future. A stand-out example of this partnership is the Barossa Regional University Campus, a vital local facility enabling Barossa students to undertake tertiary studies close to home.
It's a place where ambition meets opportunity and where young people, parents returning to study and career changers alike can access the support, technology and community they need to succeed. By bringing university learning into the heart of the Barossa, the Nuriootpa study hub is breaking down barriers to higher education, keeping talent in the region and building the skilled workforce our industries need.
In an era of rapid economic change, this commitment to lifelong learning, reskilling and upskilling is more important than ever. But challenges remain. Our region continues to face skills shortages across key sectors: construction, aged care, hospitality and primary production.
We know the need for continued investment in physical and digital infrastructure is critical to unlocking the region's full potential. We must keep backing our small businesses who turn local ideas into national industries. These challenges are not barriers; they are opportunities to be seized.
With RDA leading the way, our region is well placed to rise to the occasion. I want to take the opportunity to thank the board, the staff and their local partners across the Barossa, Gawler, Light and the northern Adelaide Plains. Their work is practical, purposeful and grounded in the needs and aspirations of the people they serve.
They bring optimism where it is needed and unity where it is most powerful. Regional development is about more than economics; it is about community, identity and opportunity. It is about making sure that every young person, every family and every worker can build a life and a future right at home and not have to move to a big city to work or study.
Our region is proud. It is innovative and it is forward looking, and with the continued support and leadership of RDA it is a region that will not just grow but flourish. I thank them for their vision, their partnership and their unwavering belief in the potential of our region, and I reaffirm my commitment to standing beside them as together we build a stronger, more connected and more prosperous future for the Barossa, Gawler, Light and the northern Adelaide Plains.