Charlotte Varcoe
MOUNT Gambier/Berrin resident and newly inducted Member of the Legislative Council Ben Hood has made his maiden speech in the Upper House.
Last week Mr Hood stood in front of his colleagues and spoke about his history and experience living in regional South Australia.
Mr Hood was inducted into the Upper House earlier this year after previous Minister for Health Stephen Wade stepped down.
After making his maiden speech, it now gives Mr Hood the opportunity to speak in Parliament during sitting days and introduce bills and motions.
In his speech, he touched on a number of critical issues surrounding the regions of South Australia including education, housing and the importance of small businesses.
“We must ensure our education system reflects education and not indoctrination,” Mr Hood said.
“Those who educate but importantly inspire our children…we must ensure the basics are taught in primary school and instil in our next generation the skills of critical thinking and resilience, teaching not what to think but how to think.”
He also touched on his own business, the well known children’s character George the Farmer.
Mr Hood said it was “vitally important” the next generation knew the “true origin” of where food comes from.
He emphasised he meant from the farm and not the supermarket shelves and encouraged children to understand the role farmers play in the prosperity of the state and nation.
“It is also vitally important the next generation are encouraged to do what I have done and start their own business or at the very least understand how important a small business is,” Mr Hood said.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy, especially in the regions and I want to advocate for our small community businesses because I know what it means to risk everything to go out on your own, employ people and make ends meet.
“There is no greater risk but similarly no greater reward.”
Mr Hood raised the issue of housing difficulties including residents who are struggling to purchase their own homes.
“I want the people of South Australia to have the opportunity to own their own home, to start a business, the opportunity to create and give back to the community and have a crack without the government getting in the way,” he said.
“I hear of people not being able to access the housing market, when stamp duty may account for up to 20 per cent of their deposit.
“With the increasing number of Australians believing homeownership is an unattainable aspiration and without the bank of mum and dad, this great Australian dream is vanishing for today’s youth.”
He said the current housing market was “crushed by regulation and red tape, finance, planning and construction”.
“There is no greater example in Australian history of the proportional relationship between bureaucratic regulation and poor outcomes, except perhaps in education,” Mr Hood said.
“Stamp duty is lazy, archaic and an inefficient tax, alternative taxation methods that are more efficient, and Farah ought to be investigated as jurisdictions throughout the state.
“A State Government should be finding ways to reduce red tape to limit oppressive costs of doing business and I will fight for these throughout my time.”
“Government is at its best when it works in tandem to provide equal access to opportunities and nurtures the aspirations of the citizens they’re elected to represent.”
Since his maiden speech, Mr Hood has spoken openly about the issues surrounding radiation treatment in the Limestone Coast.