Sam Telfer
Member for Flinders
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March Update on 5CC and Magic
The Port Lincoln desalination plant and the Liverpool Street roadworks have been dominating as major issues on the Lower Eyre in recent times. Last month …
Patient Assistance Transport Scheme
Parliament recently discussed the importance of the Patient Assistance Transport Scheme (PATS) and improvements needed to the scheme to assist those living in rural and …
Port Lincoln Roadworks – Question to the Minister
Last week in Parliament, I asked the Minister for Regional Roads about the works being conducted along Liverpool Street and Hallett Place in Port Lincoln. …
Monthly Update on 5CC/Magic 89.9
If you’re not familiar with our commercial radio stations, I have a monthly spot on 5CC and Magic 89.9, where I give my thoughts on …
Flinders Ports Youth Travel Grant Applications
The Flinders Ports Youth Travel Grants Scheme continues to be open to students in the electorate of Flinders, to support them in their travel for …
December Update on 5CC
The end of the month means it’s time for me to catch up with Brett (This month it was Terry filling in) on 5CC. If …
Biography
An experienced Eyre Peninsula community leader, Sam Telfer has the passion and drive to maximise the many opportunities across Flinders.
With over a decade in local government, serving as Mayor of Tumby Bay and President of the Eyre Peninsula LGA, Sam has connections with communities across Flinders, and an understanding and appreciation of the unique challenges of each diverse community.
Sam has a passion for delivering in key areas such as regional health, economic development, and road and infrastructure investment.
Delivering for the local community
$4.5 million for Ceduna Area School
24/7 security guards for
Port Lincoln Hospital
Investing in our important road networks
Standing up for our region for more doctors
and better healthcare
Social Feed
Today is International Firefighters Day, and I want to acknowledge the incredible work of those people who work and volunteer to keep our community safe from fires, especially those SA Country Fire Service staff and volunteers in our region. These are people that give of themselves to protect our communities right across our region and State, and we are in true gratitude to their selfless work. It was a privilege to thank them in Parliament this week, and I know that right across our region, the CFS are always welcoming new volunteers! Lincoln CFS
What a pleasure this week to host the Navigator College Year 9 class in Parliament House. They’re a great bunch of kids who asked some really good questions about our parliament, legislation, and democratic process!
Country football is back, and what a perfect day for it! 23 different clubs across 4 leagues across my electorate means I can’t be at all games, but great to be at Eyre United Vs Lock today to start their seasons.
I spoke to the media today about my concerns on the latest crime stats across our State. Our police work hard for our community, but are left struggling with insufficient resourcing. We have an officer shortfall of around 200 officers around the State, with more officers leaving the force than the number being recruited. This is exacerbating the challenge of getting police officers into regional SA, and the crime numbers in our centres such as Port Lincoln, Ceduna, and Port Augusta cannot be simply ignored!
We need to better look after our police officers who look after our communities.
It was a decidedly maritime day in Port Lincoln on Australia Day, with the One And All in the bay, a big Princess Cruises ship in port, and the Hecla with its full sail on display on a glorious day!
Today was the sod turning for the new CH4 aquaculture facility at Louth Bay for producing asparagopsis which will be used as a cattle feed additive. An exciting economic opportunity for the Eyre Peninsula!
A spectacular afternoon around the West Coast catching up with community up around Elliston. There’s always so many incredible photo opportunities!
#eyrepeninsula #nofilter
Today was the State Police funeral for Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig, who was killed in the line of duty just over two weeks ago. It was a beautiful service for a man who served his community, including on the Eyre Peninsula, and State for over 30 years, and it was a privilege to be a part of the day. Our police put their lives at risk every day on the job, and it is devastating when such a horrendous incident like this happens.
A special assembly at Cleve Area School this morning to recognise the school year and achievements. It was also a chance to congratulate the graduating Year 12s, with a special thank you from their Reception class buddies! Congratulations especially to Lexi on receiving the Sam Telfer MP Student Award for 2023 for all she’s done in her school community and the community as a whole.
Happy National Agriculture Day!
Thanks to all our farmers and primary producers around our countryside who work hard to put food on our tables every day!
Harvest is happening for most of our grain growers at the moment, and today is an opportunity to celebrate our hardworking farmers and an industry which contributes so much to our country. #NationalAgDay
The Year 6 Civics class at @portlincolnprimary school today was a lot of fun, speaking to a great bunch of kids about the three tiers of government and my role as a Parliamentarian. They had some good questions that kept me on my toes! Thanks for having me there guys! #portlincoln
The 114th Cleve Annual Show had something for all ages, from pavilion displays, kids activities, shearing, horses in action, but also a novel fundraiser for Royal Flying Doctor Service, the ’Clawfield Cup’ yabby races. Although Yabbadabbadoo didn’t win it for me, it was great for so many to help raise funds for such an important cause. Well done to the whole Cleve Show team for putting in so much time and effort for our their community to put together a great day. @royalflyingdoc
Great to be out and about in the Cleve District today, especially seeing the latest upgrades at the Arno Bay Boardwalk, a great partnership between community and council to deliver a unique experience in our beautiful environment
@visitclevedistrict
The 112th Cummins Show has been another fantastic day, with fun and activities for all ages. The grounds have been so well prepared, and events run so smoothly, so congratulations to all involved at committee and volunteer level.
Today is the National Day of Police Remembrance, where we honour the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives to keep our communities safe.
Our police officers put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve, and it`s important that we take a moment to remember and appreciate their dedication and selflessness, especially those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the safety of our community.
It was my pleasure as Shadow Police Minister to attend the memorial service at Fort Largs, and lay a wreath in memory of their sacrifice.
#NationalDayOfPoliceRemembrance
The @lga_of_sa Roads and Works conference brings together Council infrastructure staff, CEOs, and Elected members to meet with suppliers, engineers, technical advisors and government and hear about the latest infrastructure opportunities which can be delivered for their communities. The event has been held in Port Lincoln this year, and it was great to be invited as both the local member and the Shadow Minister for Local Government, catching up with many including LGA President Dean Johnson and CEO Clinton Jury.
Relief for grain growers across the State this afternoon after hearing that the CFS have conceded that they will not change the arrangements for the Grain Harvesting Code of Practice for the upcoming harvest season.
The mooted changes would have meant lost production, longer harvests and potential losses to grain growers, and those consequences were not acceptable to me, the State Liberal team and grain growers across the State.
We stood firm with Grain Producers SA and their members, and this concession is a great outcome for all of those potentially impacted.
I’m often asked which Bay the best oysters come from, but that’d be like choosing your favourite child! That being said, it was great to drop in and catch up with Gary and the team at Zippel Oysters and see their impressive operation and the high quality product which they produce in the pristine waters of Smoky Bay. The oyster industry has gone through its fair share of challenges over the last few years, so it’s great to see the industry continue to excel through strong marketing, good genetic management, and sound environmental stewardship. #smokybay #oysters
If you have gyprock walls, there’s a strong chance you could have a little bit of the West Coast nearby! For more than 100 years there has been gypsum mining and export from out near Penong, with more than 2 million tonnes annually being shipped out of SA’s second busiest port at Thevanard. This product is used in a variety of situations, but predominately in the construction industry, with much of it heading to Australia’s east coast. Thanks goes to Leigh from GRA for showing me around the portside operation, and I look forward to checking out the mine site soon. #ceduna #eyrepeninsula
The Ceduna State Emergency Service team covers the second largest land area of any SES team in the State, as well as having a significant marine rescue component as well. They are always looking for more volunteers to join the team to be an active part of the community helping with a wide variety of different emergency situations. In meeting with the team I congratulated Anthony who recently received his 10+ years of service award and special commendation for his role in the 2022 Far North flooding event, as well as Bev who has been volunteering for over 40 years! A great team doing very important work in our community, so consider being a part yourself! #ceduna #eyrepeninsula
A beautiful day at Streaky Bay catching up with community members across town, and hearing from the District Council of Streaky Bay Mayor and CEO about the latest happenings within the town and the district. @streakybay.visitorcentre #streakybay #eyrepeninsula
Another day in the Southern Flinders, meeting with councils and community, including seeing Mayor Sue Scarman and CEO Kelly Westell at Northern Areas Council on the latest within their district, including road and bridge infrastructure funding, strategic planning, and advocating for adequate state government services within the region. I also enjoyed grabbing some Giant Twins at Laura, the home of Golden North, and making my way up The Bluff, a fantastic infrastructure initiative delivered by the former Liberal government near Wirrabara.
As Shadow Local Government Minister, it is important that I am meeting with councils and communities around the State to hear directly about what is happening on the ground. On my tour through the Mid-North today I met with the longest serving current Mayor, Ruth Whittle from District Council of Peterborough who has been Mayor since 1991, and the newest Mayor, Grant Chapman from District Council of Orroroo Carrieton, who became Mayor only yesterday, taking over from Kathie Bowman who has stepped aside after serving in the role for a long time. Along with their CEOs, we spoke about subjects including local government financial management, childcare in regional areas, and the need for metropolitan decision makers to appropriately understand the challenges in regional SA!
A busy last number of days in State Parliament, with the opportunity to dissect the budget and question government Ministers and departments through the Estimates process.
