16 September, 2026
The Hon. R.A. SIMMS (16:17): I thank the honourable members for their contributions: the Hon. Ben Hood and the Hon. Cory Bernardi. I note that there is no government speaker on this bill: I trust that is not indictive of a lack of interest in Australia Post or the issues faced by residents in the City of Adelaide who rely on this service. I am sure the local member, the Hon. Lucy Hood, would be surprised to see that no member of the Labor Party is contributing to this important discussion, given it is one that is of such significance to people in the City of Adelaide.
I am surprised by the position that One Nation has taken on this. This is the party that purports to be standing with the people, yet once again, when there is a test here in this parliament, it sides with the corporate interests with a rationalist approach—let's rationalise the services, let's shut down services in order to save a buck. I think, in taking this position, the Hon. Cory Bernardi is revealing his neoliberal Liberal Party roots, returning back to the old neocon days that we all know too well from his days in federal parliament.
I think a lot of people will be very disappointed to see the position of One Nation here: turning their backs on residents who rely on this basic community service. They will be very disappointed to see the position of One Nation and they will be very interested to see the position of the Labor Party when we test this at a vote in a few moments.
I note that more than 200 people have signed the petition introduced by City of Adelaide Councillor Eleanor Freeman on behalf of the local community, and I recognise her advocacy on this issue, along with Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith. This is the only post office in the western half of Adelaide city. The nearest post offices are located at the GPO or Halifax Street, which are over a kilometre away, and that does cause challenges for people who may be older or have issues with access.
I take the Hon. Cory Bernardi's point around regional post offices. It is a fair point and, indeed, I would have been happy to entertain an amendment. It is certainly the view of the Greens that we do not want to see any of these services close, but the kind of economic rationalist perspective being advanced by One Nation here, where we just need to slash services in order to sustain others, I think is something that a lot of people who support their political party will be offended by. I will call a division if this motion is not successful, and I urge all members of parliament to get on board and support it.