WITH one day to go before South Australia welcomes Minister for Education Jay Weatherill as its 45th Premier, rural South Australians are watching keenly to ensure his priorities are on target.
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SAFF's chief executive officer Carol Vincent wants the government's agricultural portfolio to be elevated to a higher position within Cabinet.
She said comments made by Mr Weatherill at a recent SAFF conference hinted this could happen and pointed to a number of other issues that should be addressed.
"Considering the number of fatalities on our country roads, we would like to see more road maintenance and improvements because some of our country roads are diabolical," she said.
"We don't support the reduction of speed limits in country areas but we do believe driver education and ensuring roads are maintained to the highest level of safety is important.
"Other issues high on the agenda would have to be economic business growth in regional areas, mining and urban sprawl in key food production areas, the impacts of energy and water costs on the farm sector and working with SAFF to develop a program for on-site alternative energy."
Ms Vincent called for more rural health funding and said SAFF would strive for "better engagement" with the government's Country Health SA.
"And when we look at the biosecurity levy, we want to see that government legislation is based on good policy and not purely driven by treasury cost recovery," she said.
South Australian Road Transport Authority executive director Steve Shearer said road maintenance should be covered in a State-wide transport plan dealing specifically with transport infrastructure.
He wanted the government to develop a comprehensive new document that would pave the way for the next 30 years.
"It needs more than the almost peripheral commentary on transport infrastructure that is provided in the State Infrastructure Plan," Mr Shearer said.
Opposition Agriculture spokesperson Adrian Pederick said the new Premier should oversee a major re-injection of funds into primary industries.
He said the department was suffering an $80-million budget cut over four years and that 300 people had left in recent years.
"This is a sector that by far contributed the most into the State's economy in the last financial year - well above the mining sector," Mr Pederick said.
"We need a renewed focus on food production and to work out where the true strength in the economy is."
Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire was optimistic about Mr Weatherill's expected back-down on compulsory paid parking at Adelaide public hospital car parks.
He said if the Minister could make that decision, it should be easy to roll back funding cuts to the Keith, Moonta and Ardrossan community hospitals as well.
But Mr Weatherill would not be drawn on specific policy discussions before beginning his new role as Premier on Friday.
"I will say that I want to bring a new focus to the regions, for example, the importance of food production and the opportunity for provincial cities to take advantage of the mining boom," he said.
*Full report in Stock Journal, October 20 issue, 2011.
