The PM's Visit
This page updated 6 July 2008
On 5th July 2008, the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, with SA Premier, Mike Rann, SA Senator and Water Minister Penny Wong visited the shore of Lake Alexandrina near Milang.
Well... about 100 people, Milang, Clayton, Point Sturt and Langhorne Creek locals, milled around Joyce's shop from 8am with ABC radio and TV, commercial TV and other media talking about tortoises, soils, pictures of the lake, how cold it was, etc etc until about 9 am. Various "local colour" media interviews about how it was, acid sulphate soils etc.Then we all took off for the pump sheds 3km on the Lake road (where the dredging was) and stood around in the cold wind for another half hour, before the cortage arrived: Kevin Rudd, Mike Rann, Penny Wong, Dean Brown and minders, who met the local "dignitaries": Mayor Kim, the Alex. council CEO and Lesley Fischer from Narrung. Not a word to the crowd, who were too cold to make much noise anyway.
A walk out onto the lake bed, disturbing the pelicans, and a sound grab for the media scrum followed by a session with the people. I saw Anne Hartnett giving a tortoise carcass to the PM, and various others including our Waterkeeper having a word. I personally spoke to several locals whom I hadn't met before, so the word spreads.
Then the PM was back in the car, clutching Terry's book and Anne's tortoise, and off.
Not a promise about water to be heard, only pipelines.
JY
