Speeches

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Roxby Downs Horticulture Project launch

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I am very pleased to be here with you and to officially launch the Roxby Downs Horticulture Project.

Vegetation is a vital element of the streetscape and character of our cities and towns.

Throughout the Council areas I have visited in both city and country areas, I have experienced how urban vegetation makes a huge difference to the look and feel of a region.

With the challenges of climate change, vegetation is also crucial to providing shade and keeping temperatures down.

It’s great to see the Roxby Council’s commitment to addressing these challenges.

Research forecasts that the climate of Roxby Downs will become more like the conditions experienced at Oodnadatta: two degrees hotter, less rainfall and more frequent occurrences of extreme weather events.

Through this project, I am pleased the Council is on the front foot of mitigating the effects of these changes.

I am also pleased this project is being developed in collaboration with Kokatha Traditional Owners, to establish an interpretative storyline exploring the role of local vegetation and landscape, and with the Adelaide University students, who contributed to early stages of planning.

There is a common saying, “the best time to plant a tree was decades ago, and the second-best time is today”.

Doing so today also demonstrates our confidence in the future of Roxby Downs, something I have gained a strong sense of in my discussions with community members.

It’s my pleasure to plant a tree here today, that will serve the Roxby Downs community for generations to come.