FEATURE
Stephan Knoll:
The Libs’ new generation Barossa MP Stephan Knoll has been hailed by many in the media as a future Treasurer and even Premier. But standing proudly in his expansive North Terrace office with 270-degree views overlooking a city skyline filled with cranes, including Hansen Yuncken’s Skycity Adelaide Casino expansion, he seems very happy with where he is right now. And why wouldn’t he be? Still only in his mid-30s, Knoll is already a Senior Minister in the first South Australian Liberal Government in 16 years. He’s got responsibility for Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Planning and Local Government, without doubt some of the most important portfolios for the state’s economy. To the untrained eye it might appear he has had a meteoric rise, but Knoll has had a life-long interest in politics, and despite his relative youth more runs on the board in the private sector than most of his parliamentary colleagues. “Politics has always been something that excites me,” says Knoll. “I certainly didn’t expect to be here at such a young age but as they say in politics timing is everything, and the opportunity to get into parliament at the age of 30 was too good to pass up. Having served one term in opposition and being given the opportunity to be a Minister at the age of 35 is a massive privilege. “The first 12 months have been a blur, there’s a lot to learn and I’m not afraid to say the words ‘I don’t know’. Twelve months in however, I think we’re now more settled as a government and certainly I feel more settled. 12
“There are big reforms to undertake this year: planning, public transport, local government; there’s also a lot of work we’re doing about finishing off our civil construction pipeline. I think we’ve been pretty honest about the challenges in front of us, especially budgeting. We said before the election we wanted balanced budgets and we’re doing that. We also haven’t hidden away from tough conversations we need to have with the community about government spending, and in my area that has led to some difficult conversations but I think we’ve been honest about that, we haven’t tried to hide it. We genuinely want to see balanced budgets. “I also think we’re a government that has delivered on our election commitments whether that be tax reduction, introducing legislation to parliament and the various infrastructure projects we took to the election. I think we’ve kept faith with the South Australian people, obviously with the exception of the right-hand turn!” Elected to State Parliament as the Member for Schubert in 2014, Knoll was born and educated in Adelaide and completed a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing). Following this he became general manager at his family’s business, Barossa Fine Foods, where he learnt first-hand the challenges small businesses face as they seek to grow. “Sausage making is a world away from building but a broad small business background gives you
a strong understanding of financial analysis, how to balance the books and the importance of strong financial management. It also gives you strong human resource management skills and that’s something I think can be missing in politics. The fact that I’ve had to hire and fire before, and to try and motivate people to head towards a single goal in business is a skill that is very much needed in politics considering you’ve got so many more stakeholders, from the voters to government departments and industry associations like Master Builders.” Knoll’s strong interest in and obvious respect for Master Builders SA as an important stakeholder is appreciated. Since becoming a Minister, Knoll has been a regular at Association events including the Housing Committee, Commercial Contractors’ Committee and the Building Excellence Awards, where he relished the opportunity to rub shoulders with industry leaders. “I’ve really enjoyed attending the Housing and Commercial Contractors Committee meetings. It’s been extremely valuable to get that direct feedback, and it’s a good cross section of the industry,” says Knoll. “I’ve been really impressed with how Master Builders engages and their commitment to driving the industry forward in a way that delivers better quality and outcomes as opposed to just trying to do what is only in the shortterm interest. Master Builders, unlike other associations, represents the entire industry. SA BUILDER WINTER 2019
