Department of Treasury and Finance, $55,722,000

Administered Items for the Department of Treasury and Finance, $1,592,537,000

Membership:

Dr McFetridge substituted for Mr van Holst Pellekaan.

Mr Williams substituted for Mr Duluk.

Minister:

Hon. M.L.J. Hamilton-Smith, Minister for Investment and Trade, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

Departmental Advisers:

Mr R.Manton, Director, Veterans SA.

Mr T. Crowe, Principal Management Accountant, Department of Treasury and Finance.

Mr K. Naughton, Chief of Staff.

The ACTING CHAIR: I declare the proposed payments open for examination, and I refer members to the Agency Statements, Volume 4. I call on the minister to make a brief statement, should he wish to do so, and introduce his advisers beside him. The lead speaker of the opposition may wish to make a statement, and then we will proceed to questions.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Can I thank the committee and everyone involved in preparing for today for their efforts. On my right is Mr Rob Manton, the Director of the Veterans agency, and on my left is Terry Crowe, Principal Management Accountant, Department of Treasury and Finance, which administer the agency. We have all the people we need. I thank the shadow minister for the effort that has been put into preparing for today.

I do not think there is any need for lengthy opening remarks, other than to thank Rob Manton for the effort he has put in over the past year in taking over the agency. We have beefed the numbers up slightly to cater for the centenary of ANZAC, taking on an additional three people, and there is a program of activities that no doubt we will outline shortly. I will hand over to the shadow minister to ask questions.

Dr McFETRIDGE: Can I just start by saying that I have enjoyed working with the government and this minister in veterans' affairs. It is one of those areas where there is complete bipartisanship in supporting our veterans, particularly this year, the centenary of ANZAC, which is a very important year for all veterans, it is important that we do what we should always do, that is, recognise the sacrifice they and their families have made for this wonderful state and this great country.

Can I also echo the minister's words in welcoming Rob Manton, who has been here a while and is doing an excellent job. I look forward to continuing to work with him in the way he has done in the past in a very professional way. I also look forward to continuing to work with the new members of the veterans' advisory council, which is working exceptionally well, and I look forward to continuing along those lines.

I will ask some questions about this very important portfolio in the time we have, and I refer to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, pages 174 and 175. Minister, can you tell the committee what are the total expenses for establishing and operating the Anzac Centenary Coordination Unit? Can you also outline the action and activities that will be coordinated under the ANZAC Day commemorative fund by the Anzac Centenary Coordination Unit?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: In January 2014, the state government committed $1.6 million to the establishment of an Anzac Centenary Coordination Unit within Veterans SA. The unit is working closely with South Australian government departments, agencies and commonwealth government ex-service organisations, community groups and schools to coordinate and provide support for the program of activities being undertaken so that a lasting legacy is created for the benefit of all South Australians.

The ANZAC centenary South Australia website—www.anzaccentenary.sa.gov.au—was launched on 2 April 2015. The site focused on collating and publishing information about ANZAC Day. The ACCU has updated the push communications for Veterans SA with the introduction of a series of electronic newsletters, e-alerts and e-notices reflecting information. The unit has introduced a weekly think piece series designed to promote discussion and produced an 'upcoming events' summary on a weekly basis, highlighting events. It has produced a monthly Veterans SA e-news containing links to articles on the website relevant to the veterans and ex-services community.

The unit has also commenced work on phase 2 of the ANZAC centenary South Australia website, which involves construction of a time line specific to South Australia's involvement in World War I. This is an important point because we want to celebrate the South Australian significant dates, rather than the national dates which do not necessarily co-align. That will form part of the Anzac Centenary Time Capsule project. The ACCU is working on the coordination of a major regional engagement strategy, the ANZAC Centenary Cheer Up Hut program, which involves statewide collaboration with key stakeholders from across government.

The ACCU is also scoping production of a publication about the history of the First World War from a South Australian perspective, with a view to the publication being completed and available for distribution in hard copy and e-book around Remembrance Day 2017. The shadow minister would have seen the booklet that was produced; I hope it went to all MPs, and I hope all opposition members received copies as well. I think further copies were available, if required. It is good to get the message out.

Dr McFETRIDGE: As part of the celebrations, we all like to fly the flag, so can you tell us how much funding will be provided in the Flags Fund and advise the committee about what this fund actually does?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I thank the honourable member for his question. In January 2014, the state government committed $10,000 to the establishment of a flags fund to ensure that ex-service organisations are available to replace and install national flags, state flags and military insignias for the ANZAC centenary. Distribution of the purchased flags has been coordinated by Veterans SA, and the take-up, I think, has been pretty good.

Dr McFETRIDGE: Same budget reference, can the minister provide the committee with a list and the amounts that were provided for supporting veteran-themed projects?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Yes, I can. In 2014-15, the veterans' affairs portfolio allocated $275,767.69 in grants to the veterans community. This included a $100,000 grant to the Legacy Club of Adelaide and a $100,000 to the RSL, $25,000 of which was provided by Department of the Premier and Cabinet. The mission of the Returned and Services League is to care for the health and wellbeing of the service and ex-service community for life and to commemorate the sacrifices of the past. Legacy is dedicated to caring for the families of deceased veterans. Today, Legacy has responsibility for over 100,000 widows and 1,900 children and dependants with a disability. The remaining $75,767.69 is from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs' annual allocation of grants.

The availability of grants is advertised in the Veterans SA publications, such as the monthly veterans Enews and the twice yearly produced Veterans' Voice newsletter. To be approved, the Minister for Veterans' Affairs' annual allocation of grants applications must be consistent with the following portfolio obligations: the education of South Australians about South Australia's involvement in our nation's military history, to honour and commemorate the service and sacrifice of SA veterans, to assist the education of South Australian veterans' dependants, and any other purpose other like kind determined by the minister. Grant applications are assessed by veterans who provide a recommendation to the minister.

I have a long list here, which I could provide separately or read out, if the member wishes. To give you an idea, I will just pick out some at random. Most of the grants are fairly small, and some of them are only a few hundred dollars—for example, the Royal Australian Army Corps, Defence Health Services and Remembrance Service got $500. Some of them are a bit larger—the RSL Macclesfield sub-branch flagpoles and remembrance garden, $5,340, and the Repat Foundation Health Research Paper Day, $3,500—and then there is as little as $200 to the RSL Henley Grange sub-branch for the World War II thankyou luncheon. These are just indicative, but I would be more than happy to provide the full list if you would like me to.

Dr McFETRIDGE: Yes, it would be interesting to see who is in there and what sorts of grants they are applying for, the purpose of the grants.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I will provide the full list to you. I will ask Mr Manton to write to you with the full list.

Dr McFETRIDGE: On funding for various projects, minister, I am sure that the committee would be pleased to hear about the progress of the Anzac Centenary Memorial Garden Walk project.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Thank you very much for this question about this very important project. I must say that this has been an interesting project for me to manage as minister because there are so many people involved. It is a proposal to create a wonderful memorial walk that will physically and symbolically link the state's principal site of remembrance, the South Australian National War Memorial on North Terrace, with the Torrens Parade Ground and the Pathway of Honour. It is the preferred project of the Veterans Advisory Council to commemorate the centenary.

The memorial walk will be based on Kintore Avenue. It is a unique link created between the places I have mentioned and it is now in the detailed design phase. Veterans SA is the lead agency for the project, with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure (DPTI) providing project management support, and architects Grieve Gillett Dimitty Andersen engaged to design the memorial walk after a competitive tender process. Requests for expressions of interest for construction have been issued and assessment of tenders is underway so we are well down the track.

The cost of the project has been set at $10 million. The state government has committed and put aside $3 million, with the commonwealth government agreeing to a further $5 million commitment. The Adelaide City Council has committed to fund 20 per cent of the project, up to $2 million, to include resurfacing Kintore Avenue.

Where it is at the moment is that we have our $3 million and the council's $2 million identified. I have written to the federal minister asking for his $5 million. Anything that the shadow minister or members opposite could do to help me with that would be gratefully appreciated. The sooner we get that money, the sooner we can get going.

When I came into this portfolio, I must say, I found this process had taken a bit of time. The council is involved, a range of government departments are involved and Government House is involved. I must thank the Governor for his cooperation in the movement of the wall by 10 metres. There are some broader urban renewal objectives held by the council further up and down this street into Gawler Place and at one stage, I must say, this project looked like growing into an urban renewal project. It got a little bit away from its core concept of being a remembrance project, so with the wonderful cooperation that I have had from my ministerial colleagues and the council, I just had to pull this back on track which was that it be a veterans memorial project which it now is and then to lock down the funding.

The important thing is for this to be done during the centenary of ANZAC. We do not want to get tangled up in time lines and urgencies. The minute you set a date everyone wants to know whether you are going to meet it or not, but I am optimistic that this will be completed by ANZAC Day next year. If it is not, for whatever reason, there will be no tears shed. The centenary of ANZAC goes on to the end of 2018, in fact, even a bit beyond that because of all the servicemen who returned home after 1918, so we are well down the track. I must commend DPTI for their wonderful support as project managers as well. They are really moving along on the project. Their project manager, Kylie O'Leary, has been fantastic and very supportive.

Dr McFETRIDGE: I understand that the federal money certainly is locked in. I remember this time last year saying that I had had discussions with the federal minister about their share and being assured that the money was there. I actually did front the federal minister recently at the RSL AGM about this issue and I did ask him to present me with a cheque at the AGM. That was not quite forthcoming, but he did assure me that the money is locked in and the money is there and I will do whatever needs to be done to make sure that money does arrive because it is a very important project.

I am pleased that the council has seen fit to come in with their share. Let's hope they deliver that on time because this project is not just for any individuals or individual organisations or sections or areas in the military, it is for all veterans. Members of the committee who have not seen the design should ask for a briefing on it. It is a particularly special project and I am looking forward to seeing it progress.

On the same budget reference, can the minister provide the committee with some details about publications released this year that have been made available to the public and will there be any particular publications about the South Australian light horse regiments? One area in particular that I am very interested in is Breakout Creek and the history with the early regiments being trained down there. Certainly, as a veterinarian, I have a strong affinity for our warhorses, the waler horses.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Thank you for the question. I might ask Mr Manton to answer it.

Mr MANTON: Not specifically related to that particular project that you have identified. Having said that, we are open (and this is part of the ANZAC centenary unit's task) to engaging with communities and, as they travel around the state with the Cheer Up Hut, the idea is to get communities to bring their family histories into those locations when the Cheer Up Hut is in that regional location to discuss exactly those things that you are talking about, with a view to compiling those into a more consolidated history of South Australia's involvement in conflict—not just a particular focus on a particular unit, or what have you, or conflict, but on South Australia's involvement across a century of service. I am quite happy to have a discussion with you over the next couple of weeks as to exactly how we might further the one that you have identified, because it sounds like it is something that we would be extremely interested in.

Dr McFETRIDGE: The same budget reference. Can the minister give some information about the regional engagement plan that is listed under the targets of veterans affairs?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I might hand that to Mr Manton as well.

Mr MANTON: The Regional Engagement Strategy is actually in the draft stage with me at the moment, and that strategy is aimed at commencing coincident with the federal government's centenary of ANZAC travelling exhibition, which will be in Adelaide in March, I believe, next year. The strategy is designed to visit regional centres around South Australia. When I came into this role, the minister did not want the centenary to be focused on just one particular area: he wanted to engage the entire state. That was my aim, as well, to ensure that, where appropriate, every individual, association, organisation, centre and town had its moment in the sun, where that was appropriate, throughout this centenary of ANZAC period.

The Regional Engagement Strategy is based on the Cheer Up Hut. The way that will work is we will have access to a mock-up Cheer Up Hut that will be moved around the state. Regional areas and towns will be able to bid for that mock-up to be delivered to a location of their choosing and it will then become the focus for that area to engage in issues associated with the centenary of ANZAC. That strategy is with me at the moment and I will be passing that to the minister within the next month or so for his consideration. There are some funding impacts associated with that. We have yet to identify exactly what they are but we are very confident we will be able to deliver that.

Dr McFETRIDGE: In that same budget reference under targets, can the minister give the committee some information about the improved healthcare pathway for the veterans community that is being worked on with SA Health?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Again, I will ask Mr Manton to answer that.

Mr MANTON: When the Veterans Advisory Council wrote its submission regarding Transforming Health, one of its requests was to have the veterans healthcare pathway to be developed along with a reassessment of the Veterans Service Guarantee, along with an updated version of the veterans healthcare framework document 2012-16. As that is a health matter, it has been passed to the Veterans Health Advisory Council which, as you are aware, is minister Snelling's council. It provides advice to him on veterans health matters. That task is underway with the Veterans Health Advisory Council, and Mr Chris Burns is now the presiding member of that council and is progressing that issue.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: The same budget reference. Minister, this relates to a present release that you put out jointly with the Minister for Health back on 3 February, and I read from it. It said that you have secured $500,000 in funding for the Repat Foundation so it can continue to serve the needs of veterans and to assist in the transition to a veterans health and wellbeing research foundation. The press release also says this will ensure that the Repat Foundation will be able to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Gallipoli with the annual ANZAC gala ball. I presume that $500,000 is a grant. My question is: does that come out the veterans' affairs budget or does it come out of the health budget?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: That has come out of the health budget. It was a decision of the Minister for Health. I saw what I understood to have been a very inaccurate report in the media—I am not sure what the source of it was, perhaps members opposite can tell me—suggesting that the whole $500,000 was used for a function. I just think that is laughable, utterly laughable, and whoever gave that to the media and then whoever printed it—look, to get an explanation of where that money came from in the budget line and budget paper and how it was deployed, you would have to ask the Minister for Health. My understanding is that it was for the broader mission of the Repat Foundation, which is to help fund research into key clinical issues facing veterans, which is going to be an ongoing priority for the government and veterans in the years ahead no matter what.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: When you referred to that event that was reported in the media, were you referring to the ANZAC Gala Ball?

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Yes. Somebody suggested, I think quite spuriously, that the $500,000 was—

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: Spent on that ball.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: Well, that is what I read. I just think that is both untrue and laughable, frankly. I do not know how anyone could make such a suggestion. I have heard lots of interesting things in the last 18 years; that is one of them.

The ACTING CHAIR: They must have been using only the finest wines.

The Hon. M.L.J. HAMILTON-SMITH: I was going to say, I don't know what you would be drinking at that one but whatever it was it would be jolly good.

The ACTING CHAIR: There being no further questions for the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, I declare the examination of the proposed payments adjourned and referred to committee B.

Sitting suspended from 13:13 to 15:14.