Department of the Premier and Cabinet, $266,003,000

Administered Items for the Department of the Premier and Cabinet, $9,289,000

Premier, other items, $5,426,000

Minister:

Hon. S.S. Marshall, Premier.

Departmental Advisers:

Mr S. Woolhouse, Executive Director, Communities and Corporate, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

Ms E. Balan-Vnuk, Executive Director, ICT and Digital Government, Department of the Premier and Cabinet.

The CHAIR: We come to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet and the Office for Digital Government. The minister appearing is the Premier. I declare the proposed payments open for examination. Premier, would you like to introduce your advisers?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes, I certainly would. I would like to introduce Steven Woolhouse, Executive Director, Communities and Corporate; and Eva Balan-Vnuk, Executive Director, ICT and Digital Government.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Is the Chief Executive of DPC not joining us today?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That is correct.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Regarding Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 18 and the third paragraph in relation to 'coordinating a range of inter and intra-governmental arrangements and activities', as well as the 'led South Australia's representation on the National Coordination Mechanism', does the state government still have federal government approval to commence a pilot to bring hundreds of international students to South Australia?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We have been working through the final details of that with the federal government. They are committed to a proof of concept in South Australia, but of course, with the current outbreak, that is extraordinarily unlikely to occur this month as we had previously indicated because we have suspended all international flights into South Australia.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Before the latest cluster, the Parafield cluster, when were the international students expected to be arriving in our state?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We did not have a confirmed date. That is something that we are working through with Australian Border Force.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: From which countries were those international students arriving?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We had worked with our three South Australian universities looking in the first instance to return people from overseas who had already begun studying in Adelaide, so these were people who had been in Adelaide, gone home and come back. I do not have the countries in front of me, but I am more than happy to take that question on notice and provide them.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has the state government commenced any planning for large-scale returns of international students for next year, so for 2021?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: We have spoken to the universities about our wish to bring students back when it was safe to do so, but the Prime Minister has made it really clear that our priority is to bring back stranded Australian citizens. We have participated in the national repatriation of Australian citizens, and they are taking up quite a significant number of rooms in South Australia, and we have to be mindful of the number of available rooms.

The issue for Australia is that Victoria has been offline now for many months in terms of their participation in the repatriation program, which has meant that the waiting list has blown out. We have agreement with the federal government for the proof of concept but, with regard to the bringing back of the international students, we have no approval for that. But we are hopeful that, as Victoria comes back online, we will be able to move through and reduce that backlog to the point that in the new year it might be possible to bring those international students back to Australia.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I will move on to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 17, program 1 regarding communications. Who does the Director of Communications in DPC report to?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: He reports to Steven Woolhouse.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Does he provide advice to other government departments and agencies on advertising campaigns?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that he provides support to the Government Communications Advisory Committee (GCAC).

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What are their responsibilities in relation to the approval of government advertising?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that the Government Communications Advisory Committee (GCAC) came into effect on 1 July 2019. The committee maintains strategic oversight of government communications and is responsible for reviewing and approving marketing communications, advertising and commercial sponsorship activities; maintaining relevant policies and guidelines; and reporting to cabinet on all communications matters.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What was the total amount spent on government advertising in 2019-20?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: In 2019-20, it was $29.2 million.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What is the total amount allocated for government advertising in this financial year?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am going to take that question on notice because it is actually spread across all government agencies rather than a consolidated figure. To give you some assurance that we are being prudent with taxpayers' dollars, I can tell you that the government expenditure for 2019-20, which has been consolidated, is $29.2 million, which compares with $36.4 million in the final year of the previous government.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Are you able to take on notice the amount allocated for government advertising in 2021?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Yes.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How many campaigns above $50,000 were conducted in 2019-20 and approved by GCAC?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am not sure that I have that information.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Are you able to take it on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Above $50,000 did you say?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised all that information is actually on the website and this is proactively disclosed—all contracts over $50,000, and they are the ones that are subject to the GCAC approval process.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What were the campaigns that cost more than $1 million?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: As I said, that information is all readily available and it is actually on the website. We can send that information through. We can send you a link to that.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How many campaigns with a total cost above $1 million have begun or are scheduled to begin in 2020-21?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That information is also available on the website. We are a very transparent government.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Have taxpayer funds been expended to boost social media, featuring the Premier's image or for party political purposes, in contravention of the government's marketing and communication guidelines?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Have any taxpayer funds been expended to boost any social media platforms featuring the Premier's image?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Not that I am aware of.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has the state government utilised any celebrities or influencers to promote government campaigns via social media?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: How much is a contract with McGregor Tan to provide research services to the government worth?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Does the contract include conducting focus groups?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS:. Did the government conduct focus groups in relation to COVID-19?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Does the contract include polling?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Can you be more specific on 'polling'?

Mr MALINAUSKAS: The contract with McGregor Tan, does that contract include polling services?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: It depends what you mean by polling services. They are certainly not asking people their voting intentions, but they are gathering statistics on behalf of the government to inform decision-making.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Sure, but does that include polling in terms of people's understanding—polling obviously could be used extensively for different purposes.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am just not sure what your definition of polling is as distinct from research.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Well, asking people quantitative questions.

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Isn't that research? It is a research contract and you would think—

Mr MALINAUSKAS: You would well appreciate that there are different—

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I just do not want you to assert that there is some—when people use the word 'polling', they are often thinking about political polling. There is a research contract, and I think it would be fair to assume that there will be a research component of a research contract.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Yes, that is self-evident, but you will appreciate that there are different types of research. There is qualitative research and there is quantitative research, polling being the best example of quantitative research. Is there quantitative research, otherwise characterised as polling, provided within that contract, notwithstanding, I acknowledge, the Premier has ruled out that it has been voting intention?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I cannot be any clearer. We have a research contract and the government seeks information from the public to inform public information campaigns. We think this is very important. McGregor undertakes both quantitative and qualitative research. I think the arrangements here are very similar to what was used by the previous government.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: In the quantitative and qualitative research conducted by McGregor Tan, are questions asked about perceptions regarding the performance of the Premier or his government?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: In the quantitative and qualitative research conducted by McGregor Tan, are questions asked about the perceptions and the performance of the opposition or other parties?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Not that I am aware of.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Are you able to take that on notice?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The reason for doing this research is to inform important public information campaigns. We use this information to make sure that we have the information in a good format for presentation because we want to effect good public information campaigns that inform our public.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Moving on, I am conscious of time.

The CHAIR: There are 10 minutes to go. While we are on definitions, I would be interested to know what the definition of an 'influencer' is. But, anyway, that is for another day.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I will leave the pop culture to the member for Kavel. Regarding the Office for Digital Government—Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 12—what specifically is being done to strengthen digital engagement between government and the community?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that one of the principal areas is the YourSAy government website, which seeks input from the people of South Australia on a range of issues. We have used this very extensively since we came to government. It was a platform put in place by the previous government. It is certainly one that we have been using extensively.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Does the state government test the effectiveness of digital platforms by collecting data from visits to government websites, such as the user's location, information about how the user interacts with websites, how long they spend on a page, information about browsers and the device?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that we keep basic statistical information, such as how many a site is accessed and how many pages within the site are accessed, but we do not keep any personal detail.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Is that information shared with any external agencies or organisations?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Often we put in press releases how many people have visited a website but, as I said, it does not contain any discrete information about individuals.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Before uploading information to websites, do agencies have to go through an approval process?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that agencies are responsible for approving their own content, and there are standards and protocols across government, but the agencies are responsible for the content that they put onto their sites.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Have there been any data breaches or unauthorised access to information over the past 12 months?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What measures are taken to ensure that our government websites are protected from any external interference?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am advised that we have extensive cybersecurity measures in place across the government and that these are principal protections for government websites.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What processes or assurances can the Premier give that data received by the government is kept secure, for the government's purposes only?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: There are various pieces of legislation which govern the way the government uses information from citizens and there is also legislation and guidelines which cover how government agencies share that information through the intergovernmental data sharing arrangements. Also, there are very strict protocols with regard to which public servants can access that information.

The CHAIR: Leader, the member for King is indicating that she has a question.

Ms LUETHEN: Thank you, Mr Chairman. My question is in relation to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 18. How does this state budget deliver upon the Magnet State Program to attract young people to stay in and move to South Australia?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Certainly, this has been a major priority for our government since coming to power. The reality is that we have seen a large number of young people, in particular, who have left our state. One of the things that we have been doing is to look at all the available evidence in regard to cities and jurisdictions that attract—a magnet—rather than repel young people. It is fair to say that we have a big task in front of us.

The good news is that with some of the programs that we have already put in place we are starting to see that turn around. The March quarter saw us get back nearly to zero in terms of our net interstate migration. In the June quarter, we actually had a positive migration to South Australia. This is something that we are very proud of.

Recently, we have worked with 40 people—under 40 or around 40—to get their impressions on the things that attract them to South Australia. They are a combination of people who have lived here their entire lives, people who have been here and moved overseas or interstate and come back, or people who have just come here for work or study. That has been very informative to us and will inform how we go forward with making sure that we can turn around this situation that South Australia has had for a very long period of time.

I must say that the June quarter statistics showed a net migration to South Australia. I think this was the first quarter since the statistics have been in place since 2002, so it has been a very long period of time. We hope to continue that flow back to South Australia, which will help us to increase our population but, most importantly, keep some of our most talented South Australians right here and not looking for work interstate and overseas.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I refer the Premier to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 15 regarding chief executive performance management and recruitment. What will the total remuneration package be for the new chief executive of DPC?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: In relation to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 15, was DPC involved in providing advice regarding the contract awarded to Keolis Downer for the train privatisation?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: No, not that I am aware of.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Did anyone in the Premier's agency raise any concerns regarding awarding the contract to Keolis Downer or the probity of that tender process?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Not that I am aware of, no.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What advice did you receive about the probity of the tender process?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: The probity is subject to the investigation that we referred to in the earlier examination of the Auditor-General's Department and there will be an investigation which is fully funded by the government centrally to the Auditor-General's Department and, of course, we will receive that by 15 February unless there is an extension sought and granted.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Has the Premier's department conducted any investigations or analysis of potential privatisations, outsourcing or any other government assets that the government has not yet privatised?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: Not that I am aware of, no.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Were any case studies presented on the success or failure of Keolis Downer's operations interstate or overseas before the contract was signed?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: That is not a matter for DPC, as I have outlined in my previous answers. It would have been something that would have been the subject of the work done within the department and came to cabinet. All those conversations in cabinet, of course, are kept strictly confidential.

The CHAIR: The final minute.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Moving on to Budget Paper 4, Volume 4, page 18, dot point 2, Lot Fourteen, how many tenants at Lot Fourteen have received reduced rent, rent holidays or any other incentives, such as fit-out costs or tax exemptions, to locate to Lot Fourteen?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am not aware of any outside the government program, which is the Landing Pad program, which I believe is operated by Defence SA. There is an incentive program associated with that small number of companies, and they do sit on Lot Fourteen. I am not aware of any others, but I am happy to make an investigation and come back to you if there are.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: What incentives were provided to Accenture to establish their hub in South Australia at Lot Fourteen, and what are the terms of their lease?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I am not aware that Accenture have made a decision to go onto Lot Fourteen.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: Were any incentives provided to Accenture?

The Hon. S.S. MARSHALL: I will take that question on notice and come back.

The CHAIR: We have come to an end. We have come to the allotted time. There being no further questions, I declare the examination of the proposed payments for the portfolio programs, Department of the Premier and Cabinet and Office for Digital Government, complete.

Sitting suspended from 10:45 to 11:30.

The CHAIR: Welcome back to members of Estimates Committee A. I am going to make a short statement. Pursuant to standing order 268, I advise the committee that I as Chair will be requesting that the Speaker vary the estimates timetable to facilitate the proposed payments scheduled for today due to the unavailability of the Premier for the remainder of the day.

Mr MALINAUSKAS: I would quickly like to offer the opposition's total and unequivocal support for such a move. As we indicated earlier in the week, the opposition stood ready to provide any support and assistance we can to the government in light of the potential crisis the state is now in. We offer total flexibility to accommodate the Premier's movements in order to be able to deal with the task at hand. There are no reservations from the opposition in accommodating this rescheduling of the Premier's estimates hearings.

Dr HARVEY: I move:

That the committee adjourn until Thursday 19 November 2020 at 12 noon.

Motion carried.

At 11:37 the committee adjourned to Thursday 19 November 2020 at 12:00.