WORKCOVER CORPORATION

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH (Waite—Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): My question is to the Premier. Why were the Premier and the Treasurer telling senior businessmen during private discussions in January and February this year that they would steamroll the Labor caucus in order to ensure that WorkCover legislation sought by big business would be rushed through parliament within two weeks in the February sittings?

The opposition has been advised by a number of business sources that the Premier and the Treasurer were making such assurances to senior business people. I was advised at one meeting as Leader of the Opposition to expect the legislation to be 'rushed through'. I was told that the Treasurer and the Premier would see to it that opposition within the Labor caucus and the ALP would be brushed aside and criticism avoided by the rapid carriage of the legislation. The opposition understands that the Premier and the Treasurer were forced to back down by their own party, with the government backflipping to debate the bills in April.

The Hon. K.O. Foley interjecting:

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: That is exactly what you told them!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY (Port Adelaide—Deputy Premier, Treasurer, Minister for Industry and Trade, Minister for Federal/State Relations) (14:24): I can comfortably say that no-one rushes—

Mr Hamilton-Smith: Are you looking for a job after politics?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: What does that mean? The Leader of the Opposition has just interjected.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: The Leader of the Opposition has just reflected—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The house will come to order.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I take offence at the suggestion, quite deliberate by the Leader of the Opposition, that I somehow would be wanting to have these changes to the WorkCover scheme so I could get a job after I leave parliament. That is what you just said.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: That is what you just said.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Now, I am offended, sir, and I ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw that comment and apologise.

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Mr Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition has now said for me to get up and confirm that I will be here for the next two terms of parliament. He is deliberately accusing me of improper motives to support this legislation. He has to withdraw.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I do not think that the Leader of the Opposition has said anything that is unparliamentary. I cannot compel him to withdraw what he said because I do not think it was unparliamentary. He has not used unparliamentary words. I am reluctant to do this, but I leave it in the hands of the Leader of the Opposition, if he wishes to withdraw what he said. I point out to members on both sides not to interject and not to respond to interjections. I do point out to the Deputy Premier that, by responding to the interjection, he has put on record what the Leader of the Opposition said. It might have been better just to ignore it and to move on.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I will give the Leader of the Opposition the opportunity to withdraw, if the Deputy Premier has taken offence.

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: I will not be withdrawing. The Treasurer made unsubstantiated—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: —allegations yesterday. He is going to get a few back.

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.D. Rann interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I am on my feet. The Premier will come to order! That is all the Leader of the Opposition needed to say. Let us move on with the answer.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: As I said, I am offended at any suggestion that I would in any way support any legislation or any decision by this government to further a career I may or may not have post this parliament. That is a very grubby allegation, Mr Speaker.

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Sorry?

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Well, don't make outrageous allegations.

Mr Hamilton-Smith: Don't you either.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Now I'm being threatened.

The Hon. M.D. Rann: He's admitted that he's misleading the house.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Sir, the leader has just said that I shouldn't make allegations or he'll make some up and throw them back at me.

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Good approach.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Who do you think you are?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the Leader of the Opposition for interjecting. Let us move on, please.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I have just had another allegation of what deals have I done with business to dud the Labor backbench. That's what he just said. This is a level of contribution, sir, that—

Mr HAMILTON-SMITH: Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order. If you are going to allow the Treasurer to hurl insults across here and then stop us from responding, let's have a bit of evenness in it.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! For goodness sake. This is childish behaviour on both sides of the house. Let's move on with the question.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Mr Speaker, I will say on the public record that every decision I make—right decisions, wrong decisions, good decisions or bad decisions—are taken with good intent and that best benefit the government and the state. I do not make any decisions as a minister for personal gain, and to suggest I do is an affront to my professional capacity—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Sorry?

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I know it is frustrating, but I'm not going to let those allegations stand unanswered. The government (whether he refers to the Premier, myself or the minister) has always made it very clear to anyone we have spoken with that this is a very, very difficult decision-making process for the Labor Party. We have never hidden that. It is a very difficult decision for every single member of cabinet and caucus in our party because, quite obviously, they are not decisions that we would like to take if things were different. But the quality of this government and my colleagues is such that, confronted with an incredibly difficult, painful and hard decision, our collective caucus has made a decision to support this legislation. That is what political leadership is all about. That is what courageous political parties do when confronted with very difficult decisions.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: But, sir, the spotlight is clearly on the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, because we on this side of the house know what we are doing. The Leader of the Opposition now has to make a decision about whether or not he supports this legislation. The whole inference of his questioning today is that the government has taken too long to get to this point. You cannot for one minute say we have taken too long to get to this point but not say whether or not you are prepared to support it and expedite it through parliament. That they will not do because they want to play politics and walk both sides of the street. I will let the Leader of the Opposition explain to business why he does not want to support the legislation. That is up to him. I do not know what dialogue he has with the business community: that is a matter for him. But my dialogue with the business community—

Mr Hamilton-Smith interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition is warned a second time. The Deputy Premier.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: All I will say, sir, is that, if the Leader of the Opposition has anything he would like to share with the house about my discussions with the business community, I would appreciate it if he did so, because I am quite confident and comfortable about any conversation I have had with business having been in the best interests of this state.