FORESTRYSA

Mr WILLIAMS (MacKillop—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (14:49): I specifically addressed the question to the Minister for Forests because I thought he would actually be able to answer it, but I will try again, Madam Speaker. Does the Minister for Forests stand by his statement to a forestry forum in Mount Gambier on 20 October last year regarding the proposal to forward sell timber rotations from ForestrySA's forests that 'It is a really bad time to sell.'

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (14:50): That was in the context of sale of forests per se, both hardwood and softwood. You break out the softwood component and it is a good time to sell.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: I really don't want to complicate things—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN: —but a lot of these assets that have come onto the market are a mixture of hardwood and softwood and I was talking about the combined entities. If you doubt the substance of the response, look at the Financial Review two days back and look at the difficulties that Elders are having selling their forestry assets, which are hardwood.