ADELAIDE OVAL

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:26): My question is for the Minister for Infrastructure. Will the minister confirm that he has already done a deal with the South Australian National Football League, the South Australian Cricket Association and the Stadium Management Authority over the 80-year lease, control of the Adelaide Oval Parklands precinct and car parking?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON (Elder—Minister for Transport, Minister for Infrastructure, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (15:27): I am more than happy to answer the question. The truth is that I have made no secret of the fact that we are seeking to have football move to Adelaide Oval and play their season there with cricket.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I actually heard the question. I know you are a lawyer but I now understand your legal qualification—a lawyer without the intellectual content. We all now know what you are, which does explain a great deal. I understood the question. I am going to answer it.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: The member for Norwood always arcs up, doesn't he? Can I explain to you why you are sitting there? There is no seat further back.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I would love to answer your questions when your friends all stop yelling. I have made no secret of the fact that we want football to be played at Adelaide Oval. I have made no secret of what we want. I have told the council; I have told the public.

What we want to do is give a lease of 80 years to the Stadium Management Authority—correct. We want to give licences to football and cricket to play there—correct. We want to make sure that the events will have sufficient car parking guaranteed to them—correct. I have made no secret of that at any point.

I gave notice that I will introduce a bill tomorrow and I will seek to do all of those things. You may seek to frustrate it; that is the nature of this place, but I have told those people I am going to seek to do it. Have I done a deal with them? I have given my undertaking that I will attempt to achieve that. Yes, and that is what I will do because I always keep my word.

Yes, that is what I will do, but it is up to you to frustrate it. So, I ask you: will you support football being played at Adelaide Oval? Will you do it? Because my position is clear. The one thing we don't know is what your position is. What we do know is, a little while ago, football had to have a stadium; that is what we do know. What we do know is, a couple of years ago, you thought playing—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Oh, stop it, we are fed up with you. We should—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: When you are done. When the member for Davenport is done. He has got a bit annoyed today. He has a bit of personal feeling in some of these things, doesn't he? We do know that a couple of years ago, under the far more capable stewardship of the former leader of the opposition, who was, I understand it, a colonel with full qualifications—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order, member for Stuart.

Mr VAN HOLST PELLEKAAN: Point of order 138: irrelevance—completely irrelevant to the question.

The SPEAKER: Sit down! I am not going to uphold the point of order because I can't hear a word of what is going on. Question time is finished. Have you finished your answer, minister?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I will just point out that what I was seeking to do—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Sorry, what's the matter now? Oh, I wish we could get you a seat further back, but you'd be in the hallway. You really are not a very pleasant addition to this chamber. What I have said is, yes, those are the things that I have said to the codes that I will—I have never made a secret of that—seek to do.

They are the sort of things that you would be doing had you stuck with the commitment that you gave to get sport into the city. This is the big difference: I will stick with the undertakings I have given; I will seek to deliver them. I will not turn on them every time you change your leader. I just quote what you said in your document, Leader of the Opposition, 'Why can't we have a world class stadium into the city at Adelaide Oval?' Why can't we?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order. The minister is misquoting me. I never said any such thing in my document.

The SPEAKER: Is that a personal explanation you are seeking?

Mrs REDMOND: The personal explanations I would have to give after the diatribe from those two ministers this afternoon is too lengthy, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members will leave the chamber or sit down! No more interjections across the chamber.