ZOOS SA

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:31): My question is to the Treasurer. Is the reason that the observers on the Zoo board did not advise the Treasurer that the Zoo bailout was $1.2 million short, as the Treasurer told the house yesterday, because the observers on the Zoo board simply did not exist?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:32): Look, I have explained the reasons for the $1.2 million bailout being less—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The financial settlement—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I have explained the reasons for the $1.2 million settlement being less than it needed to be, simply because the Zoo was of the understanding, based upon a letter from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, that an earlier drawdown—

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Davenport, you've asked your question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Madam Speaker, can I say how refreshing it is to see the member for Davenport finally out of hibernation. It occurred to me the other day that the Zoo and the parliamentary Liberal Party—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —there's a parallel—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: There's a parallel between the problems that confront the parliamentary Liberal Party, and confront the Zoo because—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I think even you will agree at this stage that the minister is entering into debate instead of answering a very important question as to how he lost two observers.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Thank you, member for MacKillop. I do direct the Treasurer back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: If you might just indulge me just a moment, both the Zoo—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: —and the parliamentary Liberal Party have a problem with one of its attractions, in that it is not able to get much, shall we say, vigour, out of one of their star attractions, and it is great to see the member for Davenport back in harness, asking a few questions, doing a bit of media for a change—something that we haven't seen for a number of months.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Nonetheless, the simple fact is that we entered an arrangement with the Zoo. There was a misunderstanding over the nature of an earlier payment.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Davenport!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: The Zoo understood it to be a one-off grant and expended it accordingly. The government had provided it and made a decision on the basis of it being a drawdown. The opposition can try and cloud the issue all they want.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: This government makes no apologies—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: This government makes no apologies for doing what it had to do to ensure the financial sustainability of the Zoo to ensure the Zoo remained open. The Liberal Party would have had the Zoo unable to meet its financial obligations and would have seen the Zoo closed. That is the issue.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: the minister is again debating.

The SPEAKER: Order! I think the minister has finished his answer. The member for Florey.