TRADING HOURS

The Hon. I.F. EVANS (Davenport) (14:26): My question is to the Premier. Why did the Premier tell the house last night that Woolworths and Coles were members of the Motor Trade Association when they are not, and will he now apologise to the MTA and the house?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: The Premier told the house last night, in relation to those opposing the government's shop trading hours policy:

...the significant members of the key protagonists in this debate, the AHA and the MTA, are Woolworths and Coles. That might tell you a little about where those organisations are coming from.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, the Minister for Trade!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: The Motor Trade Association has told the opposition that Coles and Woolworths are not members of their association and the AHA has told the opposition that Coles are not a member of the AHA, despite the Minister for Small Business' interjection.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Two weeks ago, when the Premier made public statements about Coles' and Woolworths' involvement, Coles came out and said the Premier had misled the public:

Coles is not involved in, or funding, either the SA Business Coalition or the AHA campaigns regarding SA trading hours.

A Woolworths spokesman said the company had no direct involvement in the campaign.

The Hon. J.D. Hill: Direct is the word there.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: They are not members of the Motor Trade Association, John. They are not members of the Motor Trade Association.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Davenport will sit down. Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Davenport!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! There will be no quarrels across the floor. Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Minister for State Development) (14:28): I can appreciate why the anxiety levels of those opposite are being raised by this debate because they are on the wrong side of the argument and they know it. They are feeling the pressure of the—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: a quite simple question was asked of the Premier.

An honourable member: What is the point of order?

Mr WILLIAMS: It is 98.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, we know what the question was. The member for MacKillop will sit down.

Mr WILLIAMS: The Premier has forged straight into debate.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacKillop will sit down. Premier, I ask you to continue the answer.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you, Madam Speaker. I am just making a few preliminary remarks while I address the question.

Ms Chapman: Make them relevant.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I actually get to answer in the fashion I choose. You don't actually get to script the answer as well as the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: I know the anxiety levels are very high on that side of the house and I know that they are strong supporters of Woolies and Coles. I know that they are on the side—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: this is plain debate. The Premier is making an argument which has got nothing to do with the question—

The SPEAKER: Thank you. The member will sit down.

Mr WILLIAMS: It is totally irrelevant to the question, whether we are supporters—

The SPEAKER: Sit down.

Mr WILLIAMS: —of Coles or Woolworths or not, and we are not.

The SPEAKER: Sit down! The Premier can answer the question as he chooses. It does sound like preliminary remarks to me, but I would ask the Premier to get back to the substance of the question.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Can I make a further point of order, Madam Speaker? The Deputy Leader of the Opposition is calling for order on the points of order, and continually interjecting. Can I ask him to observe the standing orders as well.

The SPEAKER: Thank you, minister.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, it is very clear where the interests line up in relation to this matter. We have Coles and Woolworths, who are substantial owners of hotels, service stations and other institutions that are complaining—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —that are complaining—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —that are complaining about the proposition that we are advancing, and we on the other side of the debate are the independent retailers, and all of the City of Adelaide in all of its forms—all of the businesses in the City of Adelaide that stand to benefit from this, and—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, members on my left!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —all of the working people of this state. The thing that strikes me is, try as they may to slip this characterisation, it is so much in their DNA they cannot—

Mr Pederick interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: That is, they are constitutionally incapable of seeing things from the perspective of working people.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: What is your point of order, member for MacKillop? Is it No. 98 again?

Mr WILLIAMS: Standing order 98, Madam Speaker, which says that in answering such a question, a minister or other member replies to the substance of the question and may not debate the matter to which the question relates.

The SPEAKER: Thank you—

Mr WILLIAMS: The question, Madam Speaker, was: why did the Premier tell the house last night that Woolworths and Coles—

The SPEAKER: Thank you, member for MacKillop—

Mr WILLIAMS: —were members of the MTA when they are not?

The SPEAKER: —you have made your point. You have made your point; you will sit down.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Madam Speaker, the substance—

An honourable member: We're waiting for the ruling.

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The substance of—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: the Speaker hasn't made a ruling.

The SPEAKER: Order! I have not had a chance to make a ruling; you have been jumping up and down like a jack-in-the-box.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Premier will get back to the substance of the question. I do not believe, at this stage, that he has been debating. The words 'Coles' and 'Woolworths' have come into the conversation regularly, but, Premier, can you please get back to the substance of the question if they are feeling anxious about it.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The substance of the question, Madam Speaker, is that Coles and Woolworths are substantial owners of interests in hotels, they are substantial owners of interests in the service stations which are represented by the Motor Trade Association on the one hand, and the AHA on the other—that is incontrovertible. They have been consistently—and we know what the position is of Woolworths and Coles: they want total deregulation, as do those opposite.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Alright, that's fine; I acknowledge you—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: You were in the—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: You were in the pocket of Woolworths and Coles, and that's fine.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: the Premier is again debating. He is saying—

The SPEAKER: Thank you; sit down.

Mr WILLIAMS: —'We know what the attitude of some people are.' That is clearly debating.

The SPEAKER: Thank you. You have not given the Premier an opportunity to answer the question because you keep jumping up all the time. Have you finished? Thank you. The Premier has finished his response; it is a waste of time.