SUBMARINE PROGRAM

Dr CLOSE (Port Adelaide) (14:35): My question is to the Treasurer. How important is the future submarine program to the South Australian economy?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation, Minister for Defence Industries, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:35): I would like to thank the member for Port Adelaide for the question and acknowledge her commitment to the maritime building in her electorate at Techport at Osborne. The Australian government is committed to the assembly of the future submarines in Adelaide. During my visit to the Pacific exhibition in Sydney, the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, reinforced this commitment to acquire 12 new submarines to be consolidated in South Australia over the next 30 years.

The construction value of the fleet has been priced as high as $36 billion. This project would be the largest and most complex defence project ever undertaken by Australia. It will be equivalent in scale to the Olympic Dam mining expansion and will provide significant job opportunities for South Australians for decades to come. However, I am concerned that if the Liberal Party is elected at the next federal election this could all be in jeopardy.

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order. The member for MacKillop.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, this is clearly debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: The Treasurer is now offering an opinion which is a debate.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Thank you. At this stage I do not uphold that point of order, but the Treasurer will stick to the substance of the question.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Thank you, Madam Speaker—

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: Bring it on as a debate. Bring it on as a debate if you want to debate it.

The SPEAKER: Order! The member will sit down. Minister, will you please get back to the substance of the question and do not provoke them.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I will, madam. Last night on ABC TV's Lateline, Tony Abbott's shadow defence minister, David Johnston, threw doubt over the Coalition's commitment—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker. My point of order is one of relevance. The question was: can the Treasurer explain the importance of the submarine project to Port Adelaide? It had nothing to do with Tony Abbott or the Liberal Party.

The SPEAKER: Treasurer, can you finish your answer?

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I am happy to, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Madam Speaker, he threw doubt over the Coalition's commitment to—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: Madam Speaker, the—

The SPEAKER: Order! There is no point of order. The government can mention the opposition if need be, and if it is relevant to the answer I do not have any problem with it.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker—

The SPEAKER: You are not listening. You are jumping up without hearing the rest of the explanation.

Mr WILLIAMS: Whatever was said on TV in Canberra yesterday has got nothing to do with the importance of the submarine project to Port Adelaide.

The SPEAKER: It may be in the context.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down. I do not uphold that point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Employment, did you have a point of order?

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon: No.

The SPEAKER: Treasurer, we will get back to your answer.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Madam Speaker, the Coalition is hedging about having the subs built overseas, and I quote:

If the coalition was to think that it's more cost-effective and a better capability to acquire a ready-made solution, we would certainly be interested in that. But as I say, I'm completely ignorant as to what Admiral—

Mr WILLIAMS: I have given the minister an opportunity to get on with his answer to determine whether it had anything to do with the importance of the submarine project to Port Adelaide, but he is indulging in pure speculation, and speculative questions are out of order.

The SPEAKER: Order! Sit down. I am listening to what the Treasurer says and, to me, it is relevant to his answer. He can answer it as he chooses. I do not see there is any particular speculation there. Treasurer.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: Madam Speaker, if I might continue the quote, he said:

...I'm completely ignorant as to what Admiral Rowan Moffitt has on his table and what he's advised the government.

A Liberal Coalition federal government would pose a huge threat to advanced manufacturing in South Australia. I have written to Senator Johnston—

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, I don't think anybody could consider what the minister just said is not debate. He said a Liberal Coalition would cause a threat. That is debate. It is pure speculation and pure conjecture. It is debate and opinion, and it is out of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacKillop will be quiet or you will leave the chamber, again.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: I do have a serious point of order, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: I don't uphold that previous point.

Mr WILLIAMS: I have a point of order.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I have said I do not uphold that point of order. Minister for Transport, do you have a point of order?

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: My point of order is this, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition should know this: your having ruled several times in a row that he had no point of order, it is not open to him to challenge you. If he wishes to do that, under the standing orders he may dissent in your ruling. If he fails to do that, he should sit down and be quiet.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, can you please clarify to the house what that was? Was that the minister attempting to give you instructions or—

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

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for MacKillop will leave the chamber for 15 minutes until he calms down.

The honourable member for MacKillop having withdrawn from the chamber:

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Treasurer, I would ask you to very quickly conclude your answer.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I will, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: And please do not comment on the opposition. Leave the word out.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: I am more than happy to abide by your rulings, ma'am. I have written to Senator Johnston today asking him urgently to clarify his remarks, and I call on the Leader of the Opposition in this place to join South Australia and stand up for working South Australians and their jobs. Tony Abbott must immediately confirm his support for the future assembly of the submarines in South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The Treasurer will be very careful in the wording of his answers in future. The member for Waite.