CARETAKER GOVERNMENT CONVENTIONS

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:26): My question again is to the Minister for Health and Ageing. Will the minister explain why different rules apply to obtaining briefings about an increasing cost in a proposed government project during the caretaker period of the last election and obtaining briefings about the cost of proposed opposition projects during the same caretaker period?

The Hon. J.D. HILL (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for the Arts) (14:26): I am not sure what the member is referring to. As a member of government—

Mrs Redmond interjecting:

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Well, I can be rhetorical in my questions too, Madam Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Order! The question also implied that there were different rules and so really I should disallow the question.

Mrs REDMOND: On what basis?

The SPEAKER: Do you want to clarify?

Mrs REDMOND: I was merely going to explain to the minister what he couldn't understand; that is, I was referring to the Kevin Foley quotation that I referred to in the first question.

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

The Hon. P.F. CONLON: Point of order, Madam Speaker: should the Leader of the Opposition wish to explain a question, she might do that during the question with the leave of the house, not once the minister has started.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! We will get back to the question. Minister, do you wish to respond?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Madam Speaker, with that explanation, which was omitted from the original question, what the Leader of the Opposition is really saying is 'Please let me repeat the question I asked in my first question.' I just refer to my answer, that there was nothing improper about what I did as a minister in a government I am entirely—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: I am absolutely allowed to ask my department for information, for—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for MacKillop!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: As I was saying, Madam Speaker, I am absolutely entitled as a minister in the government to ask my department for—

Mrs Redmond: No, you are not.

The Hon. J.D. HILL: Well, you may disagree with me. I accept that you will have a different view. Just because you are loud about it and you have a different view, does not make you correct. I am telling you, under the conventions that are around, ministers are allowed to ask factual questions of their departments. That is what ministers are allowed to do. What they are not allowed to do is sign contracts, appoint new people, or spend money on overt political campaigns such as the Howard government's—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: —advertising campaign, prior to one of their elections.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.D. HILL: That is what the conventions say we shouldn't do. There is nothing wrong with the minister asking departments for information and that is what I did.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!