SMALL BUSINESS

Mr MARSHALL (Norwood) (14:43): My question is to the Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade. Following the postponement of the Olympic Dam expansion, how does the government expect employers to support the South Australian economy and create employment when Labor has announced the removal of the Small and Medium Enterprise Investment Development Program grants; the removal of the funding for the Business Enterprise Centres; the removal of $3 million for Innovate SA; the cessation of the SA Youth Entrepreneur Scheme; the removal of funding for the small business emergency helpline; and the cancellation of Small Business Month?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! You have asked the question; you will listen to the answer.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Minister for Manufacturing, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:45): All those programs the member for Norwood—sorry, the Liberal candidate for Dunstan—just announced, he has not once recommitted a future Liberal government to reinstating any of them—not once.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: the minister in his very first sentence is going straight to debate. These are very important questions.

Members interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: Your Premier is trying—

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: —to tell us that you've got a plan. What the hell is it?

The SPEAKER: Sit down! You've made your point of order. The minister is aware of the standing orders.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am surprised that after the deputy leader's near death experience—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister will go back to the question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister, can you please answer the question?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, Madam Speaker. I remind the member for Norwood that if he thinks all those programs he just read off are of such value perhaps the opposition could commit to reinstating all of them and tell us how they will fund them. But, they will not do that, and the reason they will not do that is because they have no plan for South Australia.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: this goes to the heart of this government's lack of plan.

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

Mr WILLIAMS: It goes to the heart of it, and the minister will not even attempt to answer the question.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Another point of order: Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.R. RAU: —it appears from over here that the member for Kavel is throwing his voice so it sounds like the member for Norwood and the member for Bragg are interjecting.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Then that may explain what happened on Tuesday—in reverse. Now we will get back to the substance of the question. Minister, can you answer the question?

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Madam Speaker, the opposition are convinced that South Australia is a one company town. They believe that BHP is the only show in town.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order: this has got nothing to do with the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: Thank you; you can sit down. The minister can answer as he chooses. I will listen carefully to what he says, but minister, please be aware of standing order 98. You will not debate the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I do not want to generate an emotional response from members opposite who make emotional decisions they regret later. I do not want to generate those responses from them now. So, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —according to the ABS new private capital expenditure in South Australia's mining industry alone, when we are talking about Olympic Dam, for the June quarter was $199 million. New private capital expenditure for the 12 months to June 2012 totalled over $1 billion, which is $141 million higher than the previous 12 months. South Australia is not a one company town. We are not just about BHP. Members opposite admit it—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr MARSHALL: The substance of my question related to the cuts to the SME programs here in South Australia. I ask you whether you could get the minister to return to the substance of the question.

The SPEAKER: You did highlight at the start of your question the Olympic Dam expansion.

Mr MARSHALL: I said, 'following the postponement of the Olympic Dam expansion'.

The SPEAKER: Yes; so you highlighted it. Thank you. The minister is answering the question.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Madam Speaker, it might come as a shock to the member for Norwood that SMEs actually get work through mining investment. They get working capital infrastructure being spent in this state. I know that whenever the state succeeds a little part of them dies, but quite frankly this state is still powering ahead. We are still growing faster than New South Wales, the largest economy—

Mr Williams interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Deputy leader, order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: —in Australia. According to ABS figures, over $8 billion of capital expenditure has been invested in mining in the state over the last seven years. Now, there are new mines coming on board and an expansion of new—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: You're a one trick pony; that's all you've got.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: The expansion of new mines contributed to capital expenditure over the past 12 months, which SMEs are vitally important to making sure that they get involved in are—I will repeat them to the house—Hillgrove Resources' Kanmantoo copper gold mine, $144 million worth of total project capital expenditure; Uranium One's Honeymoon uranium mine, with over $118 million worth of total project capital expenditure; OZ Minerals' Ankata project, $135 million worth of total project capital expenditure spent on the underground expansion of the Prominent Hill copper gold silver mine.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: After all, you called on us to save Arkaroola—Heathgate Resources' Beverley North uranium mine, with an estimated $50 million of capital cost; Arrium's (formerly OneSteel) hematite extension project, with $390 million spent on the expansion of the hematite iron ore in the Middleback Ranges. In addition, BHP Billiton still spent $1.2 billion on the precommitment work, and it spent $25 million—

Mr WILLIAMS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: the opposition has given the minister a fair bit of latitude, but all he is doing now is highlighting the fact that, notwithstanding the mining sector, we still lost 30,000 jobs. What are you doing about it, minister?

The SPEAKER: Thank you. That is no point of order. Sit down deputy leader; it is not an opportunity for you to make a statement.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: I am impressed that you—

The SPEAKER: Minister, you have 27 seconds left.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Okay, Madam Speaker.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Of course, Madam Speaker—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Of course, Madam Speaker—

Mr Whetstone interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Member for Chaffey, order!

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Of course, Madam Speaker, the opposition cannot articulate a single policy. They spent three days talking about a near-death experience involving you.

Mr GOLDSWORTHY: Point of order: the minister is clearly debating.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold that point of order. The minister can sit down now.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I don't know what those students from St Ignatius are thinking, but I can imagine what would happen if they behaved like this in their classroom.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!