POPULATION GROWTH

Ms BETTISON (Ramsay) (14:40): My question is to the Minister for Planning. Can the minister please inform the house about how the Australian Bureau of Statistics projects population growth and how this impacts upon planning in South Australia?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:40): I thank the honourable member for her question. Planning for growth is very important. Last night, along with a number of other individuals including the member for Bragg, Senator Xenophon and the Hon. Mr Parnell, I attended the magnificent town hall in Norwood. A number of people were there who were interested in the topic of planning. Some of these people, Mr Speaker, were people who might even be constituents of yours, people who had a particular interest in a certain development in the western suburbs. Some of them were constituents of the member for Bragg, interested in another particular possibility, and so on.

They raised a number of important issues. The assembled group heard remarks from the four members of parliament present and then from an expert panel, included amongst whom was Mr Brian Hayes, who is chairing the government's planning improvement project which is due to report towards the end of next year on a range of opportunities for change and improvement in our planning regime which, incidentally, is recognised already around this country as being amongst the best in the nation. However, the important aspect of the question that the honourable member asked me was about population growth—

The SPEAKER: I was wondering when you'd get to that.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Indeed. Population growth. The Australian Bureau of Statistics records, amongst other things, statistics relating to population using various practices including the National Census. What this data tells us is not subject to argument; it is a fact. It is not an opinion. What we can deduce from this material is very important. It tells us that, based on birth rates alone, something incidentally over which even this government has no control, Adelaide will—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.J. Snelling: I do, a bit.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Except for the Minister for Health. Adelaide will have an additional 11,000 people every year. There is also migration—again, a matter over which even this government has no control as we do not control the national border, nor do we have people sitting at Tailem Bend or Keith or Bordertown stopping people moving.

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, but if you don't get them at Keith, Mr Speaker, you need a second line of defence.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Close.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: You need defence in depth. If you don't catch them at Keith, you want to catch them at Tailem Bend. In any event, population data released by the ABS shows that in the year—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Hang on. This is important. It shows that there was an increase in our population here in Adelaide of 14,200 persons or, in other words, 1.1 per cent growth. Projections fluctuate from year to year and the 30-year plan upon which much of our planning strategy is based takes into account projected changes in population. It might interest people to know that over the long-term trend change in population projected in the 30-year plan is in fact 1.2. We have it at 1.1 for the last year, so we are tracking pretty well on course.

What becomes clear and what is very important in this whole debate is this: there are a number of people in South Australia, and it was particularly evident last night, who are passionate about a thing called zero population growth. These people unfortunately commence their debate about planning from a very unhelpful position which is a fantasy, the fantasy being that the population will not, does not grow and has not grown.

Mr PISONI: Point of order, Mr Speaker. As interesting as the minister has expressed this to be, I believe sessional orders on the length of answers to questions has been breached.

The SPEAKER: I am impressed that the member for Unley was right on the ball and, indeed, at the instant he rose the Deputy Premier's time had expired. Much as we are interested in the Deputy Premier's answer, if he hadn't spent 90 seconds approaching the problem perhaps he could have fitted the population answer into that 90 seconds.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Perhaps another time, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Another time.