CAR PARKING LEVY

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:07): My question again is to the Premier. As the government has claimed its car park tax is to pay for park-and-ride facilities, why does the car park tax commence after the promised park-and-ride facilities are completed?

The Hon. P.F. Conlon: Imagine if we started it before!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier, Treasurer, Minister for State Development, Minister for the Public Sector, Minister for the Arts) (15:08): That's right. Consider the counterfactual: we started the tax before we built the park-and-ride facilities. There would be howls of derision. I mean, what an absurd question. Somehow we are being criticised by implication in the question for actually investing up front, and this is precisely why we did it—a moment's reflection.

You should show your questions to somebody else in the caucus; they would spare you the embarrassment of asking such a ridiculous question. Of course we wanted to invest first so that we could demonstrate to the people of South Australia that we were getting something in return for this revenue. That is precisely what we were doing. This is an absurd proposition. What they have done with this question is try to get a cheap tow in on a bunch of developers that are running a publicity campaign, and they have decided to tow in off the back of it.

That is really all that has happened today. That is why we have the re-enlivening of interest in this particular matter, and it is absurd to suggest that we should not be publicly investing in park-and-ride facilities to provide people with the support. Of course, park-and-ride facilities take some time to construct and so we wanted those arrangements in place for the commencement of the new levy arrangements.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Unley is warned for the first time. The Minister for Transport is warned for the second time, and the deputy leader is informed that there will be no Chris Huhne to Vicky Pryce-type transfer of warnings—she's on her last. Deputy leader.