Gillman Land Sale

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (15:00): Let's hope the memory improves. My question again is to the Premier.

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader is on two warnings. The remark that she just made is entirely out of order.

Ms CHAPMAN: I fall on your mercy, Mr Speaker, which might be dangerous.

The SPEAKER: Quite.

Ms CHAPMAN: I humbly beg to have a supplementary.

The SPEAKER: Thank you.

Ms CHAPMAN: Thank you. To the Premier: did the Premier receive a detailed proposal from Adelaide Capital Partners in June last year regarding the land at Gillman, or did he receive a letter that Fred Hansen has stated 'did not have substantial detail'?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (15:01): Well, I will go through this again. I would have thought that those on the other side, after the evidence that Mr Hansen gave to the select committee that was made public the other day, would feel a little shame-faced about coming in here asking further questions about the Gillman land arrangements. Mr Hansen came before the committee and contradicted in every material respect all of the key contentions that were made by those opposite. I would have thought an apology rather than a series of searching questions would have been more appropriate, but nevertheless, keep going down this track.

I do urge you, once again, to conduct yourself in a way which does not jeopardise the opportunity which has been presented by this arrangement. We have just been told by Mr Hansen, as I understand it—I haven't read his transcript in detail, but I see the reported remarks, which are consistent with everything that he has said to me—that this is an arrangement which represents good value for money. It is not yet even a concluded arrangement—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: That's right.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —it is merely an option that they are exploring, and one hopes that the conduct of those opposite doesn't scare away the investors which are going to be essential to making this arrangement work. But I will take on notice all of the questions that the member asked, the detailed questions about this matter.

I have said before in this place that I had only an initial and limited association with this matter at the behest of the head of the Economic Development Board, Mr Raymond Spencer, who came to me warranting this very important proposal. I think I had one meeting (it may have been two, I can't recall) with the proponents. It was then given to the relevant minister and the relevant agency to carry out the relevant processes, which I think took over six months. I think there were probity officers involved—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: The whole time.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: —there were investigations as to the appropriate land use, and there was an assessment of the appropriate valuation. It ended up being a price which was many orders of magnitude beyond that which was either ever offered or valued. I just hope this isn't another one of those wild goose chases such as was served up to you from the member for Unley concerning the Debelle inquiry or the Criminon documents. I hope that this is not another—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Well, you wasted 18 months of the last government pursuing me with the most personal, disgraceful attacks on my credibility and then, of course, it all blew up in the campaign. So I hope the—

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta has a point of order.

Mr GARDNER: Under 98: I fear we have strayed from the question about Fred Hansen's words.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I uphold the point of order and I also warn the Treasurer for punctuating the Premier's answer with revivalist meeting type interjections.