Cabinet Conduct

Mr GARDNER (Morialta) (14:42): My supplementary is directly to the answer. How, indeed, do the people of South Australia find out how the Minister for Trade and the Minister for Regional Development are going to vote on matters unless they are absolutely able to advise whether they have absented themselves from cabinet?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Premier) (14:43): I think there is a dawning realisation on those opposite that they lost the last election and that we are the government and will remain the government for the next four years. That is what the people of South Australia have actually understood for some time now. There is a bit of a lag between consciousness catching up with reality on the other side of the house—I do understand that—but, if you ask the two Independent members, in their discussions with the constituents with whom they come into contact, they just want them to get on with the job of being part of a government that actually—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Would the Premier be seated? The member for Unley is warned for the second and final time, the leader is warned for the second and final time, the member for MacKillop is called to order, and if I see the Treasurer's lips move once more out of order he will be joining the member for Chaffey. The Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Mr Speaker, I do appreciate that we are gradually moving through the five stages of grief and loss and we seem to be moving from denial into anger right now, but could those opposite—

Mr GARDNER: Point of order, sir: this is a ridiculous debate and is completely irrelevant to the question that was asked.

The SPEAKER: The member for Morialta will leave the chamber for half an hour for an entirely bogus point of order.

The honourable member for Morialta having withdrawn from the chamber:

The SPEAKER: The Premier.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: It is an important point, because there is an integrity about the need for a government to present a united position on matters that have been debated in cabinet. Of course, there is a tension associated with having Independent members in a cabinet, but there is an orderly process for those Independent members to be able to make decisions about whether they choose to be inside the cabinet expressing a view, seeking to influence those positions, but then having to be bound by those decisions or, in those cases where they feel they are unable or unwilling to do that, to actually step outside of cabinet and express their views freely in this process. But we will not be giving a running commentary on what those issues are from time to time.

This parliament is the forum where the public expression of those Independent members' points of view about individual pieces of legislation will be expressed. This is the proper place. It is public. The community will have full capacity to understand those views and, if those members wish to articulate those views further, they can do so in any of the forums that are available in this parliament, and that is as it should be. But in terms of asking questions of executive government, we speak with one voice.

The SPEAKER: The member for Goyder, supplementary.