Nyrstar

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (17:17): My supplementary is to the Minister for Regional Development. Does the minister concur with the sentiments of the Treasurer, who insists that this project would have only got up under a state Labor government?

The SPEAKER: That could be a rather hypothetical question but, anyway, Minister for Regional Development.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK (Frome—Minister for Regional Development, Minister for Local Government) (17:18): Thank you, Mr Speaker, and as everybody knows on the other side, in discussions with both the Premier and the leader my number one priority was the Nyrstar transformation. I acknowledge that the opposition leader did a lot of work on that. However, at the moment, in The Recorder Mr Ramsey is saying that EFIC were close to a deal. That is not my information—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is called to order.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: I acknowledge the work the Leader of the Opposition did leading up to it—he did lots of work talking to the minister involved. When we had the decision to form a government of the day, we have gone this way here and the deal has been done. There has been nothing coming back to me, as the member for Frome, saying that they would have accepted through EFIC, to my knowledge.

Mr Marshall: So Nyrstar instructed you to go with Labor.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: Mr Speaker, I take that as a slur that Nyrstar have asked me to go with Labor. I really take that as a slur.

Mr Marshall: It's not a slur; I'm just asking the question.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: That is a slur on an international company that is—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Treasurer is warned for the first time.

The Hon. G.G. BROCK: Mr Speaker, I feel as if I have explained my situation right from the start when I made the decision. There were 23 on the Labor side and 22 on the Liberal side. There had to be a decision made. I made a decision to form a minority government. I am up here as the member for Frome. I should not have to do this. The issue was we could not go into caretaker mode unless I had a guarantee. We had no guarantees to me in writing.