Gillman Land Sale

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg—Deputy Leader of the Opposition) (17:23): In respect of whether or not it is a condition or a term of this deed—or an option, as it has been described—that there is the obligation on ACP to construct an oil and gas hub, are you saying that you have received crown law advice that you cannot make any public statement on whether that is a condition of the deed? And if not, why won't you tell the parliament and the people of South Australia whether or not this is a condition? It has been presented—

The SPEAKER: Yes, I think we've got the idea, the nub of the question. The Deputy Premier.

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice Reform, Minister for Planning, Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Child Protection Reform) (17:24): Mr Speaker, I am sincerely trying to be of help to the parliament and the member for Bragg about this. I have been advised, but what I can say to the parliament and what I can say publicly about the matter is: there is reference in the documentation to the establishment of an industrial precinct with a focus on oil and gas as a hub.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I beg your pardon? You want to know what they have to do?

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: As much as I would like to help the member for Bragg, it is not going to be—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, I would, I seriously would, because it would then put this—

Ms Chapman: What about the people of South Australia?

The Hon. J.R. RAU: And them too; I could help them through you. But it would not serve any useful purpose for the government to become in breach of its agreement with ACP and therefore just introduce yet more unnecessary clutter into this conversation. I think that the safest thing for me to do is to rely on what I have already said and to point you back to the ministerial statement and also to the response I gave to the member for Mount Gambier a while ago. That is self-evident truth, isn't it?

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: That's right; we got cut short. There is a self-evident truth for any business which is trying to provide a service: you can provide the service but whether somebody wishes to take it up is a matter for the market. Nobody is able to warranty absolutely that, within a certain specific period of days, weeks, months or years, there will be X number of customers lined up at the door with their chequebook waiting to buy your product. All we can say with confidence—

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, the member for Mount Gambier is still interested. What we can say with confidence is that the government has proceeded on the basis that the intention is to provide an opportunity for an industrial complex, ideally focused on mineral resources, oil and gas; that has always been part and parcel of this—and, if you go back as far as the very earliest statements made by the Premier and my predecessor in this role, you will find that even those very early statements make reference to this specific thing. So, it is not as if this is some subsequent invention by somebody; this predates all litigation and everything else.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, there's nothing in what you have; I agree with you. You had me at 'Hello'.

The SPEAKER: 'There is nothing in what the deputy leader has.'

The Hon. J.R. RAU: I beg your pardon: there is nothing in what the deputy leader has, I concede that point, but I have never actually said that there was anything in there. There are basically two bits to the deed, if I can explain it this way, Mr Speaker: there are the bits that the deputy leader has and there are the bits that the deputy leader does not have.

An honourable member: There are the known knowns.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: There are the known knowns. The thing that the deputy leader is looking for, the information that she seeks, is contained in the piece that she does not have. All I am trying to explain is that bit the deputy leader does not have, I have sought advice about my capability to be able to produce that publicly without causing some disturbance in the force, and the answer is that I cannot do that.

The SPEAKER: I cannot let you complete the answer because your time has expired. Another question?

Ms CHAPMAN: I have a question, yes, to the Premier.

The SPEAKER: The deputy leader.