Motor Accident Commission

Mr MARSHALL (Dunstan—Leader of the Opposition) (14:22): Supplementary: did the Motor Accident Commission board make a specific recommendation to the government regarding the winding-up of the Motor Accident Commission?

The Hon. T.R. Kenyon interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The member for Newland is called to order.

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS (West Torrens—Treasurer, Minister for Finance, Minister for State Development, Minister for Mineral Resources and Energy, Minister for Small Business) (14:23): When the government announced its plans to privatise the Motor Accident Commission and allow a competitive process to allow the private sector—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. A. KOUTSANTONIS: Yes, after the election—to offer this service—because we feel they can do it more efficiently than the government; obviously my socialist friends opposite don't believe that—through the Motor Accident Commission chair, Mr Roger Cook, I allowed them to put to the government an alternative proposal. We put that alternative proposal to our commercial advisers and, quite frankly, that alternative proposal did not bear what we thought would be a better outcome for the people of this state.

Whatever the views of the board members are, what matters is what the view of the government of South Australia is, and our view is that the private sector is better at issuing insurance premiums than a government monopoly, but if the socialist members opposite think they can do it better, that's a matter for them and their ideologies.