Council Rate Remissions

Mr GRIFFITHS (Goyder) (15:05): My question is to the Minister for Local Government. Can the minister confirm his position on the requirement of local government authorities to provide a remission of 75 per cent on council rates when sought by eligible groups? John, don't.

The SPEAKER: Deputy Premier.

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

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) (15:06): Mr Speaker, can you protect me from the member for Kavel, please?

Mr Goldsworthy interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: May I answer the question?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: The Deputy Premier will cease his posture of provocative silence.

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Very well, thank you.

An honourable member interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Outrageous!

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: Okay, time me out, for goodness sake. If I were the member for Kavel, I would actually give the answer via ventriloquism using somebody next to me to deliver the words, but I am not, so I don't.

The situation with this is that, as the responsible minister in respect of social housing, or at least the property aspect of that, there are a number of considerations that apply here, and the situation is this: first of all, there are a number of not-for-profit operators who are presently in the market. Those people have been there for a range of periods of time, and the most recent group of those really only in a tranche that has gone out in very little time really, and there is about 1,100 in that group.

That group, incidentally, was a group about which we spent some time negotiating with the local government authorities who were concerned, and those local government authorities as a result of coming to the table and negotiating with the state government actually achieved their purpose, which was to be relieved of the obligations cast upon them by reason of the rebate in section 161 of the Local Government Act.

We believe that is the best way forward because, over the months and years ahead, there will be a larger number of these currently publicly owned properties which will be transferred into the management of not-for-profits; and, in the context of doing that, obviously, we must have regard to the effect that might have on the communities in which those properties exist. I have had conversations with the Minister for Local Government who has raised with me in particular issues about—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.R. RAU: No, he has spoken to me about this matter, and he has spoken to me on more than one occasion about this matter, and he has particularly advocated for those regional communities where there are significant public housing stocks. He has shared with me his concerns about places like Whyalla, Port Augusta and other places where there are substantial public housing stocks, and he has raised with me the issue, 'Are you aware of what it might mean for the municipal government there if this rule was applied as a blanket rule and they lost rate bases?' He has taken that up with me and I have said to him that, as we go forward with this, I intend to continue to have dialogue with him about these matters because he is absolutely right to be as concerned as I am. We will take that on a case-by-case basis, sit down around the table and talk with local government.

If you want to know our bona fides about this, have a look at the last round of 1,200, or whatever it was, that we went through. They got exactly what they asked for out of that. We do not want to be in a position where those that have been out there in the marketplace for many years are going to be retrospectively caught up in a net that never existed in the first place.